The Bourne Legacy, just not quite smart or strong enough

On paper, The Bourne Legacy, the reboot of the Bourne trilogy that featured Matt Damon in the lead role as rogue agent Jason Bourne, looks promising. Tony Gilroy, the guy who penned the screenplay for the first three Bourne flicks, wrote and directed the film. And Oscar-nominated actor Jeremy Renner takes on the lead role of rogue agent Aaron Cross/Kenneth Kitsom. And yet, despite some good acting and some undeniably great action, the film sputters slightly at its start and never really gets on track.

As the movie begins, agent Aaron Cross is hiking across the frigid Alaskan wilderness, desperately trying to get to an outpost where he can refuel on the meds that have endowed him with superhuman physical and mental abilities. He meets up with another outcome agent (Oscar Isaac) stationed in a remote cabin but, when a drone missile suddenly destroys the cabin, Aaron realizes something is terribly wrong. Unbeknownst to him, his program that produced him has been terminated and its agents have been targeted.

Aaron is aware of his mental limitations without enhancement and so, running out of the pills that power him, he puts himself in the line of fire to find n search of the scientist who monitored him over the past four years. In tracking down one Dr. Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz), Aaron must elude the resources of Eric Byer (Ed Norton), a retired Air Force colonel in charge of dismantling the top-secret program by any means necessary.

The movie’s premise is a good one and the film makes a few well-placed references to Jason Bourne that provide a solid sense of continuity, but there’s so much explication involved, the plot is often confusing. (Yeah, we get it. Agents must be killed and the CIA will take them out. No need to belabor the point.) Then, when the action finally kicks in, it’s all stuff we’ve seen before. Aaron runs across city rooftops and leads a wild motorcycle chase through crowded city streets as he attempts to save the leading lady and elude all the government’s resources in relentless pursuit.

The film’s ending nicely sets up the next film, but we won’t hold our breath in anticipation.