THE BOURNE LEGACY Blu-ray Review
When I first heard that Jeremy Renner was stepping into the lead of The Bourne Legacy, I was confused and a bit annoyed. I could not understand why Matt Damon would want to leave a franchise that he was made to star in. Renner is no Matt Damon, but he is equally explosive in this intense action thriller. Universal Home Entertainment released the film on Blu-ray and DVD this week, and I had the chance to check it out for a second viewing. I always love watching a movie more than once, and especially love seeing the behind the scenes featurettes that are on the Blu-ray.
Tony Gilroy directs the fourth Bourne film that stars Renner, Edward Norton, Rachel Weisz, Joan Allen, Oscar Isaac and Albert Finney. Gilroy penned the script with his brother Dan, which throws audiences directly into a an expansion of the universe created by Robert Ludlum. The first films followed Damon on his search for his true identity, and this film focuses on Renner’s Aaron Cross as he tries to survive after the Government decides to eliminate the Bourne program.
Not only does Cross have to go on the run to elude hitmen, but he has to find a way to get a supply of the pills the government was feeding him to make him a super agent. During his quest for the "chems", as he continues to refer to them as, he connects with the lone surviving scientist (Rachel Weisz). The duo form a type of partnership, Cross will keep the scientist safe and she will help get him the chems.
The pacing of the film starts off slow but it gives us a pretty look behind the curtain of the Bourne training program. Renner is a great actor that continues to capture audiences attention when on screen. The pacing picks up later in the film, and the chase sequences are really cool. They are so cool, that I consider them to be on the same level as the ones that fans have come to love from the first Bourne films. Renner is born to be an action star, so I would be fine seeing him in more of the franchise.
The Blu-ray has some of the features you have come to expect with a Universal release. Here is a breakdown of the included features:
- Audio Commentary: I always love it when the commentary includes a director and at least one of the stars. This commentary only includes the team behind the camera, such as Tony Gilroy, co-writer Dan Gilroy, editor John Gilroy, director of photography Robert Elswit, second unit director Dan Bradley and production designer Kevin Thompson.
- Deleted Scenes: These scenes were deleted for a reason, and are pretty worthless in my opinion.
- Re-Bourne: This section goes into depth on how the filmmakers decided to continue the Bourne universe without Jason Bourne.
- Enter Aaron Cross: Crossing Continents: This portion takes audiences on a journey to the various filming locations.
- Moving Targets: The cast and crew discuss dividing the film's focus between Aaron and Marta.
- Man vs. Wolf: No this is not a hold over from The Grey, but it does feature Renner sharing what it was like to face off against wolves.
- Wolf Sequence Test: This portion shows the animated storyboard/footage reel created for the wolf attack.
- Capturing Chaos: The Motorbike Chase: Go behind the camera for the filming of the epic mortobike chase.
- My Scenes Bookmarking
If you are craving some action, then The Bourne Legacy will be a perfect choice. Renner and Weisz work well in the roles, and Gilroy does a superb job of expanding the Bourne universe without Damon.
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