- Actors: Matt Damon, Tommy Lee Jones, Alicia Vikander, Vincent Cassel, Julia Stiles
- Director: Paul Greengrass
- Format: 4K
- Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (DTS:X Master Audio), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), French (DTS:X Master Audio), Spanish (DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1), Spanish (DTS:X Master Audio)
- Subtitles: French, Spanish, English
- Region: All Regions
- Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
- Number of discs: 2
- Rated: PG-13
- Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
- Release Date: December 6, 2016
- Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2018
After to an
unsuccessful attempt at making a Jason Bourne film without Matt Damon or its
title character, the franchise has returned to business as usual, even if it
just feels like a collection of deleted scenes from the original trilogy.
Director Paul Greengrass also returns to the franchise in order to provide the
same nausea-inducing shaky camera work that he used in the first two sequels,
along with a barely significant storyline making transparent modern-day commentary
on issues of online privacy. None of this really matters, however, because the
film is more interested in endless chase scenes than it is the narrative.
We join Jason
Bourne (Damon) punishing himself for past indiscretions by enduring endless
bouts of underground boxing in Greece.
When former CIA employee Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) hacks into the government
mainframe, she discovers a secret folder about Bourne’s background with the
company, as well as evidence that a similar program has been started back up.
Taking this information to Bourne, Nicky unintentionally brings the attention
of the intelligence community back on the former operative who has taken
extreme measures to remain hidden.
In charge of
this investigation in Langley
is the head of the Cyber Ops Division, Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander with an
often uncomfortably forced American accent). Although Lee appears to be an
advocate for reasoning with Bourne, the director of the CIA (Tommy Lee Jones)
secretly undermines her by siccing another one of his trained assassins
(Vincent Cassel) on the operation, with the sole purpose of eliminating Bourne
altogether. The primary reason for getting rid of him is to avoid allowing the
former operative to discover a conspiracy by the government to use a social
media platform (clearly modeled after Facebook) in order to spy on the American
public.
While the
integration of online privacy issues into the world of Jason Bourne updates the
film’s relevance, it often feels forced in a movie that is otherwise occupied
with more secrets in the title character’s background. At this point, one can
only hope that all of the secrets in Bourne’s past have been revealed. But even
with these two competing storylines, Jason
Bourne ultimately feels light on reasons for existing. There is little else
for Bourne to do but follow and be followed, with the screenplay giving the
main character less than 50 lines in the entire two-hour run-time.
Even the action scenes begin to feel
redundant. There are only so many times we can see Jason Bourne being followed
with jerky camera movement and tense musical scores before it becomes clear
that style is over-riding substance. It would be far more endurable if the
style were not so unpleasant, including camera work which makes discerning the
action more difficult than rewarding. Even an impressively spectacle-driven
climactic car chase on the Las Vegas
strip isn’t enough to save the film from feeling like a watered down repeat.
The 4K Ultra HD
release for Jason Bourne has its strengths,
but it also makes the film’s weaknesses somewhat more apparent. The visuals are
just not than impressive, though I admit to having little objectivity when it
comes to the unnecessary shaky camera work and heavy use of a zoom lens within
Greengrass films. And there just isn't enough color in the photography to warrant the upgrade, save the final showdown in Vegas. What does feel greatly enhanced is the immersive audio, as
this often has more impact that the disorienting visuals. Even if I often had
trouble telling what was happening, at least it sounded cool.
This release
also comes with a Digital HD copy, as well as a Blu-ray disc, which includes
the film’s special features. There is a three-part feature about the fight
training, choreography, and its relevance to the narrative. There are also
several featurettes on the film’s chase scenes, including the one taking place
in Athens and the one shot on the Las Vegas strip. The last
extra is a generic featurette which discusses the elements of the film,
focusing primarily on the return of Damon and Greengrass.
Entertainment Value:
7/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7/10
Historical
Significance: 5/10
Special Features: 6.5/10
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