On Parallel Storytelling with The Bourne Legacy

Tony Gilroy, who wrote the previous Bourne trilogy, has expanded his role from writer into writer/director as he attempts to expand the Bourne franchise beyond Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon. Gilroy has approached this by creating a narrative that runs parallel to The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) and this is the most fascinating feature about The Bourne Legacy. We see scenes from the latter of the previous trilogy extended and given more depth. The events from Ultimatum and the chaos that Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne causes in that film are referred to throughout. This technique, while not necessarily unique, is a different approach in today’s cinema as many filmmakers look to create their own stamp on a franchise with reimagining’s, prequels or even worse, remakes. Gilroy displays his respect for the previous work by creating this parallel storyline.

Unfortunately, beyond the expanded narrative The Bourne Legacy fails to live up to the quality of the previous films. While Jeremy Renner makes a good rouge agent and Edward Norton is fantastic in his role, the film strays too far into science fiction. This is a shame as it was the realism and the practicality of the characters that made the previous films so engrossing. The focus on the science behind the agents hints at some element of super human ability, which detracts from the tension in the fight scenes. Additionally, Gilroy also seems too focused on what it next to create a complete film here. There is talk of bringing Renner and Damon together for the next film, when the best option maybe to leave the franchise alone.