The Bourne franchise is one that I have loved from the very first installation – The Bourne Identity. I own the trilogy. At this moment, for me, it will remain a trilogy. The Bourne Legacy DOES NOT live up to the trilogy. And to be clear, the problem is not Jeremy Renner…

Story: The choices the filmmakers made on story for this version are the problem. The story was more about the conversations between government bureaucrats in their offices than about the protagonist. The previous installations were sure to make the focus Jason Bourne; Legacy doesn’t create enough suspense and action for Renner’s character, Aaron Cross.

Jason Bourne’s charm was his ability to weave in and out of any situation with ease; His ability to escape… His ability to win a life-threatening fist-fight and then walk out of the door as if he’s going to get a cup of coffee. Not enough of that in Legacy…

Performances: The expectations when a main character is replaced is that no one will be able to live up to the original. Matt Damon as Jason Bourne was excellent and I’m not a Matt Damon fan. I was not convinced going into the first installation that he’d convince me and he convinced me…

Jeremy Renner was a great choice to advance the franchise. AND, let me give the filmmakers an A+ for not making him Jason Bourne, but, making him a different character within the franchise. They just didn’t nail the story. I also think Edward Norton was a good choice as a bureaucrat, but, we could have used more of Aaron Cross running, jumping and punching and less of Norton’s character talking…

Visual: The cinematography was as good as previous versions, but, the time Aaron Cross spent trekking through the winter tundra in the beginning could have been cut in half in lieu of more action in other locations. Like the motorcycle chase scene. That lived up to the Bourne expectations. But, the rest, it was labored enough that, there was about a 10 minute period when I fell asleep. That’s pretty bad.

Rating: I’m giving The Bourne Legacy a D. It’s not an F because I see potential. I think the filmmakers can save/revive the franchise with more intricate details. Cleverness is rare in filmmaking nowadays… But, get the right writers on the job and The Bourne franchise might be able to redeem itself. P.S. Moving forward, if there’s no Jason Bourne, a new name is in order as well… Have at it…