Movie Review: The Bourne Legacy

Hello everyone! I hope all of you had a relaxing weekend just like me. I've spent it bonding with my family -- We have decided to watch The Bourne Legacy in Trinoma cinema ^_^

I have watched the Jason Bourne series and I liked them. I'm not supposed to watch Bourne Legacy coz it's not Matt Damon anymore but since it was filmed here in the Philippines, I was really curious on what it looked like hehe...Yeah, I'm kinda weird like that but hey, I really am curious how Philippines is depicted in the film.

PLOT SUMMARY (wikipedia):

The Bourne Legacy is a 2012 American action thriller film and the fourth installment in the Bourne film series, which is based on Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne novels. It is directed by Tony Gilroy, screenwriter of the first three films.

The film uses the same title as The Bourne Legacy, a later Bourne novel written by Eric Van Lustbader, and like the previous three films in the franchise, it has a completely different plot from the eponymous novels.

CAST:

Jeremy Renner as Aaron Cross

Rachel Weisz as Dr. Marta Shearing

Edward Norton as Eric Byer

(click here to see the list of the full cast & crew)

MY REVIEW:

Let's start with the good first. I loved the cinematography of the movie because they look so real and the images are crisp. It made me feel like I'm part of the scene and not a viewer. I especially love the special effects like the wolves and the overview of the snowy mountain of Alaska while Aaron Cross was travelling on foot. The action scenes are great too and they were executed beautifully by the casts. I also liked how they showed the different sides of Manila and the ending scene with Palawan (I'm not 100% sure it is Palawan but it looks like it) as the backdrop is gorgeous. I am so proud that we got to be showcased in an international film and we did not jinxed it. The local actors did a great job and I'm glad they decided to use credible actors as extras on the film :)

But on the side note, honestly, the The Bourne Identity Saga is way better. I liked the story a lot more and it has great pacing and have few/no dull moments, for me at least. I am not saying that the Bourne Legacy is a bad movie but it does not have that extra something to make it stand out for me. It didn't gave me any feeling of satisfaction and I doubt that this will leave a lasting impression on me. 

I feel the scenes are a bit rushed and it took me so long before I understood what's happening because it keeps on going back and forth from present to past. There is also no chemistry whatsoever on the lead characters. I didn't feel their relationship developing so it was kind of awkward when they hinted they "love" each other at the ending (on board the boat).

Lastly, this is the highlight and the reason why I watched this movie in the first place without reading any kind of movie review -- The scenes shot in the Philippines. It was so fun to watch these scenes because I keep on  trying to identify the places and also trying to hear the background chatter. My favorite scene was during the chase scene on the squatters' area wherein the policemen keeps on blowing their whistle while running after Rachel Weisz on the skinita. It reminded me of old Tagalog movies wherein all the policemen are blowing their pito and waving their batuta while running after the lead characters. It really made the whole scene funny to me. Also, I can't help but laugh out loud because you can clearly hear the extras cursing (the infamous P.I.) all throughout the movie tsk tsk. Oh, and have you noticed that they were able to pinpoint their location within 24 hours so easily and they used a SWAT team to enter the boarding house but regular policemen did the chasing? That is the big ? on my head while watching it.

The beta guy who are chasing them is really funny. Whatever he do, I can't stop but laugh just because he doesn't look like a tough guy who will kill and also his stunts look funny as hell (his death especially). I also can't believe they were able to shoot a chase scene with their motor bikes on the busy street of Manila. I really salute the director for making it look so real and yet at the same time execute it flawlessly. Thank you for choosing the Philippines as your setting.

RATING: 3/5

This film is entertaining enough and will be much appreciated by Filipinos just because..I just hated the cliff hanger ending and the slow movement of the story. Is there gonna be part 2? If it's not shot in Pinas anymore, I don't think I will watch it again. The casts are great in acting but I don't like how the film looked rushed and not at all serious.

Have you watched it yet? Share your thoughts on the comment section below! I would love to read what you thought about the movie ^_^

Thanks for dropping by!