Review Roundup - Matt Damon Returns in Spy Thriller JASON BOURNE

The new spy thriller JASON BOURNE hits theaters today, July 29th. Matt Damon returns to his most iconic role in Jason Bourne. Paul Greengrass, the director of The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, once again joins Damon for the next chapter of Universal Pictures' Bourne franchise, which finds the CIA's most lethal former operative drawn out of the shadows.

For Jason Bourne, Damon is joined by Alicia Vikander, Vincent Cassel and Tommy Lee Jones, while Julia Stiles reprises her role in the series. Frank Marshall again produces alongside Jeffrey Weiner for Captivate Entertainment, and Greengrass, Damon, Gregory Goodman and Ben Smith also produce. Based on characters created by Robert Ludlum, the film is written by Greengrass and Christopher Rouse.

Let's see what the critics have to say:

A.O. Scott, The New York Times: The thrill isn't entirely gone. It's just a little more subdued. Mr. Damon, for his part, is as subdued as ever. Jason Bourne is a uniquely passive action hero, a man who runs on pure survival instinct as he tries to figure out who is after him and why.

Pete Hammond, Deadline: A misguided 2012 attempt, The Bourne Legacy, with Jeremy Renner taking over, did nothing to continue that cinematic legacy, so there is much anticipation around the return of Damon and Greengrass with Jason Bourne. The verdict: It's an exciting and timely re-invention of the series.

Peter Debruge, Variety: Just as the initial Damon-driven trilogy wrapped up Bourne's business but left us wanting more, this sequel offers closure even as it entices us with the possibility of his return.

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: It's rare for a film to succeed at being both escapist and engaged, but for Jason Bourne, man and franchise, the impossible is all in a day's work.

Brian Lowry, CNN: The action is characteristically stylish and breathtakingly fast. Those sequences only hit a serious skid during a climactic car chase along the Las Vegas Strip, which seems to have parachuted in from the "Fast & Furious" movies and pays even less attention to the laws of physics than it does local traffic ordinances.

Eric Kohn, Indie Wire: As Bourne gears up for more action, someone actually tells him, "You don't have to do this." She speaks for those of us already pleased with his decision to go missing in action. No matter how much we enjoy watching them, some heroes deserve to finish their work.

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: At its best "Jason Bourne" crackles with professionalism; at its worst, it's rehashing greatest hits (as in, "assassinations") from earlier films, with a lavish budget. If a summer picture can be both vaguely disappointing in relation to its franchise predecessors yet worth seeing in relation to its multiplex neighbors, "Jason Bourne" is that picture.

Photo courtesy of Jason Bourne Official Site

To post a comment, you must register and login.