Film review: Jason Bourne (12A)

If I could have asked for any character to make a cinema return in 2016, it would have been Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne.

The original trilogy – Identity, Supremacy and Ultimatum – rank among my favourite ever films and achieved the impressive feat of getting better with every offering.

Sure, 2007’s Ultimatum wrapped up the story superbly, but there was always scope for more stories to be told involving the Robert Ludlum-written character… especially with Paul Greengrass back as director.

The Bourne films all but redefined the spy/thriller genre, doing away with tired clichés (the team behind James Bond almost certainly took note) and adding a sense of realism that you could really buy into.

But with three incredible films in the can, I guess the question for Damon and Greengrass was ‘why come back and threaten the Bourne legacy’ – especially when the 2012 spin-off of the same name has already had a go.

Well, as a big fan of the originals, I’m pleased to say that Jason Bourne feels like a very worthy addition to the collection and is like spending two hours with an old friend.

I’ll not go through the old storylines, but we find Bourne still very much in the shadows almost a decade on from Ultimatum. Having exposed his previous employers, he’s living off the grid and making a living as an effective bareknuckle boxer in Greece.

However, everything changes when his old (sometimes) ally Nicky Parsons (the returning Julia Stiles) stumbles across some information that interests Bourne when hacking a government database.

That leads to the pair becoming targets for the CIA and they are drawn out of the shadows in a great sequence staged in a riot-ridden Athens.

There’s a chase scene, hand-to-hand combat and plenty of traditional Bourne awesomeness here.

WELCOME ADDITION: Alicia Vikander plays a great role in Jason Bourne.

It also brings us very much back into the series’ status-quo, with Bourne and his former employers once again in each other’s crosshairs.

Heading up the CIA this time is director Robert Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones) – a man that clearly knows more about our anti-hero’s past than he’s letting on. He also has cyber expert Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander) and a deadly assassin (Vincent Cassel) hunting Bourne – with all three great additions to the series.

Tech billionaire Aaron Kalloor (Riz Ahmed) is another newbie, with his dealings with Dewey tying in nicely to the greater storyline.

There are some great locations too, with Reykjavik, Athens, London, Berlin and Las Vegas all well visited.

The grand plot is, as always, complicated – but this time it’s mostly about filling in key blanks in Bourne’s days before joining Treadstone.

Damon is right at home back in Bourne’s shoes and once again plays the character superbly. For fans of the originals, there’s nothing not to like here.

Of the other new faces, Vikander is the most welcome, with Cassel’s character not really given all that much of a backstory (much like, it must be said, the other ‘assets’ before him). Jones, meanwhile, revels in the kind of role he seems to do better than most.

Does Jason Bourne surpass the original trilogy? I’d have to say not quite.

It does tread over a lot of similar ground to its predecessors, which some may not be down with.

That being said, I loved it from start to finish and hope that this leads to a new trilogy.

As long as Greengrass and Damon are involved, events in the Bourne world are always worth watching – and with that in mind, it’s one of my favourite films of 2016 so far.

Voice Verdict: 9/10
+ Bourne is back!
+ Damon /Greengrass combo
+ Vintage Bourne feel…
– …but treads old ground a little

SHOWTIMES
Boston’s West End Cinema (Fri, August 5 to Thurs, August 11)

**SUICIDE SQUAD 2D (15)
11.20am (daily), 5.20pm (daily)

**SUICIDE SQUAD 3D (15)
2.20pm (daily), 8.20pm (daily)

**MIKE AND DAVE NEED WEDDING DATES (15)
8.20pm (Weds/Thurs)

FINDING DORY 2D (U)
10am (daily), 2.45pm (daily), 8pm (daily)

FINDING DORY 3D (U)
12.40pm (daily), 5.40pm (daily)

THE BFG 2D (PG)
Noon (daily), 5.20pm (not Mon), 8.20pm (not Wed/Thurs)

THE BFG 3D (PG)
10am (not Sat/Wed), 3pm (daily)

GHOSTBUSTERS 2D (12A)
12.30pm (not Wed)

JASON BOURNE (12A)
3.20pm (daily), 6pm (daily), 8.40pm (daily)

ICE AGE 5: COLLISION COURSE (U)
10am (not Sat)

THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS 2D (U)
12.30pm (not Sat), 2.45pm (daily)

STAR TREK: BEYOND 2D (12A)
5.40pm (daily)

STAR TREK: BEYOND 3D (12A)
8pm (daily)

KIDS’ CLUB
Fri-Thurs 10.15am – Top Cat Begins 2D (U)

SILVER SCREEN
Wed 11.30am – Ghostbusters 2D (12A)

**FREE LIST SUSPENDED