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Jason Bourne Review: You Too Can Get That Déjà Vu Feeling

It would be a challenge to try to pick out which franchise was more of a copy/rinse/repeat approach to it's storyline, Taken, or Jason Bourne. Right now it really does feel like Bourne has pulled ahead with this latest installment. After five films, you know exactly what the pattern is going to be: Jason is off in hiding doing his own thing. Someone will find Jason and give him some new clue about his origins and/or backstory and he'll decide he has a beef with the agency and/or individuals who "did this" to him and head back to home base to seek vengeance and/or more information. The government agency will throw various agents and assets into play to try to dissuade (read: kill) him, which he'll run roughshod over until he finally gets to the finish line, only turn head off into hiding/retirement once again. Now wait a few years and do it all over again.

If that sounds a bit snippish, I'll say again, it's the fifth time now that we've been through this song and dance. They don't really advance his character's arc any. Taken in the most charitable of terms, they keep pushing his same buttons. However it really is just kind of sad that this poor super-agent/master assassin just never gets left alone for more than five minutes. But at the same time, just as you'd think that the terrorists in the Taken franchise really should learn by now to just not mess with Liam Neeson's family – ever, so too should the government just not bother trying to put a hit out on Jason Bourne. It'll never end well. But it seems that neither the agency's after him, nor the screenwriters learn any new tricks.

Sure, Matt Damon has evolved into a very passable action star. He reads like a badass American agent capable of about whatever he puts his mind to. If I was being perfectly honest, if there were to ever be a Die Hard sequel (which the damned, better not do, because the original was perfect), Matt would probably be a solid candidate to step into John McClane's shoes.

There's not a lot to commend this particular installment – the fights, chases, and set pieces are fine but forgettable. There's a few entertaining enough double and triple crosses, but not enough to really bring it out of the quagmire of trying to discern one of these films from another more than a few days after watching it.

If you're a completionist, go for it, but if you're looking for another great spy/action caper, skip it and head back to the library and check out the vastly under-appreciated but far better than Bourne – Salt with Angelina Jolie or last year's Man from U.N.C.L.E.

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