The Bourne Legacy

I missed this in the theaters, though that's hardly surprising since we weren't around for much of the summer. So last night, we watched this as a family. Well, all right, my husband and I picked it out and told the kids they just had to put up with it. We had different reasons. He loves the Bourne movies, and I love Jeremy Renner. It was a win/win all around.

Until it was over. Then I was the only winner.

See, I'm not a fan of the first three movies. Not because they aren't done well, but mostly because Matt Damon leaves me cold. I don't think he's got a lot of range as an actor, and frankly, he always comes across as too smarmy for me. So without liking the star, it's hard for me to get involved in the story.

That's not the case here. While I'll freely admit it's far from perfect, there was enough right about this movie for me to get swept up into it. Jeremy Renner portrayed both aspects of his characters well - the enhanced soldier and his not-so-enhanced original identity, while Rachel Weisz handles the smart yet handy heroine with ease. The first half of the film is smartly done, too, forcing a viewer's concentration to try and figure out how these three disparate threads are ultimately going to come together.

Where it starts to fall apart is the last hour, with the overlong motorcycle chase and the non-ending. I understand the latter. They need it open-ended for the series. But the movie is too long as it stands, needing a stronger hand to cut down on the action sequences so they don't begin to drag.

I'll be on the lookout for the others when they come out. With Jeremy Renner in the lead, I can finally care enough to watch.