Respond to these rapid questions in our Jason Bourne quiz and we will tell you which Jason Bourne character you are. Play it now.
The prospect of a creative and adrenaline-pumping reunion between Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass, a duo that went above and beyond typical blockbuster expectations with “The Bourne Supremacy” and “The Bourne Ultimatum,” may entice ticket buyers to see “Jason Bourne.” As a fan of both of those films, I had high expectations for the character who shares a monogram with 007, and I was not disappointed. However, it is only a few minutes into “Jason Bourne” that it becomes apparent that something is wrong. Is it the stoic, nearly dialogue-free (there are only 25 lines of dialogue in the entire film) approach to Bourne? Perhaps it’s the action cinematography and editing that are more hyperactive than they’ve ever been, designed to make every phone call answered and every strident walk taken seem important? The familiarity of a plot that literally repeats questions these characters have already asked and received answers to is something to consider. “Jason Bourne” is a film that I tried my hardest to like. It simply would not allow me to.
Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) has gone into hiding after discovering the truth about his transformation from David Webb to superspy Jason Bourne in the previous two Greengrass films and, of course, Doug Liman’s “The Bourne Identity.” Despite the fact that he shows up for the occasional street fight, the man is a loner, the type of person who has no current attachments and lives completely off the grid. For the record, Greengrass and co-writer Christopher Rouse are only marginally interested in setting up where Bourne has been and what he’s up to in 2016. It takes only a few minutes before Nicky (Julia Stiles) re-enters Bourne’s life and puts him back on the radar of the nefarious Powers That Be, who are represented this time by CIA Director Robert Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones). Nicky wishes to provide Bourne with even more information about the history of the Treadstone project, particularly the specifics of what happened to Bourne’s father, Richard Webb, during the course of the project (Gregg Henry).
In order to prevent this from happening, Dewey recruits CIA agent Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander) and assassin “Asset” (Vincent Cassel) to help him maintain the secrecy surrounding his undercover dealings. One of the reasons Dewey is so concerned about Bourne’s return is that he’s also involved with a tech pioneer named Aaron Kalloor (Riz Ahmed, who can currently be seen on HBO’s “The Night Of”), the head of a company called Deep Dream that promises extreme levels of privacy to its customers but has been secretly cooperating with the CIA for some time. The film “Jason Bourne” includes several of today’s most pressing hot button issues, such as internet privacy and government intrusion, but they are treated as mere props.
But you shouldn’t waste any more time and start this Jason Bourne quiz.
In a 2007 press conference, Matt Damon stated that he believed his portrayal of Jason Bourne had come to an end; he believed he had reached the conclusion of his character’s journey, which was his search for his true identity. “… all of that internal propulsive mechanism that drives the character is missing, so if there were to be another one, it would have to be a complete reconfiguration, you know, where do you go from there?” he explained. “It’s almost as if the story that we set out to tell has now been completed,” I say. He clearly believes this to be the case. When given the right material, Damon can be a complex, character-driven actor, but he doesn’t have his heart in this. In fact, Tommy Lee Jones appears to be even less invested in the small amount of character he’s been given, and poor Alicia Vikander could just as well be dubbed Plot Device given that we know exactly what her arc is going to be from the moment we first see her. Even worse, Greengrass manages to waste Vincent Cassel, one of our most physically vibrant and menacing actors, in the process of making this film. Cassel spends the majority of the film scowling through a sniper scope, and he isn’t given the opportunity to really let his hair down until the end of the film. Only Riz Ahmed has any real impact on the performance level, managing to accomplish a great deal with very little—just look at the way he subtly portrays a successful businessman who is well aware that the skeletons in his closet are about to come out. This version of “Jason Bourne” is much better because it focuses on him and contrasts his arc as a man caught up in something bigger than himself with our hero’s.
Jason Bourne Quiz
A distinction is made for Ahmed because there is a sense of urgency to his character’s plight, which is not true for much of the rest of the film. Rarely has there been such a high level of intensity in the pursuit of a story that appears to have no real stakes. After you’ve finished watching “Jason Bourne,” ask yourself what everyone was yelling, running, and fighting about. Good luck in coming up with a satisfactory response. It’s as if Greengrass and his team realized they wouldn’t be able to concoct a compelling new arc for their beloved character, so they simply repeated one from the previous film. There are some similarities between the film and Jason Bourne fan fiction in that it completely reworks things we’ve seen before, only with a few more years of cyberterrorism buzzwords to give viewers the illusion of not only depth, but also a plot.
Also, you will find out which character are you in this Jason Bourne quiz.
Even Greengrass’ signature style appears to be lacking in inspiration. However, while Barry Ackroyd (“The Hurt Locker”) is an undeniably talented cinematographer, his style lacks the same kinetic energy as Oliver Wood’s work in the original trilogy, which placed us right in the middle of the action. A fine line, but a crucial one; while Wood’s camera is urgent, as if we might be punched as well, Ackroyd’s is cluttered and desperate. Returning editor Christopher Rouse (who has cut all of Greengrass’ films) is the technical MVP here, infusing the film with a pulsing energy that, by sheer force of will, may convince some viewers that they are watching something entertaining and exciting. Greengrass is the technical MVP here. Once the show is over, even those viewers who are eager to forgive this failed creative reunion will be left wondering what exactly they just watched and what purpose it serves other than financial gain in the first place. And why no one has come up with a fresh, engaging way to tell a story that has already been told.
For more personality quizzes check this: Suicide Squad Quiz.
