Bourne Legacy Reviews: Renner Makes up for ‘Wasted’ Avengers Screentime
'Legacy' Rules Australian Box Office
James Renner barely drew attention from the "Avengers" viewers a couple of months ago, but in "Bourne Legacy," director Tony Gilroy tried to make people root for no one else but him in the movie.
In "Avengers," most of the best scenes were given to Hulk, Iron Man and Thor. In "Bourne," Renner takes the spotlight all for himself.
As Aaron Cross, Renner battled bad cops, fierce wolves, foreign security guards and a motorcycle-riding superhuman to fulfill his destiny. All the workout he has ever done has clearly paid off for this role.
Cross is accompanied in his journey by Dr Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz), who risked her life to free him from "chems." In the final act, the two are seen embarking upon a new chapter, but they fail to cap the film with a fantastic ending.
It did seem towards the end that Gilroy did not know how to really end the film, while Renner and Shearing did now know how much longer they could stay together. It has been revealed that the CIA conspiracy is greater than imagined before, but no one seemed prepared for the abrupt ending.
Here are some of the "Bourne Legacy" reviews that moviegoers could find helpful:
[Dr Marta Shearing (Weisz) and Aaron Cross (Renner)] have things to fear from each other and things to offer each other, and Weisz and Renner bring a sense of intimacy and vulnerability to their scenes together. This is where the film is at its strongest. - writes Philippa Hawker, from theage.com.au
"Cross is not like Jason Bourne, in that he knows who he is, more or less. He has to crack a mystery of intention, rather than identity, to find out more about his body," Hawker added.
"Gilroy brings a sense of reflection back to the series. He restrains the pace to allow for characterisation. There is plenty of action, but it's not the only thing," writes Paul Byrnes, from the Sydney Morning Herald.
Bourne topped the worldwide blockbuster "The Dark Knight Rises" for the top spot with AUS$4.2 million last weekend in Australia.