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Jason Bourne Blu-ray Review

“Jason Bourne” crashes and burns.

“Jason Bourne” begins by showing audiences that the titular character is hiding out and engaging in underground fights to earn cash. Bourne finds himself getting drawn back into things when ally/hacker Nicky contacts him. It turns out that Nicky has learned something important about Treadstone and Bourne’s past from a hack. Of course, Nicky’s hack gets the attention of CIA’s cyber ops division (led by Heather) and the CIA Director (Robert) and the CIA are attempting to track the down the two. After that all hell breaks loose basically as people begin to die, Heather believes she can bring Bourne back to the agency, and the shady CIA Director simply wants to take Bourne out. There are also 2 subplots involving a social media enterprise and a Bourne hating assassin known as the Asset.

After the Matt Damon free dud “The Bourne Legacy,” Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass have finally returned to the franchise. Unfortunately, those expecting the latest installment (“Jason Bourne”) to be on the level of the first 3 will likely be greatly disappointed by the end result.

“Jason Bourne” is a prime example of a franchise running on empty. Aside from a surprise death, the stale film is basically more of the same. Bourne is on the run, he’s evading authorities, he comes up against another villain who resembles a past villain, there are big action set pieces, characters get offed, Bourne gets the upper hand in the end, and the film concludes with a Moby song. Unlike the Bond franchise which is constantly reinventing itself and digging into current events, the Bourne franchise is clearly stuck in a formula and can’t seem to get out of it. Sure, there’s relevant plots about technology, social media, and surveillance, but it’s all lost amidst the circuitous stories of the Bourne saga.

The lone highlight here is the introduction of a new character (Heather) played by Alicia Vikander. Much like her performances in films such as “The Danish Girl” and “Ex Machina,” Vikander commands your attention. She especially stands out in “Jason Bourne” as just about everything else around her is as dull as can be.

Note: I am reviewing the Blu-ray from the “Jason Bourne” 4K Ultra HD set.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.40:1 1080p. How does it look? Whether the scenes are under the bright lights of Las Vegas or in Greece at night, this transfer dazzles.

Audio Track: DTS:X. How does it sound? This loud track does not disappoint. It is especially impressive during big action set pieces (of which there are several).

Extras:
* Blu-ray copy and Digital copy.
* Universal trailers.
* “Bringing Back Bourne”- A featurette that contains cast/crew interviews, set footage, film clips, and discussions of the return of Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass.
* “Bourne To Fight”- A 3 part behind-the-scenes extra that examines Damon’s fight training for the bare knuckle boxing, a close quarters fight sequence in the film, and the Damon/Cassel fight sequence.
* “The Athens Escape”- A behind-the-scenes look at the chase sequence in Greece.
* “Las Vegas Showdown”- A 2 part featurette that gives viewers an inside look at the Aria convention center/hotel/casino scenes and the Las Vegas Strip car chase.

December 1, 2016 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Bourne Series, Jason Bourne 4K Ultra HD, Jason Bourne Blu-ray Review, Matt Damon, Paul Greengrass