"Jason Bourne" Trailer Review

So this film came out of left field for me. The Superbowl trailer caught me off guard. As far as the Bourne franchise goes, I think they are great films and I really enjoy them. However, I do not really love them. I have only seen movie one once or twice and that was a while ago, so perhaps it is time for a re-watch. Either way, I am excited to see this next film, so let us see what this trailer has to offer.

The trailer begins with Jason Bourne lying on a bed in some dark hotel room. He says, "I know who I am," which immediately intrigues me. The last we saw of Bourne, he did not remember much of anything from his past. But his knowing who he is sends this film in a very different direction. However, The Bourne Legacy also went in a different direction and was not received too well (I enjoyed it quite a bit actually). Next, we see Bourne in an interrogation room with someone telling him that he will no longer be himself once they are done with him. If this holds true, then the film should be very different from what we have gotten in the past from a story perspective, which could offer a fresh new take on this movie franchise.

Bourne then says "I remember everything," which furthers the concept of a new direction. If the film follows up on this promise and this does not become a bait-and-switch, then we could see what Bourne was like in the past. We could see what he did to gain his reputation and why he is considered to be so dangerous (apart from what we have seen in the films). Suddenly, Nicky shows up, with Julia Stiles reprising her role. It is good to see her again, especially for those who did not like The Bourne Legacy. Another familiar face, in addition to Matt Damon, could really draw in more people, and Stiles fits the bill.

We then see a CIA agent mentioning how the agency has been hacked. They run facial recognition whose mug should appear on their screen? None other than Bourne's. I love the line that comes from the CIA operative when he sees his face. "Jesus Christ! That's Jason Bourne!" It is such a great line that instantly gives Bourne a reputation, even for those who are not familiar with the series. I also like the next line, "Why would he come back now?" This line also helps to set up a relatively clean slate, which welcomes newcomers.

Next, we find out that the CIA (or perhaps a third party) is tracking Nicky and so they are also following Bourne. The question then arises, why is she with Bourne again? Is she trying to help him? Does she need something from him? This is also when we are given our first true action scene. Greengrass' direction looks to be back in full force. The action looks sleek and quickly edited. However, the editing factor might be because this is a trailer.

After some explosions and hand-to-hand combat, we return to daylight. The trailer implies that Bourne might know something that the CIA does not. And perhaps he is not going after the CIA. But then who is in the center of his crosshairs? The trailer then does something that I am completely sick of: the car-passing-and-person-disappearing trick. You know what this is; a person is standing or walking, a car zooms past in front of them, and then the person is gone. It was cool the first few times, but now it has become a cliché and I am tired of seeing it. It is no longer original or inventive. The trailer then gives us plenty of action sequences all strung together by voiceovers that tell us that Bourne is dangerous. The action looks awesome and plentiful, Greengrass appears to be returning comfortably, and it looks like a Bourne film. That is the best thing I can say about it.

We are then transported to Las Vegas, and I love this idea. Some nighttime action sequences in this city of lights should look amazing on the big screen. We see a SWAT car crash through the doors of a casino, which is pretty cool in itself. But the car chase as a whole looks breathtaking, and is probably the take-away moment of the trailer for most. However, my favorite moment is the last scene in the trailer. We see Bourne in some desert-like area surrounded by a lot of people. It seems that he is forced to fight these people, and he knocks out his opponent with a single punch. The sound that played with it really carried the weight of his punch and establishes him as a man you do not want to mess with. I am very curious to find out where he is and why he is there. Is this where he has been hiding? We will have to wait for the film to answer those questions.

So those are my thoughts on the new Jason Bourne trailer. Not my most in-depth breakdown but I have not seen the films in a while and I do not think there is too much to read into. Having said that, this is a very good trailer that has me excited for the film, but I can wait. The trailer did not stun or shock me in anyway, but it appears to represent the film well. With recent films such as Edge of Tomorrw, Mad Max: Fury Road, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, and several others, there seems to be a resurgence of great summer action films. Hopefully, Jason Bourne will continue the streak.