Jason Bourne Review: 7 Ups And 3 Downs

2. It Works As Reboot, The Start Of A Trilogy And By Itself

As a concept, Jason Bourne is an odd movie. The series still feels incredibly modern and cutting edge, but it's been almost a decade since we last saw Jason; when Legacy came about the franchise was a little past it, and that was four years ago. So while it's a follow-on, it also needs to operate on a more accessible level for those who remember Bourne's previous life even less than David Webb. And that's saying nothing of future franchise potential (because Universal have always fancied this as a never-ending Bondian run).

Excitingly, it works on all those levels. There's a montage at the start that fills you in a the character beats of the previous films before snapping to 2016, and all the hushed whispering of "Oh my God, it's Jason Bourne?!?" at the CIA locks in the character's legacy in this world, but the main narrative is mostly new, dealing with fresh internal problems and new discoveries about Bourne's past.

The ending really solidifies this. No spoilers, but it manages to wrap up all the key character beats from the film while still leaving the door just ajar enough that there's plenty of room for more. I wouldn't be surprised if this is the start of a new trilogy.