The Bourne Stupidity
By Preston Sinclair
"I'm also Jason Bourne. That's something you should never forget."
The film adaptation of Eric Van Lustbader's novel The Bourne Legacy leaves no legacy of which to be proud. Robert Ludlum must be either turning over in his grave or else laughing right now. Obviously, very few people have actually read Van Lustbader's literary re-boot of Ludlam's Bourne series. The disgusting thing is that the producers of this movie probably banked on that fact.
The copyright for the book is 2004 to the Estate Of Robert Ludlum. Obviously, the estate signed away their rights for a quick buck since the movie has nothing to do with the book. We hear this all the time, 'the movie was nothing like the book'. This begs the question. Why?
The novel had several great elements that would have made an excellent film. Stepan Spalko was a nefarious villain. Khan was a formidable antagonist. The car chase through Washington DC would have been epic because of all the traffic circles, tunnels and bridges, although it would have been a logistical nightmare to produce. A young Lauren Bacall type actress would have made the ultimate Annika, but I digress.
No, something else is going on here. Something is rotten in Hollywood. It must have something to do with how movies get green lighted and made. The screenplay by Tony and Dan Gilroy is ignorant and lazy. Meds? What meds? Who cares? Did you not even read the book? This is what happens when screenwriters are given cart blanch to write whatever they want in an adaptation of an original novel. The Daily Mail
The ironic thing is that Jeremy Renner would have made a great Jason Bourne if they had stuck to the original story. Bourne is a hot mess in Van Lestbader's rendition of the best selling trilogy. He's not the amnesiac automaton killer he was in 'Identity'. In 'Legacy' Bourne is like a hurt lost and wounded bull in a china shop. He screws things up more than he helps, yet that's why we keep rooting for him. While Renner struck that same emotional chord and seemed to be channeling Jason Bourne in the film version, it was as a character (Aaron Cross) that doesn't even exist in the Bourne "universe". This whole "universe" concept is just another cheesy Hollywood excuse to ripoff the original writer.
Matt Damon's Jason Bourne appears a couple of times as a photograph in the movie so that the audience will buy that Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner) is aware of his presence. It's supposed to be some kind of an a-ha moment, but there's no payoff for it. Damon saw where this franchise was going by The Bourne Ultimatum and bailed. No one could blame him. Screen Rant interview
Which was time more well spent? The 135 minutes watching the DVD, or the countless hours, minutes and seconds reading the book? At the end of the day one must decide for one's self.
The copyright for the book is 2004 to the Estate Of Robert Ludlum. Obviously, the estate signed away their rights for a quick buck since the movie has nothing to do with the book. We hear this all the time, 'the movie was nothing like the book'. This begs the question. Why?
The novel had several great elements that would have made an excellent film. Stepan Spalko was a nefarious villain. Khan was a formidable antagonist. The car chase through Washington DC would have been epic because of all the traffic circles, tunnels and bridges, although it would have been a logistical nightmare to produce. A young Lauren Bacall type actress would have made the ultimate Annika, but I digress.
No, something else is going on here. Something is rotten in Hollywood. It must have something to do with how movies get green lighted and made. The screenplay by Tony and Dan Gilroy is ignorant and lazy. Meds? What meds? Who cares? Did you not even read the book? This is what happens when screenwriters are given cart blanch to write whatever they want in an adaptation of an original novel. The Daily Mail
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| Screen capture courtesy Universal Pictures |
Matt Damon's Jason Bourne appears a couple of times as a photograph in the movie so that the audience will buy that Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner) is aware of his presence. It's supposed to be some kind of an a-ha moment, but there's no payoff for it. Damon saw where this franchise was going by The Bourne Ultimatum and bailed. No one could blame him. Screen Rant interview
Which was time more well spent? The 135 minutes watching the DVD, or the countless hours, minutes and seconds reading the book? At the end of the day one must decide for one's self.
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