Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass had an informal agreement that Matt will only reprise as a protagonist if Paul comes back as a director for the Bourne franchise. I got thrilled to hear that as I am the fan of their much acclaimed deliverables, Green Zone and The Bourne Ultimatum. I know one could only anticipate about the future but could never fully predict.

Jason Bourne is a movie that falls short on many levels and expectations. The plot itself is half baked. I am still not sure if this movie ever intended to start from where The Bourne Ultimatum left. Also, it completely discounts the work of The Bourne Legacy. I would still be comfortable with either of the approaches if the plot had something new to give. The same old surveillance phenomenon and the involvement of a social-media tycoon for secretly spreading the web of internet surveillance only reminds me of the PRISM program once again exposed by Edward Snowden. Bond movie adopted this same idea but failed miserably. I remember that I recommended another movie for the similar plot, Closed Circuit (2013). I would still have to repeat my recommendation. Riz Ahmed and Julia Stiles also enacted in Closed Circuit (2013). The very reason why my memory is so vivid about that movie.

In the previous movie, The Bourne Ultimatum, Pamela Landy reveals to Jason that his real name is David Webb. The movie Jason Bourne (2016) only uncovers that David’s father Richard Webb started the Treadstone program and was later killed by CIA to cover-up trail. And that’s it. The movie Jason Bourne (2016) then jumps to the same old surveillance idea for the rest of the plot. The action sequences are not good enough to cover for the patchy story. The story could have been good if there were some more dark secrets related to Jason Bourne.

There are some good plots available written by Eric Van Lustbader. This movie could have adopted Eric’s work, Legacy and Betrayal. The plot would then have this mix bag of energy and reboot. Something more about Jason Bourne or David Webb. But I guess this was never the plan. Paul got stuck with Ludlum. And the result is not what I expected.

The soundtrack has maintained its status. The song Extreme Ways got another reprise. This time mixed in more Pop rock genre. Other songs are also good. David Buckley and John Powell got it right again.

The one good thing that happened in the movie is the climax. David rejected the offer of getting back to CIA. This could mean David leading a peaceful life somewhere in future. The plot where David lives as a professor of linguistics in Georgetown University. And yes this is the plot of Legacy and Betrayal written by Eric. I can only hope that this is the idea what Paul and Matt have in mind for the future of the Bourne franchise. But I have been wrong about predicting the future and I would want to keep my fingers crossed.