Jason Bourne

may be making its way back to the big screen, but in the modern action era, the franchise will have a much bigger problem than recasting Matt Damon. In 2002, The Bourne Idenтιтy shook up the action film industry with innovative camera techniques, high-intensity fight sequences, an intriguing story, and a bad-ᴀss hero in Jason Bourne. The movie was an instant hit, and as a result, it was quickly developed into a trilogy with two further movies releasing in the next 5 years.

Now, decades after Jason Bourne first appeared, there are rumors about the Bourne franchise returning with a potential reboot. And, as compelling and exciting as it would be to have this world revisited, there is a problem facing the series today that was not present during the original trilogy. And it’s more than just recasting Matt Damon, though that evidently had repercussions too when Jeremy Renner stepped in to lead the franchise in 2012 to disastrous results.

The Next Bourne Will Have To Live Up To The John Wick Movies

The Action Genre Has Moved On A Lot Since The Early 2000s

When The Bourne Idenтιтy came out, Hollywood’s action genre was in a limbo. From the era of action heroes through to the millennium, things were changing in the industry. Yes, The Matrix was able to succeed, and it did do a lot to bolster the action genre, but arguably it worked to do a lot more to popularize sci-fi for the mᴀsses than action. But then along came Jason Bourne, a true action flick with all the bells and whistles of the genre, and plenty of new elements to take it into the modern era.

Today, Jason Bourne has stiff compeтιтion in the action genre, with a figure who has dominated the space since 2014. John Wick took the building blocks that Jason Bourne provided to pave the way to an all-new action era in cinema. With epic stunt choreography, an incredible world full of ᴀssᴀssins became the height of what action had to offer. And today, Wick’s franchise and spin-off are still building. Which means if Jason Bourne wants to make a comeback, he needs to carve out his space alongside Wick.

John Wick Changed Hollywood Action Cinema (Just Like The First Bourne Did)

Action Movies Were Influenced By These Spectacular Franchises

One of the biggest advantages that John Wick has over other action films is the fact that the director of the franchise is himself a seasoned stuntman. He knows exactly what goes into making action scenes work, what it takes to make them look cool, and where to draw the line. Chad Stahelski took a cool action concept and made it into what could arguably be called the first action masterpiece. Action has never been as cinematic, beautiful, fluid, and impressive as it became in John Wick.

This has reshaped action across the industry, incorporating elements of what has worked in the past, and discarding the things that didn’t. And while Jason Bourne initially shook up the action film landscape, literally, it’s been a long time since the series was relevant. If it wants to break back in, it will need to learn a lesson from John Wick, and take a long, hard look at what could work in a modern landscape, and what is outdated.

Bourne’s Shaky-Cam Action Might Not Work In A Post-John Wick World

The Innovative Action Sequences Need An Update For Jason Bourne

One of the biggest innovations to come out of the Jason Bourne franchise was the shaky cam approach for capturing action. In the years preceding their release, action movies tended to shoot action scenes in wide sH๏τs, having the characters’ duke it out across the screen, with all the important details being captured in a sH๏τ that remained fairly steady. It isn’t that there was no movement, but in order to faithfully depict the brawl, it needed to step back. But Jason Bourne turned that on its head, and it recorded action at close range, with handheld cameras, and quick cuts.

This made the action more immersive, and it pulled the audience into the middle of the fray, but it also had the downside of making action scenes impossible to follow, and extremely disorientating. That worked for what the movie was trying to do, but in the John Wick era, the skill of the fight is an important detail that cannot be cut out with shaky cameras and fast cuts. For that reason, Jason Bourne will need to figure out whether the shaky cam approach is worth risking success for, or if it can be readapt to a new format where the fight needs to be seen to be felt.

Jason Bourne

Created by

Robert Ludlum

First Film

The Bourne Idenтιтy

Cast

Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Julia Stiles, Brian Cox, Gabriel Mann, Chris Cooper, Clive Owen, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz

TV Show(s)

Treadstone

Character(s)

Jason Bourne, Marie Helena Kreutz, Nicolette Parsons, Ward Abbott, Nykwanna Wombosi, Aaron Cross, Dr. Marta Shearing