When director Paul Greengrass decided he didn’t want to make another Bourne film after Ultimatum (at least for the time being), which subsequently meant star Matt Damon decided against it as well, Universal had a problem on their hands; how to carry on the franchise without them. They found their answer in taking a different approach while still staying within the established Bourne universe, highlighting the fact that “there was never just one” and focusing on a new agent.

That new agent is played by Jeremy Renner, who adds this to his growing list of franchises which already includes The Avengers and Mission: Impossible. Renner plays Aaron Cross, an agent on the run after the people behind Operation Outcome decide to shut it down and kill all agents who were part of it. This emulates the type of plot scenario consistent throughout the first three films, with the same kind of country-hopping chase sequences and small room government chatter.

The main issue with The Bourne Legacy is that it’s just not as exciting or compelling as any of the three previous installments. Taking place pretty much parallel to the events of Ultimatum – for example we see the ramifications of the famous Waterloo Station sequence from a different perspective – it never achieves the thrilling intensity we’re used to from the franchise, with overly talky governmental scenes grinding things to a halt and the action sequences then coming out of nowhere to resume things to their normal, rightful pace. At 135 minutes it’s just too long, shaving 20-30 minutes off the runtime would have done it a world of good.

Although not anywhere near as disastrous as it sounded when it was first announced Damon wouldn’t be reprising his most famous role, there is a Bourne shaped hole to be found in Legacy. Renner is in no way bad as he actually does a very solid job of investing us in and making us care about his character and his mission. But when we’ve spent three movies with Bourne and become so invested in him as a character, not to mention having fun watching him run around beating the crap out of everyone who gets in his way, it definitely feels like a lacking experience without him. The legacy aspect they’re going for, though an admiral attempt at moving things on, doesn’t come off as it should.

There’s nice supporting work from Rachel Weisz as a deer-caught-in-the-headlights scientist pulled into this crazy conspiratorial world, as well as Edward Norton as the ruthless government agent trying everything he can to track down Cross and generally keep the situation under control. The series has always been good at giving its supporting characters weight.

In terms of the action, there’s less of it than you might expect from the franchise as the conspiracy thriller stuff too often gets in the way. Greengrass made the style Bourne is now famous for; that kinetic, fast-moving mentality (some might simply say shaky-cam) gave it a distinct energy under his direction. This time Tony Gilroy is behind the camera, stepping up as a writer of the first three, and as a result the action is less ferocious and less memorable. There are a couple of sequences which are effective, with one extended motorbike chase through the streets of Manila a particular highlight, but for the most part the rather ordinary action does its job without delivering much that’s truly memorable.

Easily the weakest of the franchise, The Bourne Legacy stumbles in the shadow of its predecessors and feels like its missing a crucial component with Damon not in the frame. Nevertheless it’s not a waste of time either and certainly worth a look for fans of the series. Just lower your expectations; this ain’t the Bourne you remember, in more ways than one.

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