The Bourne Legacy

Empire“You'll weep hot, bitter, Damonless tears...” As earnestly as they have tried to continue the formerly excellent spy series, everything Gilroy and crew concoct only serves to mock the excellence and passion with which Greengrass delivered his films...

Little White Lies“Wastes time justifying its own existence...” Depending on your perspective, either a gob of contrived silliness or a fractal-scarred feedback loop of dependence and mental disorder from which there is no logical escape...

The Independent“The new Bond? He's George Lazenby at best...” Renner lacks the everyday vulnerability that made Damon so engaging. He's just another taciturn tough with an inexpressive scowl, although he's rather convincing shinning up buildings like Peter Parker...

Time Out“Drawn from the shallower end of the gene pool...” It all falls apart during the climactic foot and motorcycle chase, which is more exhausting than exciting. In box-office terms, the Bourne legacy is safe, but there are doubts about its creative sustainability...

Guardian“Bourne without Bourne...” This fourth movie is much more of a bang and less of a whimper than any of us feared, and Jeremy Renner is emerging as the intelligent person's action star. The action of this film runs alongside that of the third...

The Telegraph“Lacks the intelligence of its predecessors...” Gilroy, taking over the directing duties from Paul Greengrass, is more interested here in serving up a character drama about desperation – in this case, a drug addiction – than an electrifying espionage thriller. It doesn't work...

Total Film “Allied to yet not reliant on what’s gone before...” To some it will be like Hamlet without Hamlet. Yet while Tony Gilroy’s fourquel never feels particularly vital, it’s certainly not the cynical cash-grab we might’ve feared. Without Matt Damon, however, it feels like a placeholder...