The Birth & Death of Bourne

Background 

The Bond franchise stagnated in the early 2000s due to back to back box office failures of Pierce Brosnan's Bond movies. However, this created a market for spy movies. The fruit was ripe for the picking, and the Bourne franchise swept it away. Another movie that took this opportunity was XXX, starring Vin Diesel and Samuel L Jackson. Although it was a single movie, it still was a major success. XXX went for an action oriented, fast paced, over the top spy movie, while Bourne went for a tension-oriented slow burn grounded spy movie. 

1. Success 

Bourne Trilogy

The first movie kickstarted the franchise with a bang which then made way for the next two movies of the franchise. The First movie was more of a slow burn grounded movie, while the other two had more action scenes and big set pieces shot by a "Shaky Camera Style" to make it look more realistic. The cinematography was exquisite throughout the whole franchise especially the choice of using a "Shaky Camera Shot" to make it feel more realistic. The color palette added to the brewing tension. I felt like something sinister was around the corner and would arrive very soon. The tension grew little by little until, boom, something happens. You knew before something was going to happen. This anxious environment was created with the help of excellent sound design and brilliant cinematography. The acting was top notch. You can feel it when the crew has gone all out and given their everything to create something. 

Bourne And Matt Damon 

The Bourne franchise essentially saved Matt Damon's career. After Good Will Hunting, Matt Damon succeeded in getting some absolute bangers like Saving Private Ryan, but during the early 2000s, his career stalled for a while. He was going into obscurity. But then he was offered the Bourne franchise, and the rest is history. He went on to become one of the most successful actors of all time. But, this success was heavily fueled by the Bourne franchise. The credit also goes to him for making it such an iconic franchise. His brilliant portrayal of Bourne made him the second most famous spy in the world, only behind Bond. Which is no small feat, I assure you. Damon was offered the use of a stuntman for his role, but he chose to do his own stunts and prepared for three months so that he could do his own actions. He didn't need to do that, but he did. This kind of dedication is the reason behind his incredible and well-deserved success. When you go the extra mile and don't slack anywhere, you outcompete the competition. Giving your 100 percent always is what makes you stand out.

2. Downfall 

The Bourne Legacy

The storyline finally culminated with a satisfying ending in the third movie. But, the opportunity to milk more money was present there, which prompted the next movie of the franchise, Bourne Legacy, with almost no connection with the original Bourne story, with mention of Bourne shoehorned throughout the movie. It was not a bad movie, but it was not a Bourne movie, but it was marketed as a Bourne movie. That was the problem with the movie. Bourne movie or not, It was a lousy spin-off, for sure. People went to watch a Bourne movie but instead got a typical spy movie with a grand political conspiracy with t the protagonist being chased all around the world. There were a lot of action scenes in the movie and a lot of chase sequences. The action was well shot, and the acting was also above the mark, but it was more of an action movie than a spy movie. Another infuriating thing about the movie was that they constantly reference Bourne, and you expect him to come any second, but he never comes, sounds like sex life of a lot of people. Anyways, this anticipation makes you feel disappointed. It also distracts you from the current scene. 

Jason Bourne

Finally, with Jason Bourne in 2015, the last attempt to milk the Bourne brand was made. The story was different from earlier Bourne movies and was a step down from the previous spin off movie. Basically, it was not a very good movie. They tried to give Bourne a well deserved goodbye, but they already did that in the third movie, and it was the perfect goodbye, but they ruined it only to milk some more money. You can't make two last movies of a character. It just ruins it. Anyways, it was not the worst movie. It was okay, which is bad in the Bourne Universe. 

3. Death 

Treadstone 

Speaking of Bourne Universe, another attempt was made to piggyback on the success of Bourne with Treadstone. This time it was not a movie but a TV show. It was released in 2019 on the USA Network. It was not very successful and was canceled after one season. Surprisingly it was not a low effort cash grab of the Bourne franchise, but it was genuinely good. It fell into the same wheelhouse as Bourne, which was an action, mystery, and conspiracy thriller, but it succeeded in making its own mark. However, it cranks up on the mystery thriller part. It was more similar to the first movie of the franchise, which was the best one in the franchise. I was waiting for the second season but was disappointed by the news of the cancellation. I think it was unsuccessful cause of The Fall of the USA Network. No one really watches the USA network anymore, or TV in general, which may have contributed to the low viewing figures. The abysmal marketing didn't help either. No one even knew when the show went on air and was canceled. It just swept under the radar of cinema enthusiasts. I think this was one of those shows that really deserved praise and attention but didn't get what it deserved. It was a brilliant piece of cinema, but we won't be able to see more of it due to some marketing execs, what a shame. 

The show maintained an eerie sense of something sinister waiting in the shadows, much like Bourne. I liked this unsettling vibe about the show. It was one of the reasons why I liked the Bourne franchise. It doesn't let you get bored at any point. The show takes us from India to China and from Russia to North Korea. One of the best things about the show was that it never had dull moments. It just jumps from one thrilling scene in Russia to another scene in North Korea. The tension always remains high. I always maintain intrigue. You feel like jumping out of your seat when something big happens cause it has been building for a long time. The world building and characters were just brilliant. The actors did a brilliant job. The cinematography, sound design, and background score increased the increasing paranoia and nervousness. It is not a show you play in the background while you do some other thing. It demands your full undivided attention. It also rewards you for attention with a thrill ride you have never experienced before. It was the definition of the edge of the seat thriller. The plot twist is one of the most shocking twists I have ever seen, and I am a thriller junkie. I have seen some thrillers for sure. I did not see that twist coming. The plot twist made a lot of sense in hindsight and explained a lot but also was not predictable, which is the best kind of twist. It is also one of the best shows I have ever watched and probably will ever watch. The locations and the production design of the show were also phenomenal. The location only added to the tension. Also, As a pleasant surprise, Shruti Hasan is in the show, who can do no wrong as far as I am concerned. So obviously, the show can't be bad, by extension.