Critical Mass: What the critics are saying about Jason Bourne

Jason Bourne - O Veredito | OmeleTV

Three distinctofferings hit wide release this weekend, but which one is worth your money? EW wants you to make good choices at the multiplex, so let our handy Critical Mass guide point you in the right direction!

Are you in the mood for another Jason Bourne outing? Curious to see just how sassy Mila Kunis and Christina Applegate can get in Bad Moms? Check out what the critics are saying about the weeks hottest new releases in the reviews below.

Opens July 29.

EWs Leah Greenblatt says:

Director Paul Greengrass (Captain Phillips, United 93) has always had a taste for the topical and political, and his third Bourne outing augments the usual truth-and-justice talking points with a strenuously current nod to digital privacy issues via a Zuckerberg-like social-media mogul (Riz Ahmed). If anything, he underplays those assets, shorting deeper story development for exotic zip codes, bang-up fisticuffs, and adrenalized chase scenes (one of which delivers a level of casual collateral damage that feels, after the events in Nice, ill-timed at best). Jason Bourne has already given us a hero who transcends two dimensions. We just need to know more about what hes fighting for. B+

Read the full EW review.

Rotten Tomatoes: 58%Metacritic: 59

Opens July 29.

EWs Chris Nashawatysays:

With as much insight asBad Momshas, its hard to believe that the film was written and directed by two men, Jon Lucas and Scott Moorethe same guys who co-wrote that ode to arrested male development,The Hangover, no less. ButBad Momshas the sting of truth about the relentless demands mothers (and yes, even fathers) face today. Its also incredibly funny in a way that that a similarly-themed show like BravosOdd Mom Outwants to be, but isnt. That show is so caught up in its aspirational Upper East Side milieu of one-percent privilege, theres nothing to really relate to.Bad Momsis for all the other mothers out there. The ones whod like to bring store-bought doughnut holes to the school bake sale without being judged by Gwyneth. The ones who cant afford housekeepers or nannies. The ones who know that the promise that You can have it all is a lie. The ones who put up with more than they should have to all day-every day, and desperately need a night out with someone like Kathryn Hahn just to feel human again.A

Read the full EW review.

Rotten Tomatoes: 50%Metacritic: 62

Now playing.

EWs Kevin P. Sullivan says:

The novel concept ends up doing wonders for the films rhythm. Text messages drive the action, pushing Vee and Ian from romantic challenges to more dangerous ones (and one with a regrettable cameo from a particular social media joke thief). This structure lends the film a brisk pace that never slows down enough for the audience to realize that the characters are as flimsy as their motivation: to make money. And it isnt until a third act twist that makes the proceedings any more complicated than that. For her part, Roberts does a convincing job of playing the innocent caught up in an intoxicating game, but Franco cant seem to stop smiles. Its as if hes not totally sold on the concept, quietly wondering in the back of his head whether hes going to look dumb on screen. Directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman (Catfish and Paranormal Activity 3, the series high point) give Nerve an ebullience that doesnt turn mean-spirited. This is a film about young people with a youthful energy and sense of fun thats refreshing, especially in the summer of movies weve had so far. The tone and relatively low stakes allows Nerve to be shallow, divertive escapismkind of like Snapchat.B

Read the full EW review.

Rotten Tomatoes: 61%Metacritic: 58

Now playing.

EWs Chris Nashawaty says:

I dont want to sound too nit-picky and churlish. But the Trekverse is something that really means something to people. For them, Beyond is a fine movie, its just not a very good Star Trek movie. After all, as summer releases have gotten more and more and sensational and trivial, the Trek franchise could always be counted on to serve up some smarts along with its sci-fi action beats. With Beyond, it feels like just another summer tentpole with not enough going on underneath the tent. C+

Read the full EW review.

Rotten Tomatoes: 84%Metacritic: 68

Now playing.

EWs Chris Nashawaty says:

Pets has a great premise, but its more busy than clever. Sylvester and Tweety packed more anarchy and wit into a six-minute Looney Tunes short than Renaud and Cheney manage in an hour and a half. Like a dog that endlessly chases its tail in circles, Pets is amusing for a while, then it just tires itself out.B

Read the full EW review.

Rotten Tomatoes: 74%Metacritic: 61

Now playing.

EWs Christian Holub says:

Unfortunately, the movies ending does not do this storyline justice. Suffice it to say that the mental health aspect of the story is not treated with respect, but rather as a simple plot device, to be used and discarded like so many shattered lightbulbs. In a culture that already doesnt do well by victims of mental illness, its disappointing, and takes a lot of wind from Lights Outs sails. Its easy to not want to think hard about horror movies, to just let them wash over you like the cathartic experiences they are. But this movie purposely inspires viewers to think about serious topics, and then disregards the consequences of doing so, undermining the whole enterprise. The final physical sensation is not terror or relief, but disgust. B-

Read the full EW review.

Rotten Tomatoes: 76%Metacritic: 57

Now playing.

EWs Devan Coggan says:

Its been 14 years since we first met Manny the mammoth (Ray Romano), Sid the sloth (John Leguizamo), and Diego the saber-toothed tiger (Denis Leary) in the original Ice Age. Were now on our fifthyes, fifthinstallment in the computer-generated series, and with Ice Age: Collision Course, the novelty is starting to thaw. C-

Read the full EW review.

Rotten Tomatoes: 12%Metacritic: 34

Now playing.

So why does Ghostbusters feel so restrained? For starters, its too slavish when it nods to the original (although its throw-back cameos are fun), and too flailing and flat when it strays from it (Feig and co-writer Katie Dippold introduce a ghost-unleashing villain, then dont know what to do with him). Even the spectral f/x are oddly shlocky (seeing it in 3-D is pointless aside from one comin-at-ya slime gag). McCarthy, of course, gets off some lunatic one-liners; McKinnon, the groups loose cannon, can crack you up just by widening her wildcard eyes; Jones mixes her signature bluster with an air of gung-ho joy; and Wiigs timing is as Swiss-precise as ever (that is, when shes not being saddled as the films straight-woman). Even Chris Hemsworth, as the Ghostbusters dim, beefcake receptionist, is funny for a while. But with a cast as daring and quick as this one, Ghostbusters is too mild and plays it too safe. Somewhere, I bet, theres an R-rated directors cut of the movie where these women really let it rip. I want to see that movie.C+

Read the full EW review.

Rotten Tomatoes: 73%Metacritic: 60

Source: http://www.ew.com/article/2016/07/27/critical-mass-jason-bourne-reviews

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Many intrigues of Jason Bourne

Jason Bourne - Featurette: "Fight Style" (HD)

Lorne Manly, July 24, 2016, The New York Times

Hollywood diaries

Paul Greengrass couldnt have been clearer. He was done with Jason Bourne. And that meant his loyal star, Matt Damon, wouldnt be returning as the covert operative for the CIA who unravelled agency conspiracies while he recovered his memory.

As late as 2013, Greengrass, director of The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, insisted he had no desire to return to the Universal Pictures franchise inspired by the Robert Ludlum novels. I certainly didnt expect to ever come back and make another one, Greengrass said.

Yet on July 29, Jason Bourne will return to theatres after a nine-year sabbatical, played by Damon in a movie directed by Greengrass.

The road to yes involved a fragmented political landscape, an insistent fan base and gently prodding studio executives. But the simply titled Jason Bourne emerges in a moviegoing environment different from the one the superspy found himself in 2007. The creative team and studio behind Jason Bourne hope their film performs more like this years few outliers, Captain America: Civil War and Finding Dory. But they all recognise that the calculus behind successful sequels is tricky.

Its this weird thing where you cant give them exactly the same thing, or theyll be resentful, Damon said. But you have to give them enough of something they recognise that they feel like theyre getting what they paid for.

Given the Bourne franchises rocky beginnings, its ultimate success came as a bit of a shock even to its star. The first movie looked like a turkey within the business, Damon said of The Bourne Identity.

That film was delayed and over budget, and the final cut had been wrested away from its director, Doug Liman. But something odd happened in the summer of 2002. The movies mix of visceral, kinetic action and contemporary political concerns felt fresh to audiences. Jason Bourne was a new kind of action hero. He didnt punctuate his pummeling of foes with well-aimed quips. And he wasnt kitted out with the latest technological marvels or a souped-up Aston Martin; he made do with found objects or whatever car he could steal.

Though The Bourne Identity performed only decently on its opening weekend, word-of-mouth buoyed the movie, and it ended up making more than $120 million domestically.

The studio quickly set out to make more. Greengrass, coming off b****y Sunday, his dramatisation of a massacre by British troops of Irish protesters in 1972, was recruited for the 2004 Bourne Supremacy. Critical acclaim joined box-office success for Supremacy and, in 2007, The Bourne Ultimatum, which won Oscars for film editing, sound mixing and sound editing.

But Greengrass was burned out on Bourne. The films were not only gruelling to make, but the original trilogy also felt of a piece, one unfolding story when watched in succession. A new film would require a new motivating set of circumstances.

The studio gave Greengrass time, and he gave it a shot. But when it became clear that he couldnt find an idea that excited him, Universal Pictures facing a contractual deadline with the Robert Ludlum estate to produce another film went to Plan B. Not keen on recasting the role, the studio then released an offering from the screenwriter of the first three films, Tony Gilroy, who conjured up another black ops agent, Aaron Cross (played by Jeremy Renner) for The Bourne Legacy.

But Donna Langley, the chairwoman of Universal Pictures, never gave up hope. We were always playing the long game with the Bourne franchise, said Langley, adding, Even though Matt and Paul had been definitive about not wanting to come back, we werent really willing to submit to that, she added with a laugh.

In late 2013, Langley invited Damon to lunch with her new boss, Jeff Shell, a longtime television executive whom Comcast had just put in charge of Universals filmed entertainment business. The get-together had but one purpose: to gently nudge a Bourne movie starring Damon back on track.

Damon was amenable to at least considering a return.I thought I was completely at peace with the three movies, and I was so happy with how good they were and what the whole franchise had done for my career and my life, Damon said. But when I saw their production offices, it hurt me in a way that surprised me.

At a certain point, I said to Paul, People really want to see this movie, and thats not something to turn our noses up at, Damon said. Having made movies that didnt find an audience, I didnt want to thumb our nose at this opportunity.

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Source: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/559715/many-intrigues-jason-bourne.html

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