The Bourne LegacyMovie Reviews

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Avg. Critic Score: 61 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
14 Iffy for 14+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 91
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    Renner's Cross is a conflicted hero built to take advantage of the "Hurt Locker" star's best qualities as an actor - his default intensity, the way he conveys that complicated mental calculations are taking place under cover of watchful stillness, even underwater. Read full review

  • 75
    Philadelphia Inquirer | Steven Rea

    It's smart, it's exhilarating, and Gilroy's depiction of a high-tech world where our every move is captured by surveillance cams and Big Brother-types deploying the latest spyware feels authentic, and troubling. Read full review

  • 75
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    This latest Bourne doesn't send adrenaline surging the way "Ultimatum" did, but it's still a tense, well-acted thrill ride. Read full review

  • 70
    Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern

    A solid success, primarily though not entirely because of Jeremy Renner. He's a star worthy of the term as Aaron Cross, another haunted operative who, like Jason Bourne, is as much a victim of the government's dirty deeds as a covert super-agent. But the production is impressive too. Read full review

  • 65
    Movieline |

    Like much of the movie, Norton's presence has a patient, diligent quality to it, as if what's on screen is just a slog to get through before some promised fun in the next installment. Read full review

  • 63
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    Gilroy stages two riveting shootouts involving Marta at work and home. And there's a killer chase scene in Manila as the bad guys try to knock Aaron and Marta off their speeding motorcycle. It's all sound and fury signifying nothing except a desperate need to feed a franchise. Read full review

  • 63
    Boston Globe | Ty Burr

    The best thing that can be said about The Bourne Legacy is that Renner will survive it. Read full review

  • 60
    New York Daily News | Elizabeth Weitzman

    The introduction isn't as smooth as it could be, but eventually everyone settles into the right groove. Read full review

  • 50
    The Hollywood Reporter | Todd McCarthy

    The same tone and look are maintained, but the visceral excitement is muffled by familiarity, an insufficiently conceived lead character and the sheer weight of backstory and multiple layers of deception. Read full review

  • 25
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    The Bourne series ended with the last installment, and now comes a 135-minute death rattle called The Bourne Legacy. It's a peculiar movie, both over-plotted and under-plotted, encumbered by layers of detail and yet with no details invested in or developed. Read full review

View more reviews for The Bourne Legacy on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 14+ Non-stop action sequel holds its own against predecessors.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that The Bourne Legacy is the fourth installment in the blockbuster Bourne movie series, although this film splits from its namesake book to chronicle a new character entirely separate from Jason Bourne. (This is the first in the series not to star Matt Damon, though his character is mentioned several times.) This time, Jeremy Renner stars as a genetically modified agent who must flee for his life. Like the earlier Bourne movies, Legacy is a big-budget, fast-paced, smart action thriller with near non-stop action -- including explosions, motorcycle chases, and many, many fight scenes, some of which get quite brutal (necks snapped, faces smashed, etc.). There's also some swearing (including "s--t") and social drinking, but the constant action violence is the main issue here.
  • Families can talk about the Bourne series. How does Legacy compare to the others? How does it change things to have a new star?
  • Does this movie seem more or less violent than what you've seen in other films? What kind of fighting/violence has the most impact? Why?
  • How do the covert agents justify their violent actions? Do the ends ever justify the means? Do you think real spies act like this?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: The government is depicted as a manipulative organization that will toss people aside when they're no longer necessary.
  • rolemodels true1 Positive role models: Aaron Cross is trying to serve his country, but he soon learns that his country has no more need of his services and is trying to dispose of him. He makes references to being sent on missions that were morally indefensible but necessary, but none of that happens during the movie. He does demonstrate some compassion by protecting Stephanie and civilian characters, and Stephanie herself is a smart, capable female lead character. Cross' bosses don't even try to justify their efforts to hide their black-ops mess by killing anyone who knows too much, though they cloak their actions behind the veil of trying to do what's "necessary" to protect democracy.
What to watch for
  • violence false4 Violence: Near non-stop action as Cross tries to escape a manhunt on two continents. Chases on foot and motorcycle, including some intense crashes and explosions, and plenty of fight scenes. Cross takes out his opponents with handguns, rifles, and often his fists, and some scenes include unpleasant images as he brutalizes people with his bare hands. Necks are snapped, and faces are bashed in.
  • sex false0 Sexy stuff: There's no time for romance in The Bourne Legacy; it's all action, all the time.
  • language false3 Language: Occasional swearing, including "s--t," "ass," "hell," "goddamn," and "oh my God."
  • consumerism false1 Consumerism: The characters board an American Airlines flight at one point.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false1 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Drinking by adults within a social context.
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Exclusive Features

Cast Interviews Exclusive Cast Interview Jeremy Renner on jumping into a Bourne movie and motorcycle stunts, Rachel Weisz talks about what drew her to the film and the physical stunts, Toy Gilroy on picking up where the last Bourne film ended and Ed Norton on his complex character. Cine Latino: 10 Films from Rising Star Oscar Isaac Here we highlight 10 of Isaac's movies you should check out, the majority of which you can enjoy from the comfort of your home and two that you'll just have to wait until 2013.