Jason Bourne
Universal Pictures | Release Date: July 29, 2016 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
58
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 50 Critic Reviews
Positive:
19
Mixed:
26
Negative:
5
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
The New YorkerAnthony LaneAug 1, 2016
Greengrass is as dexterous as ever, yet the result, though abounding in thrills, seems oddly stifled by self-consciousness and, dare one say, superfluous. Come on, guys. There are so many wrongs in the world. If Bourne could tear himself away from the mirror for a moment, could he not be persuaded to go and right them? Read full review
60
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzJul 28, 2016
Should you see it? Sure. The absolutely absurd, over-the-top Vegas chase scene assures you’ll get your money’s worth in ridiculousness. (Not all of Greengrass’ set pieces are smart.) But in truth, you’ll be there because it’s a Bourne movie, and you’ll like it a little better than you should because it is. Read full review
60
TimeStephanie ZacharekJul 28, 2016
Greengrass, a meticulous, thoughtful filmmaker (he also directed the second and third films in the series, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum), clearly believes in what he’s doing. But his earnestness is at odds with the movie’s desperate, frenetic desire to keep us engaged every minute. Read full review
60
The New York TimesA.O. ScottJul 27, 2016
The tedium, I would argue, is not incidental but essential, because this is not really a spy thriller or even a foot-chase and fist-fight-driven action movie, but rather a somber meditation on the crisis of the Gen-X professional in the throes of middle age. Read full review
60
Total FilmJordan FarleyJul 26, 2016
Leagues ahead of Legacy but the weakest of the Matt Damon movies, Bourne still has the power to thrill. But it seems his story has run out of steam. Read full review
60
Time Out LondonTom HuddlestonJul 26, 2016
When the talking stops the film takes off, with a pair of bone-rattling chases set in Athens and Las Vegas that cause maximum damage to people, property and the audience’s eardrums. A bracing reminder of how fiercely efficient Greengrass can be, these scenes just about justify the existence of Jason Bourne. But, please, no more. Read full review
60
CineVueBen NicholsonJul 26, 2016
The political commentary feels far more explicitly pointed and widely integral than in previous incarnations which adds a bold new dynamic where perhaps the same re-inventive verve is lacking in the film's formulaic story. Fortunately, Greengrass and Damon are so in command of this material it's rarely too much of a concern. Even when little of substance seems to be happening, the narrative feels propulsive. Read full review
60
The TelegraphTim RobeyJul 26, 2016
Hunting Bourne is more than ever a business now, with a bottom line to worry about, a crowd to please, and presumably hasty deadlines to meet. It’s not that there’s no pause for thought in this still-good-fun episode. There’s just not enough thought in the pauses. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawJul 26, 2016
The Snowden/social media plotline of this film does a bit to make Bourne more relevant. But the ingredients are basically the same. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzJul 28, 2016
While Jason Bourne isn’t half-bad as an action movie, it is a nakedly hollow exercise in resuscitating brand loyalty. Read full review
50
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinJul 28, 2016
As an actor, Matt Damon has too much integrity to pretend he can multitask to that advanced degree and still be, you know, a fun person. So he turns his face into a mask of stoicism and gives the dullest performance of his career. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoJul 28, 2016
When it’s over, even viewers more eager to forgive this failed creative reunion will wonder what it is that they just watched, and what purpose it serves other than financial. And why no one figured out a new, engaging way to tell a story that’s already been told. Read full review
50
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanJul 28, 2016
Jason Bourne belongs to Damon and Greengrass, whose admirable — and entirely appropriate — goal of playing it for kicks comes across, this time around, as an oddly joyless chore. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubA.A. Dowd Jul 27, 2016
Rather than push this character or story forward, the film cravenly hits the reset button, doing more of the same with much less passion and skill. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenJul 27, 2016
This current film smartly adds material that keeps it up-to-date with the reality of today’s sophisticated electronic surveillance. The series may become a marker by which we come to gauge the future disappearance of all personal privacy. For the sake of the series’ endurance, I hope so, but for the sake of the rest of us, I hope not. Read full review
50
USA TodayBrian TruittJul 27, 2016
The movie is a by-the-numbers action film that's not nearly as strong as its Damon-led predecessors. Read full review
50
HitfixDrew McWeenyJul 27, 2016
There are scenes I dug and a few set-pieces that work, and there’s an overall level of intensity that I like from director Paul Greengrass. Taken as a whole, though, this is very familiar territory, and I just don’t care when the stakes are this low and the violence is this rough. Read full review
50
ConsequenceMichael RoffmanJul 27, 2016
There’s just not a lot of weight to this sequel, at least not enough to dissuade anyone from seeing this as anything but a limpid cash grab. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreJul 27, 2016
The visceral visuals make this a barely-serviceable/watchable summer popcorn picture. But the bar was set high too long ago for that to be enough for America’s Bond. Read full review
50
ScreenCrushE. Oliver WhitneyJul 26, 2016
While a reunion between Greengrass and Damon should feel like a refreshing extension of the franchise, Jason Bourne is just another replica, and an unnecessary one. The familiar pieces are in place, but it adds nothing that Greengrass hadn’t already accomplished. Maybe its best we let Jason Bourne retire for good. Read full review
50
IndieWireEric KohnJul 26, 2016
Jason Bourne adheres to an existing format so robotically that it never manages to surprise or engage for longer than the occasional passing moment. Read full review
49
The VergeTasha RobinsonJul 28, 2016
Eventually, even perpetual pursuit gets dull, and Jason Bourne finds that point early, then just keeps charging monotonously forward. Read full review
40
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternJul 28, 2016
Bourne used to be an anguished amnesiac. Now he remembers who he is, but this fourth episode of the franchise forgot to make him human. Read full review
40
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottJul 27, 2016
While the result is an often fast-moving and very Damon-y Jason Bourne, it doesn't at all feel as original or as well crafted as the series once did. Read full review
40
Village VoiceBilge EbiriJul 26, 2016
Even when it comes to life, Jason Bourne offers very little that could stand on its own; its best scenes remind you of even better ones in the earlier films. There's a greatest-hits quality to the movie, only the band is tired and its heart isn't in it. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsStephen Whitty Jul 26, 2016
Once the story drags Bourne out of retirement, it's just a bunch of fights and chase scenes, only occasionally interrupted by a few lines of dialogue. Read full review
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