Originally intended to be a trilogy, the Jason Bourne franchise deviated from that script when it released 2012’s The Bourne Legacy concentrating on a new character (Jeremy Renner) within the Bourne universe, similar to the direction taken by many films, including Halloween 3. The Bourne film franchise turned into an anthology,  and like Halloween 3, The Bourne Legacy with not only little critical acclaim, but left fans of the franchise wondering, where Matt Damon and his now iconic character Jason Bourne were. Fast Forward to 2016, and the Bourne franchise attempts to right the tracks with the latest attempt, Jason Bourne, this time reuniting Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass after last collaborating on 2007’s The Bourne Ultimatum.

The Bourne Legacy, having failed to excite its audience and critics at the time, it was believed the franchise was done. Fast forward 4 years and the Bourne franchise is back.

Is Jason Bourne good? Yes. At first glance, the film appears to be an apology to fans of the original trilogy, for the direction of The Bourne Legacy. Although not at the level of Damon and Greengrass’s previous installments, the film retains the brilliant action sequences that brought its initial intrigue and fame to the franchise. Even when Jason Bourne doesn’t click with the same dynamic and rhythm as its predecessors, it still delivers one of the finest action films of 2016.

Although the film adds depth to the Bourne character with a now given backstory to his initial involvement with Treadstone, the question is raised: Why were certain characters from the first three films not mentioned by anyone in this film? This makes the main plot of the film come off as forced and lacks the natural pacing found in the original trilogy, where everything that happens has a purpose and doesn’t come off as subtext in a script only to propel forward the story.

Despite that glaring issues, the performances by an all-star cast led by Matt Damon, Tommy Lee Jones and Academy Award winner, Alicia Vikander, are all top notch. Damon, while having minimal dialogue in the film, does a fine job with what he is given and is further proof that if this franchise will continue, Damon is the man to lead it into the future. Vikander continues to show her depth in taking different types of roles with this performance and continues the trend of no-nonsense empowered female characters in action films this summer. While the weakest of the original three, Jason Bourne is still entertaining and good enough to warrant the price of admission.

Reel Talk gives Jason Bourne 3 reels