Review by Gary Tooze

 

Production:

Theatrical: Universal Studios

Video: Universal Video

 

Disc:

Region: FREE! (as verified by the Momitsu region FREE Blu-ray player)

Runtime: 2:15:02.302

Disc Size: 46,048,945,876 bytes

Feature Size: 37,529,659,392 bytes

Video Bitrate: 26.03 Mbps

Chapters: 20

Case: Standard Blu-ray case

Release date: December 11th, 2012

 

Video:

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1

Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Audio:

DTS-HD Master Audio English 4752 kbps 7.1 / 48 kHz / 4752 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
DTS Audio English 1509 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit
DTS Audio French 768 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit
DTS Audio Spanish 768 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit
DTS Audio English 448 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 448 kbps / 24-bit
Commentary:

Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB / Dolby Surround
Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB / Dolby Surround

 

Subtitles:

English (SDH), English, French, Spanish, none

 

Extras:

• Feature Commentary with Director/Co-Writer Tony Gilroy, Co-Writer Dan Gilroy, Editor John Gilroy, Director of Photography Robert Elswit, Second Unit Director Dan Bradley and Production Designer Kevin Thompson

• 3 Deleted Scenes (6:48) with optional commentary

• Re-Bourne (6:11)

• Enter Aaron Cross (7:12)

• Crossing Continents: Legacy on Location (8:22)

• Man vs. Wolf (4:36)

• Wolf Sequence Test (1:39)

• Moving Targets: Aaron and Marta (6:11)

• Capturing Chaos: The Motorbike Chase (7:49)

My Scenes

DBox

DVD of the Feature

 

Bitrate:

 

 

Description: The Bourne Legacy takes the action-packed Bourne series to an explosive new level. On the verge of having their conspiracy exposed, members of the government's intelligence community will stop at nothing to erase all evidence of their top secret programs - even the agents involved. Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner) must use his genetically-engineered skills to survive the ultimate game of cat-and-mouse and finish what Jason Bourne started. Also starring Academy AwardŽ winner Rachel Weisz and Academy AwardŽ nominee Edward Norton, critics are calling this a "thrilling, edge-of-your-seat heart-pounder" (Meg Porter Berns, WSVN-TV (FOX), Miami).

 

 

The Film:

The fourth installment of the highly successful Bourne series sees the return of the franchise's screenwriter, Tony Gilroy, this time stepping into the director's seat for an entry which sidelines main character Jason Bourne in order to focus on a fellow estranged assassin (Jeremy Renner). Edward Norton and Rachel Weisz co-star, with Joan Allen and Albert Finney reprising their roles from the previous films.

 

Just before “The Bourne Legacy” gets its game on, the franchise’s new face, played by Jeremy Renner, comes out of the Alaskan wilderness to take refuge in a cabin. There he meets another of his kind, a superspy with a scowl and enough artillery to invade a small country. By the time they’ve grudgingly warmed up to each other an unmanned drone is blasting everything to bits. It’s an effectively blunt opener for a series that from its start has tracked a different military drone, this one a man fighting to recover first his identity and then his humanity. That you may not remember the name of Mr. Renner’s agent, Aaron Cross, after all the dust finally settles, suggests that the fight goes on.

[...]

Mr. Gilroy cleverly handles some of the overlap between the new Bourne reality and the old by, for instance, folding characters from the earlier movies into this one. He even stitches a bit that looks as if it’s from “The Bourne Ultimatum,” with a shot of Colonel Byer on the phone, a juxtaposition that suggests that he’s been casting shadows over Bourne World for a while. Yet Mr. Gilroy, perhaps impatient to establish his own Bourne legacy, doesn’t work off the franchise’s foundation for long, instead veering off to juggle his many new faces and places. By the time Rachel Weisz, as a scientist called Dr. Marta Shearing, showed up in a lab coat, I stopped trying to parse every plot twist and just went with the action flow.

Excerpt from the NY Times located HERE

 

Image :    NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

The Bourne Legacy looks great on Blu-ray from Universal.  The camera is so kinetic that it's hard to find examples of motionless shots to showcase the detail.  Colors are bright - contrast excellent. This is dual-layered with a supportive bitrate. aside from some minor flaring from the use of HD lenses - the image is quite perfect. Some of the outdoors sequences seem teal-leaning but reds are especially brilliant. Gilroy and DoP Robert Elswit make pleasing use of the 2.4:1 frame. There are no artefacts and visually this is extremely watchable with such a strong pace and varied and interesting locales. This Blu-ray seems a rewarding replication of the theatrical experience with a dynamic 1080P image - worthy of the grandiose production.

 

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audio :

Sound is brought to your system via a explosive DTS-HD Master 7.1 at a dynamic 4752 kbps. What I appreciated about it was the more restrained qualities that eventually accentuate the more aggressive sequences. Your eardrums aren't under constant assault when when the surround kicks in - the range fills your Home Theater space. Magnificent.  James Newton Howard's score was smooth and builds wonderfully for the suspense, although I found Moby's Extreme Ways (Bourne's Legacy) a bit less fitting. There are optional subtitles and my Momitsu has identified it as being a region FREE disc playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide.

 

Extras :

The package contains extensive supplements that start with a group commentary with Director/Co-Writer Tony Gilroy, Co-Writer Dan Gilroy, Editor John Gilroy, Director of Photography Robert Elswit, Second Unit Director Dan Bradley and Production Designer Kevin Thompson. This is relaxed with each participant sharing production preparation and details as well as specifics on their area of expertise from evolution of the story to minutia about hurdles overcome. There are also more than 1/2 hour's worth of video extras including 3 Deleted Scenes,  with optional commentary, and seven short featurettes on things like the wolf-attack scene and shooting in locations, as well as the new Aaron Cross character. The Blu-ray is 'My Scenes' compatible, has DBox motion controls and contains a, second disc, DVD of the Feature + access to a Digital copy for your portable device.

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
I thought this was the best 'Bourne' film I have seen - significantly superior to the Matt Damon 'Trilogy' before it. Gilroy was part of the writing team of the previous three and both adhered to the style while forging a different narrative. I think it's brilliant and Renner is a fabulous protagonist. The action sequences were somewhat choppy but the pace and flow of the film was excellent. The Blu-ray has no flaws and provides a riveting Home Theater experience - far beyond what I was expecting. This is one helluva spy flic. We can easily give this a thumbs up! 

Gary Tooze

December 3rd, 2012