To celebrate (and for reasons to elaborate on later) there are two reviews!
Firstly, The Bourne Legacy (Tony Gilroy, 2012) is neither really a sequel or a prequel to the previous trilogy. It takes place simultaneously with Ultimatum with Matt Damon's Jason Bourne being referenced frequently. As a consequence of the events of that film, the CIA's head honchos decide to close down their other programs. Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner) is a member of one such program and doesn't react well to this. He is a different beast to Bourne being talkative, snarky and not an amnesiac. The film also gives him the side plot of needing to get hands on the pills the government had doped him up on and thereby brings in Rachel Weiss' character.
The film can seem overly complicated in places and I do recommend watching the original trilogy before this one if possible. The documentary style of shooting and the explosive actions scenes keep the film in line with the original trilogy and over all it is an enjoyable watch.
Brave (Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman and Steve Purcell, 2012) set up out to cram in many firsts for Pixar. First female protagonist, first female director, first fantasy film etc. However Chapman left due to "creative differences" and its hard to tell how much of the story left with her. If anything the film fits best with the Disney Princesses line and it would have been great if there had been a bit more to Merida (Kelly Macdonald) than that but it retains all the trademark heartwarming elements of Pixar. The mother-daughter story was also engaging. It did reduce some of my fears that Pixar has been losing its magic touch recently what with the slog of sequels and prequels that have been commissioned in place of original stories that the studio does so well.
I actually saw both films back to back on my birthday and though they make for an unusual double bill they are a good way to wrap up the summer blockbuster season in different ways.
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