The Bourne franchise returned to familiar territory in 2016 with “Jason Bourne,” the fifth film in the series and the long-awaited comeback of Matt Damon as the amnesiac super-spy. After Damon sat out 2012’s “The Bourne Legacy“—a spinoff starring Jeremy Renner that failed to ignite new life into the brand—Universal brought back the proven duo of Damon and director Paul Greengrass. The reunion also included Greengrass’s longtime editor Christopher Rouse as co-writer, signaling a conscious effort to recapture the intensity of the earlier trilogy.

The film introduces fresh faces alongside returning ones. Alicia Vikander steps in as Heather Lee, a rising CIA cyber-ops specialist with her own agenda, while Tommy Lee Jones plays the steely CIA Director Robert Dewey. Julia Stiles reprises her role as Nicky Parsons, but this time she takes on a larger, more pivotal part in the story, ultimately setting Bourne back on a path of discovery and conflict. French actor Vincent Cassel makes a memorable impression as the CIA “asset” tasked with eliminating Bourne.

The plot adheres closely to the series’ proven formula: the CIA views Bourne as a liability and deploys every resource to bring him down, while Bourne unravels more of his mysterious past. This chapter centers on revelations about his father’s role in creating the black-ops program that turned him into a weapon. The discovery, triggered by Nicky’s daring hack of the CIA’s files, draws Bourne out of his self-imposed exile and plunges him back into a globe-spanning gauntlet of surveillance, betrayal, and chase sequences.

Greengrass delivers the action with his trademark handheld, kinetic style, culminating in a standout Las Vegas car chase staged with practical stunts rather than CGI. The set piece underscores why Greengrass’s visceral approach continues to set the Bourne films apart from flashier action franchises.

Despite the craftsmanship and Damon’s charismatic return, the film earned only modest critical praise compared to the high bar set by the original trilogy. Some viewers felt the formula had grown stale—another round of the CIA chasing Bourne, again ending in futility. While the film performed well at the box office, it didn’t recapture the franchise’s peak momentum.

For diehard fans, “Jason Bourne” remains an entertaining entry that delivers exactly what one expects from the series. Yet the repetition leaves questions about the franchise’s future. With Universal reportedly developing a sixth installment under director Edward Berger, fans may hope the next chapter will break the cycle—perhaps by repositioning Bourne not against the CIA, but working with them, or teaming up with other agents to tell a fresher story.

“The Bourne Ultimatum” is the third installment in the Bourne film series with Matt Damon returning as Jason Bourne and Paul Greengrass returning as director. The film picks up from where “The Bourne Supremacy” (2004) left off and further delves into Bourne’s quest to uncover the truth about his past and the secretive government program, Treadstone.

The film begins with Bourne evading capture in Moscow and subsequently recovering from his injuries. He is haunted by fragmented memories of his past and remains determined to uncover the truth about his identity. While Pamela Landy (Joan Allen) has decided to help Bourne, the CIA, led by Deputy Director Noah Vosen (David Strathairn), is still determined to neutralize him.

The role of Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) is expanded in this film, as she decides to help Bourne uncover the truth about his past. The duo uncovers more about Blackbriar, a more aggressive and lethal program than Treadstone. But by helping Bourne, Parsons also becomes a target, leading to the type of epic chase seen we’ve come to expect from this franchise.

Director Paul Greengrass doesn’t depart at all from the tried-and-true Bourne formula. The CIA is run by bad guys, and Bourne is the badass that they can’t seem to kill. But the story doesn’t seem forced. Bourne learns much more about his past in this film, and it wraps up with a clever and logical ending, making it a worthy installment in the franchise.

Also, Greengrass gives us all the action we crave in this type of film. The shaky-cam chase scenes offer up a fun ride, with the final car-chase scene capping the fun. Greengrass’s style may be over-the-top, but it’s much better than all the CGI nonsense we’ve seen in other action films. Fans loved it, as it became the highest-grossing Bourne film.

The rivalries withing the CIA and the interplay between the Joan Allen and David Strathairn characters works well in this installment and helps drive the natural evolution of the storyline from the first two films. Scott Glenn also delivers a solid performance as CIA Director Ezra Kramer in a limited role.

Overall, the film was a huge success as the third installment in the Bourne franchise. Watch the first two and then enjoy the ride with this one as well.

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Matt Damon returns as Jason Bourne in this sequel to the 2002 film “The Bourne Identity.” Paul Greengrass takes over directing duties in this installment and doesn’t miss a beat.

The story picks up two years after the events of “The Bourne Identity.” Jason Bourne and Marie Kreutz (Franka Potente) are living a peaceful life in hiding in Goa, India. However, their tranquility is shattered when Bourne is framed for the assassination of a CIA officer during a covert operation in Berlin, an operation he had no part in. As a result, the CIA, led by Deputy Director Pamela Landy (Joan Allen), believes Bourne has gone rogue and must be taken down.

Bourne is driven to find out who is behind the setup and why they are targeting him. In the process, he uncovers more about his past as a CIA assassin and the Operation Treadstone program. Bourne’s quest takes him across Europe, from Berlin to Moscow, as he evades capture and confronts the people responsible for framing him.

Brian Cox reprises his role as Ward Abbott, the high-ranking CIA official who played a crucial role in the creation and management of Operation Treadstone. He is determined to cover up his involvement in Treadstone and protect his career, and throughout the film, he tries to maintain control over the situation and prevent the exposure of Treadstone’s illegal activities. Julia Stiles also returns as Nicky.

“The Bourne Supremacy” is an excellent sequel to the first Bourne installment, building on the intrigue and action-packed sequences of the first film, while further developing the character of Jason Bourne and his quest for identity and redemption.

Director Paul Greengrass brought his own style to the film, while building on Doug Liman’s excellent work in the first installment. Greengrass is known for his distinct directing style, which incorporates a “shaky cam” or “handheld camera” technique, quick cuts, and a sense of realism. Some fans complained that this technique could be disorienting and difficult to follow, but I felt it worked perfectly. The action scenes are immersive and feel gritty and real. It’s a style that has become popular in the action genre following the release of this film.

“The Bourne Supremacy” did $290.6 million in worldwide box office sales, besting “The Bourne Identity” which hit $214 million. Universal had another hit and a successful franchise on their hands. Like the original, this film was well-received by both critics and audiences.

Over the years, I caught parts of the Bourne movies on cable. These are the kinds of movies you can start watching at any time in the story and enjoy the action. But I only recently made a point of watching these films from the beginning, and it’s naturally a much more interesting and enjoyable watch when you know the backstory. So, if you’re new to the Bourne franchise, try to watch them in order for the best experience.

Enjoy the ride!

* James Cameron apparently won’t be directing the latest iteration of legend of Egyptian queen Cleopatra. Instead, he’ll spend the next few years doing the inevitable: “Avatar 2” and “Avatar 3.” Apparently, the commitment now is partially in return for Fox making a large donation to green causes Cameron supports.

* Christopher Nolan gave Geoff Boucher the title of the next Batman installment “The Dark Knight Rises” — not very inspiring. Having previously eliminated Mr. Freeze as the film’s big bad, he also eliminated the Riddler. That leaves Catwoman, the Penguin, and…Man-Bat?

* New Zealand Prime Minister John Keys announced today that the “The Hobbit” will, in fact, be staying in New Zealand. Yup, the leader of an entire nation announced a movie deal today. And you thought the cinema was a frivolous pastime. As expected, there were some legislative changes and remember those tax rebates that NZ Finance Minister Gerry Brownlee assured a reporter were not being negotiated? Well, some tax rebates were thrown in to sweeten the pot for Warners as well as some legislative changes. (H/t AICN)

* Schindler-esque humanitarian hero Paul Rusesabagina, who was portrayed by Don Cheadle in 2004’s Oscar-nominated “Hotel Rwanda,” is under legal threat in Rwanda on charges of “funding terrorism.” The allegation is because of his connection to opposition figure Victoire Ingabire, who is being held on suspicion of setting up some kind of armed resistance to the Rwandan government. Considering the crappy human rights record of the current Rwandan regime, I think it’s safe to say that Mr. Rusesabagina is once again facing off against the bad guys. Best of luck to him. (H/t The Wrap.)

* Matt Damon is doing a bit of damage control today for earlier remarks which made it sound as if he was none too happy not to be kept in the loop about the Jason Bourne-less “The Bourne Legacy.” I have absolutely no doubt that we bloggers did exaggerate the whole thing, but I’ve never seen a celebrity “badgered” at a roundtable yet. I have seen inane questions and some autograph requests, however.

Anyhow, it appears that Damon is really quite happy about the whole thing, as it leaves the door open for another Bourne film reteaming him and director Paul Greengrass. Also making progress: the Liberace film costarring Michael Douglas as the famed pianistic showman and directed by Steven Soderbergh, with Damon as Liberace’s long time lover. (Despite being one of the most flamboyantly flamboyant figures in the history of popular culture, Liberace remained in a sequin-encrusted closet his entire life.)

* More news from down-under. The critically acclaimed crime thriller “Animal Kingdom” has swept the nominations for the Australian equivalent of the Oscars. My colleague, Jason Zingale, found himself in the critical minority and wasn’t too pleased with the film. I personally thought that portions of it were overly somber, but on the whole I’m rooting for it anyway. Whatever it’s problems, it’s a very solid debut for writer-director David Michôd and I thought the last third was absolutely riveting. I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing an actual Oscar-nomination for Jacki Weaver as well for her role as a crime family matriarch who’s maternal instincts take some fascinating turns.

* And, speaking of Australia, an Aussie site ran an apparently false now-deleted story relating to a gay sex plotline in the planned “Alien” prequel. Cinematical’s Eric D. Snider mines the subject for some rather amusing homosexual panic driven humor. Also at Cinematical, behold the Batman-Cat.

* “Hereafter” writer Peter Morgan — who also penned “The Queen,” the outstanding “The Damned United,” and “Frost/Nixon” — gave an unusually compelling and candid flip-cam interview to Anne Thompson. Blogging about the interview, Movieline’s S.T. Vansairdale alleges Morgan is “ready to throw director Clint Eastwood under the bus,” which might excite readers with nastier dispositions but is not at all the impression I got. That’ll show Morgan for being honest with the press.

* Are we really supposed to care who will make a movie based on the Ouija board? How about “Cutting Board: The Movie”?

* Darren Aronofsky’s movie of Max Barry’s “Machine Men” will be a cyborg tale and is drawn from a novel that’s currently only available on the interwebs on a page-per-day basis.

* I hated almost all hair bands at the time, so — much as I love a good musical — I’m not exactly chomping at the bit for the film version of “Rock of Ages.” Somehow, possibly adding Tom Cruise to the mix as a bartender does nothing for me. He may pour again, but will he ever really reign?

Still, my discomfort is nothing compared to Drew McWeeney, who is obviously a huge, huge fan of the books and who read a script that he was none too fond of — though it’s been so long since I’ve read the books that I’m so sure why introducing McGee on a surfboard is all that terrible. However, I do remember McGee as being more a fishing-with-his-buddy-Meyer-while sipping-whiskey kind of a guy. By the way, if they don’t cast Paul Giamatti as Meyer, the world just doesn’t really make any sense.

* If some people are made nauseous by the camera work in the Bourne movies, how many more will be made ill if the approach is set in some guy’s bloodstream and in James Cameron-style immersive 3-D? It appears we may be finding out because director Paul Greengrass, whose high-budgetted “Green Zone” has been a commercial and critical disappointment, is “in talks” to be the director on the Cameron-produced 3-D remake of “Fantastic Voyage.” I’m thinking about buying shares in whoever manufactures Dramamine.

* Screenwriters, playwrights, aspiring TV scribes — are you ready for Script Frenzy? I just found out about it. Remember, there are only thirty days in April and the goal is 100 pages.

* Big news for this movie mad, West L.A. bred Bruin boy. Regency chain has purchased the endangered, historic twin single-screen movie theaters that anchor UCLA-adjacent Westwood Village, the appropriately named Fox Village and Bruin theaters. The chain recently let go of an important neighborhood theater a couple of miles east which was turned into a triplex back in the eighties or early nineties, the Fairfax, which anchors the traditionally Jewish neighborhood that is home to Canter’s Deli. Win a few, lose a few, I guess.

* GQ’s Andrew Corsello has a very cool piece up about William Shatner and his battles with irony. But if anyone out there has seen him in Roger Corman’s sole non-genre film, “The Intruder,” they know there was a time when he was a very good actor who could it keep it fairly simple, even playing a villainous antihero, back in 1962.

* I’m a little late on this, but Steven Spielberg absolutely does not, repeat, does not, have Asperger’s Syndrome. In other news, I can now announce that I am 100% free of ovarian cancer.

* Bryan Cranston, star of AMC’s “Breaking Bad” and also the upcoming “John Carter of Mars” is a popular guy around these parts. He’s currently “eying” a part in “Larry Crowne,” the upcoming Tom Hanks starring/directed by dramedy co-starring Julia Roberts and written with Nia Vardalos of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” The character in question is  Roberts’ husband, whose a blogger who spends way too much time “looking at” porn. I wouldn’t know anything about that.