Normally I love a good summer blockbuster, when done well, but August saw a slew of films which have really tested my patience. Not because they were bad, necessarily. Not because they were offensive. Mostly because they were feckless and lazy. This isn’t really a moan against the imaginary faceless spectre of the studio system (whisper it, but there is plenty of independent guff out there as well) but a sincere desire to see it perhaps learn from its own successes and mistakes.

The chief offenders in the month of August 2012 were THE BOURNE LEGACY and TOTAL RECALL. Both films have their plus points, the Arnie-less version of the latter was enjoyable in spells, but the first thing that stands out for each is the use of what is essentially a Hollywood brand name. Whereas branding gives some degree of reassurance in the consumer realm, it often leaves audiences feeling short-changed by a cheap bait and switch in the cinema.

…branding gives some degree of reassurance in the consumer realm, it often leaves audiences feeling short-changed by a cheap bait and switch in the cinema.

This is different to ‘brand’ in the sense of a film franchise. The usual suspects of recent years (Harry Potter, Twilight, Bond, Batman etc) usually had a direct relation to their predecessors, being sequels (or perhaps the overused term ‘reboot’ in BATMAN BEGINS). Whatever your views on any of those series, there was an overall blueprint or narrative trajectory linking the films together in one form or another. The Bob Kane character and the Nolan brothers for Batman, and the original books and characters for Bond/Potter/Twilight.

In the case of the two films mentioned earlier, though, there is no such link or path. THE BOURNE LEGACY plot crams in a rather tenuous link to the events of THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, constantly shoehorning in plot points from the rest of the series in a desperate desire to obtain relevance. TOTAL RECALL is, contrary to reports during pre-production, anything but ‘another adaptation’ of the Philip K Dick short story, We Can Remember It For You Wholesale. Even if you hadn’t seen the 2012 update of Verhoeven’s 1990 version, the fact they share a name tells you much of what you need to know in that regard.

The assumption is the audience know it all already, and as such they are left with a paper thin excuse for a character or story.

The narrative crafted into both falls well short of what makes for a satisfying film, as no effort is expended into realising new characters or motivations. The assumption is the audience know it all already, and as such they are left with a paper thin excuse for a character or story. The lukewarm audience reactions to the film (less so in the case of THE BOURNE LEGACY, which at least had sprinkles of originality put against TOTAL RECALL) are quite simply because the product is not up to the brand name. This goes for Ben Stiller/Vince Vaughn vehicle THE WATCH as well. Although ‘original’, the film is basically the lewd man-child routine for which the pair are now (in)famous, and has a plot with the depth of a car park piss puddle.

In the same way one would be disappointed with a Mercedes upholstered with shell-suit offcuts or a being sold a ‘little blue pill’ that’s just a raspberry bon-bon, audiences feel duped. Sure, there may be elements to like (who doesn’t like bon-bons?) but it feels like a rip-off. The truly excellent production design and look of TOTAL RECALL, recalling (geddit?) other Dick adaptations in both BLADE RUNNER and MINORITY REPORT, doesn’t excuse the total laziness of a plot that is purely running through glass from A to B. The solid action and acting credentials of Jeremy Renner don’t excuse the lack of effort to create a fresh framework for THE BOURNE LEGACY and his character, instead of hamfistedly recycling plot beats from THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM and secondary concepts from THE BOURNE IDENTITY. The label brings certain expectations and, by their very nature, films created this way will rarely fulfil them.

The label brings certain expectations and, by their very nature, films created this way will rarely fulfil them.

Following on from some recent successes on the original content front, this is rather sad. Not to toot the INCEPTION trumpet again, but even critics of the film would have to admit that Nolan’s russian doll of a narrative at least embraced complexity more than most $1 billion grossing films with a budget running to nine figures. SOURCE CODE may not have been the same phenomenon in 2011, but still made nearly $150M worldwide on a $30M budget.

Clearly it takes a long time to turn the ship around, and being realistic the best that can he hoped for is a nudge of the tiller. Already we can expect remakes of other Verhoeven films in ROBOCOP and STARSHIP TROOPERS. However, with some more focus and care both THE BOURNE LEGACY and TOTAL RECALL could have been superb – a film with the production design of TOTAL RECALL that embraced the source material fully has more than a place in the post-INCEPTION landscape. THE BOURNE LEGACY would have required more than mere tweaks, but the nucleus of a good idea was there. It was squandered by foisting a half-baked version upon a franchise that should be ensconced comfortably in the retirement home of cinema. By relying on the brand identity, their creators have ignored narrative and wasted opportunities to make a lasting mark to go with the huge wad of cash.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWMhADqlPYg