SUMMARY
The legendary James Bond series has a long and illustrious history, showcasing the dapper and larger-than-life superspy persona. However, the intense portrayal of Jason Bourne by Matt Damon completely changed the course of espionage movies for good.
Jason Bourne, played by the actor who has won seven Primetime Emmy Awards, has set a new standard for realism in the spy genre. In contrast to the dapper and polished Daniel Craig’s James Bond, Jason Bourne was gritty, flawed, and human, which made the Bourne franchise emphasize the psychological toll that living a double life can have.
Let us take a look at the five major ways Damon’s Jason Bourne redefined the James Bond franchise when Craig took over for Pierce Brosnan.
Matt Damon in and as Jason Bourne
1. Jason Bourne Was Created To Be the ‘Anti-James Bond’
Even though Matt Damon has starred in a number of critically acclaimed and financially rewarding movies, the Bourne franchise may have made him the most well-known.
Bourne distinguished himself from other fictional secret agents like James Bond in large part because he never employed gadgets or cutting-edge technology. He only used his fists and his improvisational abilities. In an interview with Desus & Mero, Damon described the creative process that went into developing his enduring character:
“With the Bourne movies, we were playing on the idea that James Bond — we wanted to make him kind of the anti-James Bond. James Bond always has gadgets, right? ‘Well here’s a special pen that turns into a helicopter,’ you know what I mean? And then it’s like it comes and it rescues him, or he can use it all of these situations. And we just kind of wanted to underline the point that Bourne got nothing like that.”
Matt Damon as Jason Bourne in a still from the Bourne franchise2. Jason Bourne Featured Some Extremely Intense Fight Scenes
The Bourne franchise transformed how action sequences were shot by utilizing shaky cameras, quick cuts, and a quick editing style. As seen in movies like Skyfall and Spectre, the James Bond series has been forever changed by the raw and intense cinematography Matt Damon’s movies inspired.
In an earlier interview with EW on the movie’s fight scenes, the actor made the following statement:
“He does all the stuff that is life-threatening that I could never get insured for, and quite frankly, would never do. Mostly because I’d just look terrified while doing it.”
Matt Damon as Jason Bourne
Meanwhile, Paul Greengrass, the director, added:
“He looks like he’s on a mission, he looks like he’s active, and he looks like there’s no time to waste.”
3. Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne Is A ‘Serial Monogamist’
Matt Damon raised the stakes in the conflict between Bourne and Bond by criticizing 007 as archaic, out-of-date, and stuck in the 1960s. Speaking prior to the third installment in the series, The Bourne Ultimatum, the actor was eager to highlight the distinctions between the two action film series. He told The Guardian:
“Bourne is a serial monogamist whose girlfriend is dead and he does nothing but think about her … he doesn’t have the support of gadgets and feels guilty about what he’s done.”
Matt Damon as Jason Bourne
4. Jason Bourne’s Action S𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 Changed James Bond
With the arrival of Jason Bourne, viewers were introduced to a new level of hand-to-hand combat. Matt Damon’s character relied on strategic thinking, spontaneity, and a deadly fusion of action scenes.
However, Damon found that getting in shape for the bloody brawls was a struggle as the actor, 53, once told PEOPLE:
“It was a lot of work to get back to that, but we felt it was really important. I still had to keep going to the gym with horrifying regularity to stay in shape, so that was the challenge, along with the long work hours. I was in shape for way longer than someone my age should be.”
Matt Damon as Jason Bourne5. Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne Has Modern ‘Values’
Hollywood has long been enthralled by those who live in the enigmatic world of espionage. James Bond and Jason Bourne, are two of the most instantly recognizable secret agents on the silver screen. In an interview with GQ, Matt Damon compared the two action spy film series directly to highlight why he has always preferred his to Daniel Craig’s. He remarked:
“I like Bourne better than Bond. Bourne has today’s values; Bond has the values of the 1960s. Daniel’s Bond has upgraded him and brought him more into the present, but, classically, that character is a misogynist who likes swilling martinis and 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ing people and not giving a sh*t.”
Matt Damon as Jason Bourne
Thus, it is safe to say that, from the focus on realism and character depth to the development of action sequences and modernization, Jason Bourne has permanently changed the way we view the world of espionage on the big screen.
Stream Jason Bourne on FuboTV.
