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The Preview Reel: Does Bourne Have the Nerve?

Scott Davis
The Preview Reel

Welcome to another “Preview Reel” column, where we look at the week’s upcoming wide release movies. The theme of the summer seems to be bringing back old franchises with a new, big budget installment. We had Independence Day: Resurgence, The Legend of Tarzan, Star Trek Beyond, and even Finding Dory. That trend continues this week as Matt Damon returns as Jason Bourne in Jason Bourne. There are also two other releases hitting the screen as the Emma Roberts/Dave Franco thriller Nerve, and the female ensemble comedy Bad Moms, both debut. Let’s break them down to see if any of them are worth the price of admission.

 

Jason Bourne

What we are excited about:
It’s a new Jason Bourne movie starring Matt Damon and directed by Paul Greengrass. If that’s not enough to get you excited about a movie, then we’re not really sure what is. The duo delivered arguably the two best installments of the franchise, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, and after the very mediocre, Damon-less The Bourne Legacy, fans could not be hungrier for this installment. The trailers looked action packed, which looks great compared to some of the snoozefest films we have gotten this summer (Legend of Tarzan, X-Men: Apocalypse, Independence Day: Resurgence).

What we are worried about:
The Bourne trilogy is one of the most beloved trilogies of the early/mid 2000s. Those films are regarded as some of the best spy thrillers of all time, and after the lackluster success of Legacy, is there a reason to bring Bourne back? Ultimatum gave the character closure, so after nine years, can there really be another story to tell? Or is this another example of Hollywood cashing in on a nostalgic sequel? Greengrass and Damon probably would not have returned if that was the case, but we’ll have to wait and see if it is.

The Buzz:
The buzz was high when it announced that Damon and Greengrass were teaming up for another Bourne films, but that buzz has kind of waned as of late. Moviegoers are certainly excited for this installment, but next week’s Suicide Squad seems to be looming larger than expected. Look for an opening weekend around $60 million, which is down from Ultimatum’s $69.3 million opening in 2007. Reviews have been mostly good saying that it is an action packed installment that feels a little too familiar.

Final thoughts:
In this writer’s opinion, this is one of the most anticipated movies of the summer. Other than Captain America: Civil War and Suicide Squad, there is no other movie I am personally more excited to see. The Bourne trilogy is one of my favorite trilogies, and the Damon/Greengrass combination is one of my favorite actor/director combos (their little seen Green Zone is also pretty good). After nine years, it will be interesting to see if the movie going audience is still interested in seeing Bourne on the big screen.

Nerve

What we are excited about:
The premise is very intriguing and timely. Hopefully the film delivers on the premise and has more up its sleeve, rather than being one of those gimmicky movies that just has an interesting hook. Emma Roberts and Dave Franco also seem to be good choices for the leads and we can see their chemistry carrying the film if it stumbles.

What we are worried about:
The trailers have been all over the place and have pretty much laid out the entire movie. Again, hopefully there is more to the premise in the movie itself, but the trailer seems to indicate that this will be a basic teen thriller. That can either be a good or very bad thing.

The Buzz:
There’s not much buzz surrounding the movie, and it looks like the studio wanted to get ahead of Jason Bourne by opening on Wednesday. Not sure if that will help its box office potential, but look for around a $20 million five-day opening from Nerve. Critically, the movie is actually doing better than expected as more critics are saying it’s a fun, albeit shallow, thriller.

Final thoughts:
Nerve seems like a harmlessly fun teen thriller, which might not mean it is worth seeing in theaters but rather in the comfort of your own home. With little buzz, but decent reviews and lack of original thrillers in theaters right now (we’ll call Lights Out a horror movie), Nerve might do some decent business at the box office.

Bad Moms

What we are excited about:
The cast is full of very funny women and it is written by the guys who wrote The Hangover. This could be a raunchy, female-led comedy, i.e. Bridesmaids. Could be, but probably not.

What we are worried about:
Bad Moms looks bad. No other way to put it. The trailers have been duds as the movie seems to be an unfunny raunch fest. We have been wrong on predicting bad comedies (looking at you Popstar), but we have a feeling we will be right on this one.

The Buzz:
Very little buzz as most of the attention right now is on Jason Bourne and Star Trek Beyond. This might be a good counter-programming move, but one that pays dividends in the long run rather than its initial box office. Look for around a $15 million opening.

Final thoughts:
Comedy is arguably the most subjective genre in film, so if you found the trailers to be funny, then you might want to check this one out. If you’re like us and just shrugged at it, maybe wait for the home release.

Scott Davis

Scott Davis is a recent graduate of Oakland University where he earned a degree in journalism. He worked for the student newspaper on campus, The Oakland Post, where he became the paper's managing editor. He also earned a minor in Cinema Studies at OU. Scott enjoys all things film and TV related, especially the blockbuster kind. He might be the biggest Christopher Nolan fan you know.
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