The trailers for “The Bourne Legacy” suggest an expansion of the world introduced in the Matt Damon-starring “Bourne” trilogy. There’s a lot of talk about Damon’s character, Jason Bourne, and the promise of familiar faces explaining more about the mysterious government programs the first three films tease.

Forget all that. “The Bourne Legacy” basically amounts to a slick franchise reboot, and any mention of Jason Bourne proves to be a fleeting distraction.

Jeremy Renner is coldly effective as Aaron Cross, another superspy bred out of a secretive program similar to that of Bourne.  We first meet him trekking through the snowy woods and fighting off wolves like he’s Liam Neeson. We don’t know what he’s doing or where he’s going, but he really needs a new supply of blue and green pills. These pills are what “The Bourne Legacy” is really about. (more…)