How to watch the Bourne movies in order

The Bourne movie franchise has been popular and beloved by many since the first movie came out back in 2002, and even before that, the books were very successful, as well. Today, we’re diving into this phenomenal franchise and the movies it consists of—in proper chronological order, of course.

Overview and synopsis

The Bourne movies are a collection of action-thriller films based on Robert Ludlum’s character Jason Bourne from his Bourne trilogy. The franchise consists of five movies and a spinoff TV show, that works as a prequel.

The movies all follow the titular main character, Jason Bourne, a CIA assassin with dissociative amnesia, who is played by Hollywood star Matt Damon in all of the Jason Bourne films.

While Matt Damon plays Jason Bourne in all of the movies, he doesn’t appear in the fourth one. Instead, the protagonist of the fourth film, The Bourne Legacy, is Aaron Cross, who is played by Jeremy Renner. He is an operative of the Department of Defense and is on the run for his life due to the events in the previous installment. However, despite Bourne not appearing in the movie actively, his pictures and name are mentioned throughout the movie.

Something that sets the Bourne franchise apart from other contemporary action films is the use of real stunts, as opposed to CGI. This aspect of authenticity, along with many other things contributed to its success, overall positive critical reception, and box office success.

All three of Ludlum’s Jason Bourne novels were adapted into movies, and these films were cinema hits. Even though you’d be late to watch them in the cinemas now, you can still watch them on Amazon Prime.

The Bourne franchise has some of the best movies that fall into the whole genre of movies inspired by James Bond, also known as spy-thrillers. Another movie that fits that example that was also distributed by Universal Pictures is Spy Game. There are also a few other notable ones, albeit by different studios, such as Kingsman, Argo, Mission Impossible, and so on.

Actors and their characters

Jason Bourne is the main character of the movie franchise, novels, as well as other media, such as video games, and TV series. In the Jason Bourne movies, he’s played by Matt Damon.

Bourne, whose real name is David Webb, is a former CIA assassin who worked for the CIA black ops group Operation Treadstone. However, after not going through with the assassination of the African dictator Nykwana Wombosi, due to his children being present, he is considered a traitor by the CIA.

After the CIA attempts to dispose of him by shooting him, Bourne finds himself still alive, but with no memories of who he is. And, so, his mission to restore his missing memories begins.

Nicky Parsons is an important character in the Bourne film series, being a sort of primary heroine, and displaying romantic interest in Bourne. This results in her leaving Operation Treadstone and the CIA in order to work with him. She is a character exclusively created for the films and is portrayed by Julia Stiles.

Pamela Landy is another character that appears in the Bourne movie franchise. She is a Deputy Director and task chief officer for the CIA. She’s played by Joan Allen and serves as a deuteragonist in the second and third movies, after which she appears to play a minor role in the story of the fourth film.

Aaron Cross, who we’ve already briefly mentioned, is the protagonist of the fourth film in the franchise. His real name is Kenneth James Kitsom, and he is an operative in the D.O.D. program Operation Outcome. He’s played by Jeremy Renner.

Heather Lee is the Head of the Cyber Ops Division of the CIA. She’s on a mission to track down Bourne and Parsons and plays the role of an anti-hero in the franchise. She’s portrayed in the movies by Alicia Vikander.

Ward Abbott, played by Brian Cox, is a CIA section chief and he serves as a major antagonist throughout the Bourne series, appearing as some form of a negative presence in three of the movies.

Eric Byer is the main antagonist of Bourne Legacy. He’s the head office of the National Research-Essay Group and a former Colonel of the USAF. Eric dabbles in brainwashing and murder and has a history with Aaron Cross. He’s played by Edward Norton.

Doctor Marta Shearing is another character who appears in the fourth film, The Bourne Legacy. She’s a biochemist working for the Outcome project, and she’s played by Rachel Weisz.

When it comes to the Bourne TV film from 1988, there’s, of course, a different actor portraying Jason Bourne. Richard Chamberlain is the one portraying Bourne in this rendition of the thrilling story.

Bourne movies in chronological order

The Bourne franchise consists of five movies, so let’s list them all in chronological order (in order of release date) and discuss them a bit. We will try not to reveal too much, but regardless, beware of spoilers.

The Bourne Identity (2002)

The first film of the franchise begins with the protagonist’s bullet-ridden body being found in the Mediterranean Sea. After being helped by strangers, he regains his consciousness but not his memory. On a journey to find out his identity, he’s faced with danger, which he didn’t know was waiting for him.

The movie did rather well and was a box office hit, grossing $214 million on a $60 million budget.

The Bourne Supremacy (2004)

The Bourne Supremacy is a continuation of the story of Jason Bourne. Two years after the events of the first movie, Jason is living in Goa, India with his girlfriend Marie Kreutz, played by Franka Potente. As some of his memories begin to return, he finds himself haunted by an assassination flashback from a Berlin hotel.

In order to find out the truth and figure out why the CIA is still after him, Jason Bourne has to return to his assassin ways.

The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)

At the beginning of the movie, we find Jason Bourne in Moscow, Russia, where he’s seen apologizing to the daughter of his first target.

As things get complicated, he finds himself in different places, on a quest to lift the veil of mystery that’s hiding his past. But, everything gets harder when he has to factor in the CIA agents that are still on his trail.

The Bourne Legacy (2012)

The Bourne Legacy follows a different story line since it follows a different protagonist—Aaron Cross.

The U.S. Defense Department is running a secret program that involves genetic enhancement. By using pills, also referred to as chems, the program aims to enhance the mental and physical capabilities of the field operatives, and Aaron Cross is one of them.

As all of this is going on, a British reporter plans to uncover these secrets to the world but ends up assassinated. As the story continues, things get more and more complicated.

Jason Bourne (2016)

It’s been a decade since the events in Bourne Ultimatum, and Jason Bourne has decided to isolate himself from the world, with his means of survival being illegal fighting.

However, he ends up being pulled out of hiding by the director of the CIA, Robert Dewey, played by Tommy Lee Jones, and with this turn of events, he is again on a path to discover more about his past.

Speechify

For fans who can’t get enough of the Jason Bourne franchise, you can read many of the

You can even read more of Robert Ludlum’s novels and the works written by Eric Van Lustbader should all be a great next choices, as well. After all, the movies were based on the books written by these authors.

Additionally, for those who don’t have time to read, or just simply don’t feel like it, audiobooks are a stellar option. There’s no better place for all your audiobook needs than Speechify’s audiobook platform.

The platform is easy to use and allows you to listen to all your favorite works on the go. It’s also dyslexia-friendly and available in various different languages. Most importantly, you can find the Bourne books there and other spy novels with just a simple click.

FAQ

Why is Matt Damon not in Bourne Legacy?

Due to Bourne Legacy being directed by Tony Gilroy and not Paul Greengrass, Matt Damon chose not to return to the production. He came back for the fifth movie, however, since it was directed by Greengrass.

Is there a 6th Bourne movie?

There currently is not one, however, there’s been talk about another sequel for quite a while.