5 Reasons Why Jeremy Renner Is Better For 'Bourne' Than Matt Damon

Poor Jeremy Renner. The Internet is awash with disgruntled onlookers who reckon that he's not as good as Matt Damon in the latest instalment of the 'Bourne' franchise. Renner stars as Aaron Cross in 'The Bourne Legacy' and he's already explained that he would have had no interest in the movie if he had been taking on Matt Damon's legendary character Jason Bourne. "I always knew it wasn't Jason Bourne so it was something to consider. It was an instant 'no' if that was the case. Who wants to do that? Matt will always be Bourne," he told the BBC. That hasn't stopped people comparing the two, though and so far, Damon is winning the battle of comparison. We've come up with 5 reasons why Jeremy Renner's Bourne movie is better than any of Damon's.

His CV - The Guardian didn't call him "the intelligent person's action star" for nothing, you know. Renner's got chops when it comes to action movies; he starred in 'The Hurt Locker,' 'Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol" and of course, the record breaking Marvel adaptation 'Avengers.' What experience did Damon bring to the role of Jason Bourne, back in 2002.? Exactly.

Looking the part - We were never convinced by Matt Damon's attempts to portray a secret agent. He may have been highly trained in hand-to hand combat but surely he would have picked up a few scrapes and scars along the way? Boyish good looks just don't cut it for us when it comes to spy movies. Renner's got the kind of face that looks like it's lived a little.

Let the story do the talking - Matt Damon had done all that he could do with the character of Jason Bourne. He' such a huge Hollywood star that he was in danger of overshadowing the Bourne franchise. Renner has all of the acting talent (and more) required for the role, allowing the scriptwriters to continue with the franchise. To quote the movie: "You thought Jason Bourne was the whole story? There's a lot more going on here."

The Bond-style humor - taking his cues from that other famous action-spy franchise, Renner brings a wry humor to the role that Matt Damon never quite managed. "I'm not just a science project," says Cross to Dr. Marta Shearing, with one eyebrow raised, The Bourne movies needed a bit of a lift and Renner's the perfect guy for the job.

The Leading Lady - There have been some decent leading ladies in the past - Julia Childs, Franka Potente and Joan Allen are nothing to be sniffed at. Renner, on the other hand, gets Rachel Weisz. Yes. Rachel Weisz, the raven-haired beauty, star of The Mummy and Constantine and all-round object of many affections. We're giving the Renner-Weisz on-screen chemistry a big thumbs-up, here.