Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)

I can't believe this guy with the flat nose is headlining... honestly, I think I'll just skip this one.

Pretty mediocre flick. Honestly, Chris Pine playing Ryan just doesn't work—he lacks that specific grit you need for a role like this, even if he looks alright enough during the action sequences. The plot actually had some legs at first—that whole bit about triggering a crisis through a financial monopoly was pretty intriguing—but then it just devolved into the usual nonsense: another terrorist, another bomb, and another heroic rescue mission... total cliché. Keira Knightley felt completely wasted here, too; her character was just incredibly grating, almost like some obsessive stalker who wouldn't give Ryan any breathing room. I guess the only saving grace for me was old Kevin Costner, but only because he didn't seem to be trying all that hard to be serious... Kenneth Branagh passing on Thor: The Dark World for this seems like a questionable call, especially since his part in this is such a tired trope. As for the box office, it’s pretty obvious that even Americans weren't exactly blowing this out of the water.

Just finished watching the movie, and honestly, I thought it was pretty solid—it felt like a genuine, faithful adaptation. It started off a little slow, which had me checking my watch, but things really picked up speed later on. For me, the absolute highlight was that final scene where Ryan and Harper head over to see the President. 😁 That said, I can't help but feel like a plot involving a rogue Russian general and some nuclear tension might have hit even harder. 😁

All in all, I wouldn't mind seeing a sequel at all.

I was expecting a lot more from this, so I have to admit I’m feeling pretty let down. Don't get me wrong, it isn't a bad movie by any stretch, but given the caliber of the cast they assembled, shouldn't the execution have been significantly better?

Total snooze fest. Just cliché after cliché. Even Kevin Costner looked like he was dying of boredom on set. And Chris Pine as Jack? Not feeling it.☕

It’s not a terrible movie, per se, but it feels incredibly recycled. We've seen this exact plot, these specific characters, and heard these same lines a million times before. To be fair, there are a few logic gaps here and there, but honestly, it seems like the rule nowadays is that a movie starts falling apart the moment you actually try to use your brain.

To be perfectly honest, I was expecting something significantly worse. What we have here is essentially a Bond film attempting to masquerade as something else. It isn't terrible, but it certainly isn't impressive.

The casting choices leave much to be desired. While Chris Pine is adequate in his role as a young Jack Ryan, he fails to leave any distinct mark on the character. Kevin Costner, however, is quite convincing as the seasoned veteran and heavy hitter; more importantly, he proves that he remains a reliable talent in this industry. Kenneth Branagh seems to have taken this role either out of pure ego or perhaps sheer necessity; he constantly looks as though he belongs in a far superior production, yet he simultaneously manages to have a great time playing the Bond-style villain. Keira Knightley is an obvious misstep; her character is shallow and simplistic, and since she is an actress suited for more nuanced roles, she spends most of the runtime acting like a wooden plank. A minor highlight is the ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov, appearing in a cameo as a high-ranking official at The White House.
Despite being an uneven and ultimately trashy effort assembled from available—but not necessarily top-tier—components, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit isn't a total disaster. The action sequences are tense, the spy thriller plotline functions as intended, and the pacing never drags. The strangest aspect is how, amidst all the massive budgets and Hollywood maneuvering, they somehow managed to capture the zeitgeist once again. A new Cold War has already emerged, fought through economic means, while the memory of the previous one remains vividly alive in the American consciousness.

more at:
http://film-na-dan.blogspot.com/2014...w-recruit.html

Just finished the movie and man, it was a total snooze fest. I honestly can't even remember half of what happened because I was drifting off so much. Based on the trailer, I really thought I was in for something solid, but this... ugh.