The Sum of All Fears

Rating:
Summary: Good flick! If it wasn't based on the book.
Review: This movie was pretty good for an action movie, but since it was based off Clancy's bestselling books, it falls way short. I'd give it 1 to 2 stars for not following the book, hardly at all, and 4 1/2 for stand alone action and story.

Very thoughtful and present day reality to terrorism hitting the U.S. Affleck plays a decent Jack Ryan, albeit, he and Cathy are married in the book with one kid already. Enjoyed the stressful military sequences between the U.S. and Russia, although the bombing of the carrier was far fetched. Even in normal peacetime, the carrier would have a CAP (Carrier Air Patrol) aloft to keep an eye on things. Noticed an AWACS recon plane on the deck. Normally, it is in the air, plus there are usually several other ships in the Carrier Battle Group.

But I digress. Several other nuances, that bothered me, as I see it bothered others, was that it was set in 2002, with an unmarried Ryan. So, am I to believe that Patriot Games, Hunt for Red Oct, and Clear & Present Danger are set sometime in the future? 2005 or so?

Also, a nuclear bomb going off in Baltimore would have killed more people due to fallout/radiation and heat, even though it was low yield. Also, the terrorists in the book were Islamic, not Neo-Nazi.

So, my suggestion is to not read the book before you see the movie, and if you have, then don't think of it as a Clancy movie, just a stand alone military action thriller.

Rating:
Summary: nuclear nail-biter
Review: "The Sum of All Fears" will hold your interest. Ben Affleck does a good job in his role as a young CIA specialist. It's worth noting that Tom Clancy usually features an older, more seasoned hero, so this is a departure from the usual Clancy scenario. Morgan Freeman does a great job as Affleck's slightly sardonic boss. This release of this movie was delayed by the events of 9-11, even though it features the old Cold War superpowers rather than international terrorists. Affleck's romance interest seems rather tacked-on in the movie; those scenes could be edited out without even disturbing the flow of the tale.

Rating:
Summary: Don't Bother
Review: I love Morgan Freeman; he's one of the most gifted actors around today. That said, his presence alone can't save this movie. Ben Affleck looks as if he somehow wandered into the wrong production and isn't sure what to do about it. Aside from everything else, he lacks the gravitas that Harrison Ford brought to his roles in the Clancy films.

It's a manipulative effort that tries to play upon everyone's worst fear: that of nuclear war, but succeeds only in being silly. The climax relies upon computer communications that could never possibly happen; the plot is so thin you can see daylight through it. There are some decent special effects but even combining the few positive aspects there are do not make this worth seeing.

Don't waste your money. Go see The Bourne Identity instead; it, at least, is entertaining.

Rating:
Summary: i liked it..
Review: hey, i really liked this movie. sure it was kinda unbelievable but hey, i was on the edge of my seat the both times i was in the thearer watching it.

Rating:
Summary: Would be better if it wasn't so cheesy...
Review: I thought the acting in The Sum of All Fears was good, especially Morgan Freeman. Ben Affleck, in my opinion, gave a better performance then some people let on.
My only real problem with this movie is that the ending is pretty cheesy. I mean, yeah, I'm sure this nobody guy could boss high-ranking government officials around and type over the computer to the Russian government.
A little far-fetched.

Rating:
Summary: Don't fear, it's not the sum of all fears!
Review: Thankfully, "The Sum of All Fears" turned out not to be the sum of all _my_ fears. I generally don't go out of my way to see an 'action' movie but I would say this one is one of the better ones. Unlike your typical action film, this one has a reasonably realistic (albeit far-fetched) plot and half-way decent dialogue. There was some amount of character development with Jack Ryan, and the movie managed to address briefly the world of academia and politic.

I am not going to go into too much detail as I don't want to spoil the film for those who have not read the book. I did not read the book before the film, but have been told that the 'bad guys' in the book included Islamic militants, whereas the movie featured a neo-nazi ring-leader and various other unhappy power-hungry factions. This may have been changed to make the movie less sensitizing; watching this film will scare you, not in a transient amusement-park ride kind of way, but will make you realize how fragile our existence is. This is largely due to the credit of the sound people... the sound effects were incredible... you don't just watch the movie, you feel it through the sound.

Harrison Ford surely lent an air of distinguishment as the older Jack Ryan in Clancys other book to film movies, but to play a younger Jack Ryan, I cannot think of a younger actor who would do better than Ben Affleck. He did an exceptional job, playing a very believable Jack Ryan with intelligence, determination and charm. Liev Schreiber made a very pleasing appearance as John Clark, a real switch from the time-traveling bumbling genius in Kate & Leopold. A versatile actor, he exhibits a 'je ne sais quoi' that makes him surprising, suspenseful and enjoyable to watch... always leaving you wondering what he's going to do next. The three weak points of the film were deviations from the book, the manner in which the CIA director was treated, occasional pathetic excuse for dialogue by the 'President', and a scene in which Ben Affleck wanders around a burning city making phone calls.

There is a bit of James Bond smarminess about some parts of the film, which actually lighten and balance it out a little but don't go so far as to make the movie cheesy. All together, this is a balanced film that performs well in and outside of it's genre, and not a bad thing to see on a Saturday night. I would definitely recommend seeing it in the theater to get the full effect and truly _feel_ the sum of all fears.

Rating:
Summary: Weakest of all Clancy movies so far
Review: This movie had all the elements of a GREAT movie in the making but fell well short of it's potential. First and formost, for all you Tom Clancy fans (of which I'm one), the plot was really far off base from the book. There was way too much hollywood & not enough basics. Ben Affleck tried to play Jack Ryan but couldn't hold a candle to Harrison Ford or even Alec Baldwin. Nice try, but far too short of being a Clancy classic! Too bad.

Rating:
Summary: Great Movie
Review: Sum Of All Fears is an awesome movie, the story was well written by Tom Clancy as was the Screen Play. It was well cast and the filmography was great too! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! My Favorite part was right after the nuclear explosion when Ben Affleck'as character was getting out of the wreck and everything was all white and hte only sound you could hear for about 3 minutes was the wind blowing. Ben Affleck and Morgan Freeman are very acomplished actors and deserve more than 2 thumbs up!

Rating:
Summary: Totally different then the book
Review: I didn't like this movie because it didn't follow the book. I didn't like the idea of Jack Ryan being younger. If you read the book do not go see this movie.

Rating:
Summary: It Took A While To Move!
Review: The Sum Of All Fears took a long while to get going but once it did - it did. Now if you can sit through the first hour and make it to the second (just like Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones was) you'll be entertained from hat point forward.

The action in the second half is imaginative and interesting. Considering the September 11th attacks - this movie hits home how serious the terrorist threats have the potential of being. Our technology can certainly be the death of us. The special effects sequences are good in this one however.

Morgan Freeman is really good as the FBI advisor to the president. I can certainly live without Ben Aflect. He is no Harrison Ford (who played Jack Ryan in two other movies). Overall the movie is something I would wait to rent on DVD. I hope the extras are good on it when it does come out.

I'd wait on this one.