Rating: 
Summary: Hurt by political correctness and unoriginality.
Review: The film disappoints by trying not to offend middle eastern sensibilities. Thus the terrorist become Nazis ( a laughable premise). When the terrorism occurs, the Americans want to blame the Russians. Again laughable, everybody knows that middle eastern terrorist would be the first through tenth suspects.
In addition, the Director steals shamelessly from 'Fail Safe' and 'The Godfather' in film technique, he should be embarressed by his cinematic plagiarism.
Rating: 
Summary: Much better than I expected
Review: Movie was much better than I expected. As long as you give in and think of this movie as 'inspired' by the book, and not actually a documentary about Ryan, its pretty good.
Rating:
Summary: INEFFECTIVE, HALF-CONCOCTED INTERNATIONAL THRILLER
Review: The intelligent novel by Tom Clancy was sharp, intense and full of international intrigue and suspense. The film, on the other-hand, was half-cooked, tryingly and painstakingly politically-correct; and, try as it might, it just could not overcome a host of hokey, implausible scenes. Here are some of my favorite moments:>>> Morgan Freeman, a top government agent, has been critically injured in a car wreck caused by a nuclear explosion. While the president is whisked away via helicopter, a crack unit of the U.S.'s finest tend to Morgan Freeman and take him to the nearest hospital...No, wait, that's what would've happened if this movie made sense. Instead, he's pedaled to the closest Sam's Club parking lot where he's treated like a cadaver. "Is that the CIA director? Good. Put him on that wooden counter, make sure he doesn't have a blanket, and I'll be with him right when he's close to death." >>> In the book, the SuperBowl contenders are the Denver Broncos vs. the NY Giants. In the film, the teams are: the "Miami Sharks" vs. the "Dallas Knights." Was that Al Pacino on the sideline? What was with those Uniforms? Was this "Any Given Sunday?" >>> In real life, the President of the U.S. attending the game would have a private suite. In the movie, he was sitting in G.A. "I think we can more adequately protect the President in Sec. 247, Row 23." Also,could they have been more discrete taking him out of the stadium? "Let's get the him the h#!% out of here! Quick, let's run across the 35-Yard Line!" >>> The terrorists in the book included: a Radical Pastinian, a Radical Islamic Militant, and a Radical Native American (all politically incorrect, but true depictions). The Terrorists in the film were, can you believe it...Neo-Nazis! (WHAT? Politically correct, although these people haven't existed in nearly ½ century); "HEETLUH VUZ a fool! VEE VILL GET ZEM TO DESTROY EACH UZZSER!" WHAT? Were these individuals supposed to have a shred of believability? Dr. Evil may have been the logical choice... >>> Liev Schrieber, as super-spy extroidinaire JOHN CLARK, knows fluent Russian, Arabic, etc., but doesn't know how to speak Ukranian. Isn't that pretty much the same as knowing English, but not Irish or Australian? Also, why is he the ONLY CIA operative in the entire movie? Major cutbacks? What's going on here? >>> Also, where was Air Force One flying? They're supposed to be flying one of the most technologically advanced airplanes at our disposal, yet it's shaking around like it's the 'Back to the Future' ride at Universal. "Captain, can't we fly above this turbulence?!?!?" "Certainly, Mr. President, but then the movie will have to rely on the script for tension, and not the 15 P.A.s who are outside shaking this set" "Well, then, keep shaking!"
Rating: 
Summary: ...adds up to a big, fat nothing
Review: This movie is the worst I've seen since Zoolander. (And Zoolander is much better because its goal is silliness and humor.) Why? Acknowledging that this is an action movie, I gave it the benefit of the doubt, but was disappointed to see that virtually all the characters, in almost all situations were one dimensional; there is absolutely no depth to them. This movie is so formulaic. It's as if the creators sat down with a list of "exciting" ideas and plot twists and threw this thing together. And, as always, the good guy saves the day. This was simply the most unrealistic, and often the most boring, movie of this type I've ever had the displeasure to watch. Let's put it this way, last night I watched a relatively bad movie on TBS called Atomic Twister and it was much more engaging and overall a better picture than the Sum of All Fears. The fact that the American population is loving this boring homage to mediocrity is a sad, sad commentary on the state of affairs. Save your money and rent a video. If you want one from this genre, pick something like Air Force One or Saving Private Ryan. Better yet, save all your money and camp out on your couch until TBS airs Atomic Twister again, which, based on their past treatment of "original" movies, is probably in another 15 minutes. Most anything is better than this, except maybe Pearl Harbor which is another big loser. Ben affleck is an excellent actor. Why he chooses roles like these I'll never understand.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent
Review: I knew it was a special film right from the opening credits' beautiful music. Great recreation of how CIA's upper management will call in favors from retired individuals off the record. Ben Affleck did surprisingly well, just don't try to create a logical timeline of all the Clancy films. I think the Jack Ryan CIA analyst character is just an archetype, because in each film it's the first time he's ever had to go "operational". Though a lot of critics have thought it didn't realistically deal with the topic of radiation, it was actually fine. Those are the same Hollywood critics who think Independence Day's obsession with nuclear winter was warranted. And yes, the Russians are fully capable of attacking a US carrier using their low-level flight techniques. I particularly enjoyed the sight of anti-missile artillery automatically knocking down a couple of those anti-ship missiles. The running out of the stadium, detonation, and subsequent scenes of the US Marines retrieving the president were breathtaking. This film's a serious contender for Best of the Genre.
Rating:
Summary: A first class thriller
Review: Ben Affleck is no Harrison Ford, right. But I went to see this film with NO preconceptions, not having read the book, and not comparing to other Clancy films. The Jack Ryan character is very well written and I was totally captivated by the entire film. Everthing about this film was realistic and there were moments when I just held my breath. The intricate plot of using our own plutonium in a White Supremacy plot to attack the US was very well conceived and while I believe a lot of the "action" was sugar coated, it didn't hide the fact that there is a real possibility that this could happen in fact. A couple of people grumbled about overpaying Tom Clancy for a book, the plot of which is distorted to make the film, and some expected more. I didn't expect anything but to be entertained, and I was and more so. I would recommend this movie to anyone, and it will be a Christmas present for my dad this year. Well worth the admission price.
Rating:
Summary: Ben Affleck should be banned....
Review: Notice to my casting agent friends in Hollywood: Ben Affleck should not be hired for roles in which the scope of character requires that the audience is to believe his intelligence and intellect is higher than that of Jeff Spicolli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. In the Sum of All Fears, Affleck's character is supposed to be a former military officer with a Law Degree who is employed by the CIA as a Foreign Affairs analyst. Unfortunately for movie goers, his portrayal makes a mockery of the characters resume and thus makes his character unbelievable - two hours is a long time to spend with an unbelievable character. Had Sept 11th not occurred, this movie and his character would have been killed by the critics - and possibly been a blot on his career. Because of Sept. 11th, the movie has significance and does a good job at reminding Americans to remain vigilant in the face of an enemy so filled with hate. Therefore will fill seats despite his performance. When you see the movie, if you imagine a young Harrison Ford or even a young Sean Connery in the role, you won't look at your watch nearly as many times as I did.
Rating: 
Summary: One to rent
Review: The movie reviews make this look more exciting than it turned out to be. While I won't say the acting was bad, it certainly didn't approach the caliber of Ford, Connery, et al, in the previous movies. One other point that bugged me the whole movie, the time line of the film seemed to be in conflict with the Jack Ryan character. A nuclear bomb is "lost" by Israel in 73 (a dumb premise to begin with) then some 29 years pass. Ok, so the film is supposed to take place in the present or near future. But Jack Ryan is a young kid, unmarried and just an unassuming analyst with the CIA. I thought back when Jack Ryan saved the world in Hunt for Red October that he was just a young unassuming analyst with the CIA. But he was married back then. What time period did all that happen in? I never read this book so maybe I got the timelines all screwed up, but I thought in the present or near future Jack Ryan time line that he was president of the United States already. What gives? Anyway, it is still an entertaining flick, maybe a "C" or "C+", but I'd recommend waiting for it to hit the rental stores.
Rating:
Summary: The sum of all political correctness
Review: Ah yes, Tom Clancy's The Sum Of All Fears finally makes its way to the big screen. And what a convoluted piece of garbage. The film plays out like a cheap 70's disaster flick with a healthy dose of Cold War paranoia. In the shadow of 9/11, the films marketing couldn't have been handed a better gift. Had this film been released before 9/11, it wouldn't have made half the money. The problems are vast: Ben Affleck thinks he's still in Pearl Harbor, the movie jumps around from place to place in emulation of a James Bond thriller, but without any sense of direction. Jack (Affleck) Ryan is always behind the ball, and his general inability to do anything constructive really makes for a pathetic viewing experience over two and a half hours. A nuclear blast forgets that it's supposed to render all surrounding technology dead, Morgan Freeman isn't the CIA boss -- he's Morgan Freeman, Neo-Nazis want to establish the Fourth Reich among nuclear fallout. Indeed, it is this last part that kills the films credibilty. And not just because the film makers are cowards. In the novel, the terrorists were Islamic Fundamentalists (you know, the ones responsible for 9/11), but in a world suffering from the strangle-hold of political correctness, they were changed to Neo-Nazis! HA! HA! HA! The fact of the matter is, the threat of nuclear terrorism is an Islamic one.......and for a good reason: what better way to get into Heaven than by killing us all? But hey, let's not lose that "valuable" Arab market! Some have said that the film requires the suspension of disbelief. But this is a film that revolves around political intrigue and conspiracies. Not a subject you're supposed to turn your brain off for. But after it's made clear that a wealthy and intelligent fascist wants to lord over a dead world, Sum Of All Fears has more in common with Star Wars than any reality based story. The Nazis in this film have an Austrian ex-parliamentarian at the helm, unlimited funds, worldwide collaboration, a couple of Nordic specimens making deals and executing former partners, and one garden-variety American racist dolt. Truly laughable. In the shadow of Islamic terrorism, The Sum Of All Fears is a whitewashed, predictable, cowardly film.
Rating:
Summary: A bit hard to swallow
Review: This movie does deservingly take its place in the Tom Clancy series. Ben Affleck delivers a straight-forward role as Jack Ryan, as does Morgan Freeman as Cabot (though they'll never top James Earl Jones). The premise is simple enough: a European Neo-Nazi organization detonates a nuke during the Superbowl and frames Russia for it, to start a war between the two countries. Ryan, of course, is the only man who knows the truth as must save he world from nuclear destruction. Redundant? Yes. It's still a good thriller for that matter, as was "The Hunt for Red October," "Clear and Present Danger," and "Patriot Games."
It's hard to swallow because I really didn't get a good feeling watching Baltimore be destroyed by an a-bomb, and seeing a huge mushroom cloud over the city sort of sent a chill down my spine... So, if all you're expecting is another well-constructed thriller in the Tom Clancy series, then you'll thoroughly enjoy this. However, I wouldn't recommend it if you don't think you can handle the terrorism elements in it.
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