Rating: 
Summary: This film was an immense disappointment!
Review: So there I am on the couch, the DVD is loaded, the snacks are within reach, the opening credits are playing, and then... one of the worst movies I have ever seen spins out before me!I have been a Clancy fan since the beginning. I have read every book, seen every movie, and I will willingly admit that I have often been a bit soft when reviewing Tom Clancy's work because I genuinely like the guy's stories and what he has to say in them. I actually LOVED this book, so when I saw that Clancy himself was the executive producer of the film I thought great, he'll make it true to form. I was so wrong. Instead of angry militant middle-eastern fanatics discovering the means to construct a nuclear bomb (very scary and believable), he/they changed it to a secret international "society" of neo-Nazis (not very believable) constructing a bomb to start a nuclear war between the U.S. and Russia. In the book, the motives of the bad guys were clear. In the movie we barely are aware of who the bad guys really are. In the book, the bad guys own stupidity leads to a nuclear device which doesn't properly function, in the movie we see a full-blown, successful nuclear detonation. And speaking of said detonation, anybody over the age of 25 who remembers the cold war can only wonder why the movie never mentions radiation fallout from a bomb that detonated in a packed football stadium less than an hour from Washington D.C. The closing scene shows Ben Affleck's character lounging on the grass within sight of the White House, presumably only a short time after the nuclear explosion!?!? Speaking of Ben Affleck, I really like the guy and most of the roles he has played but he is monumentally unconvincing as Jack Ryan. He doesn't come across as a guy with a PhD, he doesn't come across as a former Marine Officer, he doesn't come across as a man who is growing comfortably rich from his years working the stock market prior to joining the CIA. In fact, they should have cast a man 10 years older than Affleck for this role, but I guess they figured it was worth changing the story and characters just to get a sure-sell name into the film. How disgusting... I remember thinking when I read The Sum of All Fears that it was a monstrously long book, but all those pages were necessary to tell the story properly. This film suffers from the usual Hollywood dilemma: make it good, or make it short enough to hold the short attention span of most viewers. Unfortunately, they made the ill-fated choice to cut out crucial parts of the story, which eventually leaves those who had read the book disgusted and those who never read the book simply confused by the resulting disjointed, sloppy plotline. Don't buy this film and don't waste your time watching this film.
Rating: 
Summary: A decent spy flick
Review: I haven't read the book nor am I familiar with Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan series, so I can only give my impressions of this movie as it stands on its own. It stands very well on its own. The pacing is amazingly well done for a movie this long. The action and tension are well managed by the director and the actors play their parts very well. Affleck is decent as Jack Ryan, though we are spared any long soliloquy that would stretch his range as an actor. Morgan Freeman plays his standard 'old, wizened black mentor' role effectively. I did think that a little more insight to the mentality of the President's advisers was needed. They didn't all seem to be pro or anti-nuke, and it would have been nice to get some background on where they come from. On the other side of the globe, the Russian President was very well played, but his advisers were completely unexplained. I guess there's only so much story you can stuff into the movie, and that's why they left it out. But the plot moves right along and no moment is belabored. It would be nice to have other action movies this well paced. Grab some popcorn and settle in for a good action thriller. This movie is not the worst choice you could make at the video store.
Rating: 
Summary: Not quite the book...
Review: This was a good book that was kind of slow in the beginning but picked up pace after the "event" happened. It was another book that I stayed up to finish because I couldn't put it down. The movie had the same feel to it in that regard because it was kind of slow in the beginning but picked up after the "event".
That being said, it would have been much nicer had they would have followed the book much closer. First glaring mistake, in the book the terrorists were Arabs and it made more sense than some secret Right Wing European organization. I realize that Arab terrorist is a stereotype, but it works. Nazis make good enemies, but given the circumstances around the event, Arabs made more sense. Second glaring mistake, Jack Ryan in the book was a much higher level in the CIA but there were some issues surrounding him that made some folks not listen to him. It finally took a contact on the inside that he knew fairly well to get both sides to stand down.
That being said, I thought it was good movie but it would have been much better if it had followed the book. I thought the scenes at the end showing the escalation were great. Not quite to Failsafe or Dr. Strangelove levels of tension, but not too bad. The portrayal of the nuclear blast was the best though. It was very jarring and that's when the movie picked up. I especially liked the filmmakers take on what would happen in such an event. I just hope we never see a real one.
Rating: 
Summary: perfect
Review: every one is going around saying Ben Aflek is a horrible Jack Ryan but I thought he did a good job. This movie was changed around alot from the book due to Political Correctness and the attacks of 9/11 but this is still a good movie and one of my all time favorites
Rating: 
Summary: Tom Clancy sold out...
Review: I watched this movie after reading the book (which is a great read) and was totally surprised to see that the movie bears only a passing resemblance to the book. Tom Clancy, as the executive producer, obviously sold out to Hollywood. The hugely in-depth plot of the book has been sacrificed for second rate action scenes. The sequence of the movie and the book are totally different. The book see's an older Ryan, accomplished within the CIA. He is married and is approaching retirement. The movie is the opposite, Ryan is just starting out, just dating his future wife and starting out as a simple report writer for the CIA. The relation between the plot of the book and the plot of the movie is almost totally different. The story remains unchanged but the telling of the story has sacrificed detail for the possibility of better box office ratings. The film shouldn't be called Sum of all Fears; it's just totally different. As a movie I don't rate it as being very good, the plot is tedious to become interested in. The few action scenes are boring compared to other movies, I think if the book was to be sensationalized it could have been done so in a much more cinematic way. The story is a great idea; it's so close to home after September 11th. I give the movie 2 stars; the book is far more interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Clancy? Not exactly
Review: Tom Clancy should have taken his name off this dreck. I don't mind Affleck, but a franchise is no reason to take a good story and trash it with political correctness. The most fun watching this movie now is keeping track of what little original Clancy is left. Watch Patriot Games for Clancy, but you may as well watch Chasing Amy as chase after any Clancy in this flick.
Rating:
Summary: Good idea, could be better
Review: Like most of the Tom Clancy movies, this one strikes very close to home (who of us in the U.S. hasn't wondered 'what if' when it comes to nuclear weapons). The plot moves along relatively smoothly. The pict of that giant mushroom cloud rising over what used to be Baltimore sent shivers up and down my spine. Morgan Freeman is a perfect fit, he's an excellent and convincing actor. Afflick's not very good, but he passes here. Overall, well done, could of been better acted.
Rating:
Summary: Commentary Track Lacks
Review: Just wanted to let people know that the commentary track is annoying. The director was there, along with Tom Clancy. The thing is, Tom Clancy is like that nitpick guy that always has something to complain about. He's also really cynical in this commentary. After a while you'll find yourself wanting to confront him personally and say "Get over it, DUDE!" The director and him have a couple uncomfortable silences. One day I hope Mr. Clancy accepts that a movie doesn't need to be as accurate as a documentary.
Rating:
Summary: The Sum of Fears and my Heart.
Review: This is one of the best movies of our days. Its like when ever i hear some malaka ripping this movie I just wanna tell the person "Yo, Yo,Yo, Chill. You dont gots to leave but you gots to get the heck up out of here..Word Life." This movie will always have a special place in my heart because it was the first movie i ever saw with my GF. I was nervous around her and to break the ice i mentioned Ben(jamin) Geza Affleck. A lot of chicks (and guys) like him because of his handsome looks and his killer acting ability. So I like "yo T have you seen Sum-Word Life?" And she's like "no but tommorow is my off day so ill think ill go see it then." ANd then to see if shes feeling me i say "Yo yo yo chill dont go see that movie w/out me WOrd Life." Shes like you wanna go? and im like heck yea you crzy word life hottie. She aggreed to go and while i was nervous i had the time of my life and i owe it all to you...yes i swear..its true Dirty dancing fa sizzle. I love this movie and Ben you crazy hunk and i love T. F- D, DC, TS, LT, Fatsaros, YA, GS and AD.
If you are looking for a great movie with a cool plot go see this movie you wont regret it. Peace,
G-Skillit
Rating:
Summary: There are better Tom Clancy Films
Review: I'll let you read through all of the other reviews shortly...but I thought I would just point out that this film needs some bigger help than top name actors to move it along. A nuclear blast just took out a major city, and at the end of the film everyone's ok with that!? Last time I checked, N-blasts take a while to clean up (i.e. Hiroshima, Nagasaki). The ending where the 'bad guys' are being 'taken care of' shouldn't have been put to the most romantic opera piece ever written, there's nothing 'romantic' about it! I can think of better opera for that scene, like "Dies Aire" from Verdi's Requiem, but enough about that. The movie overall tends to slide into action hero norms of action films, which this is not supposed to be. Historical Fiction hasn't looked like this on film for a while. Good to watch, but don't expect to talk about this one.
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