I just finished Netflix's presentation, and I'd like your input. I really enjoyed the movie, Full of intrigue, action, {especially with the chase scene involving Jack's fiance being kidnapped by the villain, as well as the final chase involving Jack on a cycle and the "Police Van"} but I've heard that it wasn't really appreciated by the general movie goer. So, I'd like to know your opinion on the movie, as well as if there are any plans to continue the franchise with Chris Pine. I have my doubts it will be continued, just because NBC has decided to cancel a show similarly apprecieated by me, "Constantine".
I liked Shadow Recruit a lot. It seemed to remain mostly faithful to the background laid out for Jack Ryan as established by the late, great Tom Clancy....and it was a nice "origins" story of Ryan, even if Clancy didn't write it. Jack Ryan's character is sort of (emphatic sort of) like America's equivalent to James Bond. Chris Pine is a fine actor, and seems to be an intelligent, well spoken young man. I thought he took to the role with great vigor, and I hope there are more films with him as Ryan, as long as they are well written, and have as great a quality of action as seen in Shadow Recruit, and the previous Clancy films.
Its unfortunate that Tom Clancy became a manufactured name that a lesser experienced and talented group ended up writing under, similar to how I perceive James Patterson. Still, Jack Ryan ranks right up there with the other literary action Jacks that I admire, ie.. Repairman Jack and Jack Reacher. {I have yet to watch the diminutive Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher, but will do so someday}
Pine would have made a fine Jack Ryan if the series had continued. Although, IMHO, the definitive Ryan will always be Alec Baldwin, mainly because The Hunt for Red October was the best of all Clancyverse films.
Red October remains a stout favorite of mine as well. Yes, I enjoyed Baldwin's take on Ryan as well. Come to think of it, I never had a problem with any actor that portrayed Ryan..... Ford and Afleck did admirable jobs as well. Can't think of a role I never liked Ford in.
I didn't care much for the movie or Pine in it. I guess since I grew up with the Ford Jack Ryan all the others have paled in comparison.
Somehow I just didn't find this movie very compelling. Perhaps I went into it with jaded expectations because I knew it started out life as a generic thriller story, and some producer decided to slap Jack Ryan's name on it. I may try watching it again soon. I agree that Alec Baldwin is the definitive Jack Ryan. Kor
quite a few Trek connections with the Ryan series -Gates McFadden, Moriarty in Red October...as was the USS Enterprise -James Cromwell - Sum of All Fears -James Horner did the scores for the 2nd and 3rd Ryan films like he did with treks II/III. and Jerry goldsmith did the score for Sum of Fears. -not really a connection but Trek VI felt quite Red October inspired -Pine Ryan in JR:SR (the end fight Pine was wearing a black top similar to his end scenes in the 2 Treks. plus the various JR:SR promo posters look very STIDy)
More Trek connections from Red October: - Daniel Davis (the captain of the aircraft carrier Enterprise) played Moriarty on TNG - Sean Connery (Ramius) was up for the role of Sybok in ST5 - One of the government officials in the Situation Room scene (the one who said "Before sailing, Captain Ramius posted a letter to Admiral Yuri Padorin...") was one of the Starfleet admirals in "Conspiracy" - Seaman Beaumont on the Dallas was also Picard's cadet friend Corey Zweller from "Tapestry" - The "Hey, I think somebody just shot a TORPEDO at us!" guy was Data's first officer on the Sutherland - One of the Russians on the Red October was Sulu's navigator on the Excelsior from ST6
'K, I've left the thread here for a day due to the Chris Pine connection but, as Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit has no real connection to Trek (and Constantine none whatsoever,) off this goes now to General TV & Media. Hold onto your drinks, and do not attempt to stand while the thread is in motion!
On the one hand, I respect the filmmakers' effort to tell an original and intelligent story. On the other hand, I find it quite dodgy that the movie makes a big deal out of incorporating 9/11 into its narrative (complete with burning WTC shot), but makes no mention whatsoever of the 2008 financial collapse and subsequent Great Recession, despite our hero being a financial analyst, and then builds a climax against our hero valiantly defending Wall Street from foreign villainy. Now, I'm certainly not in favor of bombing civilians, in Lower Manhattan or anywhere else, but that doesn't strike me as the most compelling popcorn-rah-rah climax to modern audiences, so I'm not at all surprised or annoyed the movie underperformed. That said, again, I do give the filmmakers points for trying to do something different with the action/spy genre, instead of the generically and blandly evil villain plots we've gotten with Ghost Protocol, Furious 6, and several MCU baddies, Ultron included.
Between Thor, the Sleuth remake and now Shadow Recruit, all this movie did was convince me that Branagh peaked in the early '90s and everything since has been a slow decline.
I dunno. I don't try to read anything too deeply into any movie I watch. I just wanna be entertained, and JR:SR did that just fine.
It was okay but not very memorable for me. I could quote dialog from The Hunt for Red October but I'm having a hard time remembering the plot from this one.
Perhaps because, for all its earlier intimations of intrigue, the plot ended up being "a really big bomb leveling a block of Wall Street, in tandem with some pre-arranged stock market clean-up, will be very bad for the US economy"? Not exactly an intricate scheme, when it comes down to that. If you're referring to my post there, the entire plot is about a Russian attack on the American economy in general, and attempted destruction of a chunk of Wall Street specifically. And when Ryan tells Costner that this plot could trigger "another Great Depression", it's kind of hard to miss the complete and utter absence of any acknowledgement of the Great Recession. If that doesn't bother you, that's fine, but I'm not exactly parsing subtle and unintended themes there. One would have to be rather apolitical indeed, IMHO, to not have the Great Recession in mind given such a narrative. On the other hand, I remember the movie feeling like a pretty dated throwback in terms of its eevil Russian sophisticate upon its release, and then Putin invaded Crimea a few months later. Had it been released during or shortly after all that, it might have gotten significantly more buzz; bad timing luck for Paramount.