The Worst Film Ever

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

OK, maybe that's a little harsh. Chris Pine for one is a good, sympatico lead, but he's struggling against a rip tide in this formulaic reboot of an American Cold War wet dream. A chill went down my spine when Scots character actor (and a very good one, too), David Hayman, appeared as a Russian apparatchik. I know, a Scots accent is virtually indistinguishable from a Russian (I mean, it's all the same that side of the Atlantic, isn't it?), but it's not a good sign when the cliche of USA goodies vs Rest of the World baddies appears again. I thought we'd got past that naive world view with the Dubya era. Evidently not. The plot? Well, it has been done before, and better. Kenneth Branagh does his sinister thing, but it's one dimensional. If you want to see what he can really do with a script, have a look at his turn as Heydrich in "Conspiracy". Now, that is a very good rendition of evil as normality. So, what do we have here? Fodder to watch when you're chugging a six pack and a takeaway. If the dog starts howling outside, put the pic on hold and sort it out. Or don't put it on hold; I guarantee you'll pick up the story without difficulty when you get back.

I am not familiar with the Jack Ryan universe yet, but if this stereotypical Hollywood trash is the representative then it will be my last.Here's the first thing that drives me nuts: The helicopter scene ! They talk in the helicopter, in flight ! The satellite phone works, even in the flying helicopter. Everything else in this film is right up there, in the a hole of the rotating manure fan.

The film is filled to the brim with 21st century symbolism. I think this movie deserves a better place among the critics. It's a very direct and unique story line. Protagonist, the CIA agent comes to Moscow for the secret operation in the light of Russia's plans becoming independent from the US dollar for its international trade - something US government shouldn't allow. Therefore the main character is there to sabotage their plan and put an end to it. He achieves it briliantly by deceiving the Russians and stealing their sensitive data which reveals secret Russian agents working on the American soil. Main character is not only an ex-soldier but also a hacker. His girlfriend, a beautiful PhD doctor is also playing an important role in this by joining him on a mission. She comes to Moscow thinking that he's cheating on her and cries tears of joy upon hearing that he's a CIA agent instead. After he kills the remaining Russian agent who's just about getting started to stage a terrorist attack in NYC, he meets the US president for the award of honor. This is done with the help of his girlfriend who notices the possible plot and helps to pinpoint the location of the Russian enemy.

JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT is the latest 'reboot' of a film franchise, in this case the Jack Ryan films of the 1990s and early 2000s featuring Harrison Ford and then Ben Affleck. This prequel instalment sees a youthful Ryan on his first case, tackling some financial terrorists in Russia.It's not a bad film per se, and as a time waster it's likable enough, with a good techno-plot and some thrills along the way. There's a stand-out fight scene early on in the proceedings which is by far the highlight of the whole thing and brings to mind some of the BOURNE greatness. Elsewhere, though, the plot feels tired and contrived and certain ingredients are poorly judged.Take Kenneth Branagh, for instance. His direction here doesn't really work too well for the thriller genre as he has little grasp of the kind of pulses that make audiences react. His Russian villain is as clichéd as they come, but there's a worse actor to come: Keira Knightley. Knightley is condemned to the usual 'wife' type role, but unlike THE IMITATION GAME, where she was very good and full of warmth, she's shrill and unbelievable here. That godawful American accent doesn't help, either.As in the STAR TREK movies, Chris Pine isn't bad at acting, but he has little of the natural warmth or charisma that makes an acting great. The opening ten minutes of this film are poorly conceived and all over the place and should have been excised entirely, and the stuff at the climax feels overly familiar and a little underwhelming by modern thriller standards. That 12 certificate doesn't help much either: these Tom Clancy thrillers should be tough, gritty, realistic, and with a hard edge, and few films are up to that balancing act.