Ben Affleck might be known for donning the cape and cowl of Batman in Zack Snyder’s DCEU, but years before he took on the persona of the Caped Crusader, he portrayed another popular character that was previously played by two Hollywood heavyweights. Premiering in 2002, the film was a modest success at the box office, and now, 24 years later, it’s set to land on a new streaming home next month.
Hitting theaters on May 31, 2002, the action thriller features Affleck portraying a younger version of a character that was played by both Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford years earlier. Ripped from the pages of a Tom Clancy novel, it sees Affleck trying to de-escalate tensions between the U.S. and Russia after a nuclear weapon is detonated on U.S. soil. Working against time and political pressure from both Washington and Moscow, he races to expose the true perpetrators and prevent a catastrophic nuclear exchange.
Ben Affleck’s Divisive Action Thriller Arrives on Free Streaming
Titled The Sum of All Fears, the political action thriller was based on Clancy’s 1991 of the same name, and introduced audiences to a younger Jack Ryan than they were used to seeing. Baldwin and Ford brought a grizzled, authoritative feel to the character previously in The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, and Clear and Present Danger, but with Affleck, here was a fresh-faced, young CIA analyst who was in way over his head.
The results were mixed, to say the least, as while the film did earn $194 million at the box office against a budget of $64 million, it was met with divisive reviews across the board. It holds a “rotten” rating of 54% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a Popcornmeter score of just 49%. That being said, Affleck’s performance as Ryan was certainly better than Chris Pine‘s was in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.
Currently only available to stream on Starz with a subscription, The Sum of All Fears will be making its way to free streaming next month. It’s being added to Tubi as part of their June lineup, meaning you won’t have to pay a dime to revisit the action thriller, which is way better than critics give it credit for.
Jack Ryan Is Back on Prime Video
Turning our attention to what’s current, the character of Jack Ryan is back on Prime Video following a three-year absence. John Krasinski took on the role in 2018 for Amazon’s hugely successful streaming series, which concluded its four-season run in 2023.
Making its premiere on May 20, Jack Ryan: Ghost War takes place several years after the series, and sees Ryan pulled back into the fray when a covert international mission uncovers a deadly conspiracy. Like The Sum of All Fears, the streaming original has been receiving mixed reviews thus far, and currently holds a 45% rating on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of this writing, so be warned: if you were a fan of the Prime Video series, you might find the feature film lacking in some areas.
Look for Affleck’s take on Ryan in The Sum of All Fears to land on its new streaming home of Tubi starting June 1.
