It’s been three years since we last saw John Krasinski as the iconic Tom Clancy character Jack Ryan, and with the source material being so rich with potential, it was only a matter of time before the figure was revived for an all-new outing. In Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War, the former CIA analyst is drawn into a conflict he is reluctant to take part in, and now that reviews are starting to come in, it might prove that Krasinski also should have kept the character in retirement.
The movie will debut on Prime Video on May 20, with Rotten Tomatoes only today having tabulated enough critical reviews to calculate a score. With only 11 reviews having been submitted at the time of writing, the movie sits at 36% positive. Of the positive reviews, one is a 2.5 out of 5 while another gets the letter grade of a C, which arguably only just barely swings into the positive realm, so even getting to 36% feels like an accomplishment.
Of the various critical reviews, the prevailing reaction isn’t that it’s an abysmal outing, merely that it’s an adventure that’s too little, too late, and fails to deliver anything outside of what’s expected. However, if you’re a longtime fan of Krasinski’s take on the figure, getting exactly what you expect could be considered a positive.
While the original Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan TV show was never a significant awards contender, reactions to the political thriller were a bit more positive. Season 1 secured a “Certified Fresh” rating of 75% positive when it premiered in 2018, with the fourth and final season even getting all the way to 94% positive.
In Mark Keizer’s review for MovieWeb, he described, “The movie’s convictions are not as deeply held as it believes, while its slickly shot and crisply edited action scenes won’t make anyone forget John Frankenheimer’s Ronin. Those with an unhealthy investment in Krasinski’s interpretation of Jack Ryan will be entertained, but the film only proves that there’s not much more to squeeze out of this franchise as it currently exists.”
Whether these underwhelming reviews impact the future of the franchise is yet to be seen, but if it’s up to director Andrew Bernstein, Ghost War only scratches the surface of Krasinski’s continued tenure as the character.
“Well, I hope John’s never done with the role. I mean, it’s sort of like, I think he’s a f*cking bad ass, Jack Ryan,” the filmmaker confessed to MovieWeb. “I hope there’s more story to tell. I think there’s more story to tell. I mean, I think we can take Jack Ryan all over the place and sort of introduce the audience to new aspects of his character. So I hope we do more of them. You know, we’re excited about this movie. We’re excited for the audience to see it, but again, I think we’ve established a foundation here in the movie world that, you know, I hope can continue.”
Audiences will get to judge for themselves if Jack Ryan: Ghost War is worth continuing once it hits Prime Video on May 20.
