Club Benefits
- Rating: ★½ stars
- Verdict: After watching this action thriller, it's unclear why "Jack Ryan: Ghost War" couldn't have just been "Jack Ryan" season 5. Many key characters return, and the plot feels as thin as it feels rushed. For all its efforts to copy "Mission: Impossible" and "Jason Bourne," this movie pales in comparison to both, along with most other films in the genre.
- Where to watch: Stream "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War" in theaters now
More often than not, I believe that movies could stand to lose a scene or two. "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War" has proven to be the exception to that rule, because this Prime Video action thriller needed significantly more meat on its bones. In fact, it probably should have been "Jack Ryan" season 5, and after watching it, I can't think of a good reason why it wasn't.
And when it comes to box office returns, let's not forget that this is a Prime Video streaming original. It's been shown on the big screen to a select few, but this isn't bringing back "Project Hail Mary" money.
So then perhaps it comes down to time; specifically, Kransinski not wanting to spend as much time in this world as he has in the past. But he's still starring, writing and producing this movie, which took six months to film. And if you happen to watch through to the end of this 105-minute feature-length sequel to the "Jack Ryan" series, it sure seems like they're planning to make another one of these movies.
That leaves one final explanation: they made this a movie because they felt it needed to be a movie.
To be fair, some stories are better suited for two hours or less storytelling. But this story felt so thin, with so much untapped potential, that it seems odd for it to be considered better as a movie.
Malcolm has been with Tom's Guide since 2022. He watches dozens of new releases every year to make sure you don't have to watch any of the bad ones.
'Ghost War' leaves so much on the table
"Jack Ryan: Ghost War" picks up after the events of the Prime Video series. Ryan (Krasinski) is now out of the CIA and working on Wall Street. That is, until his old friend and new deputy director of the CIA, James Greer (Wendell Pierce), gets him roped into a meetup with an asset in Dubai. Joining Ryan will be Mike November (Mike Kelly), a former station chief in Venezuela and a colleague of Ryan's, who desperately needs money after the events of the "Jack Ryan" series.
This is the first aspect of the movie I'd have loved to dive deeper into. Give me more of Ryan's life as a civilian. How it's better; and how it's worse. I'd love to explore how Mike is now financially compromised, and how that could be a serious liability as their mission progresses.
But the film isn't interested in any of that. Instead, we're quickly off to Dubai, where things go wrong. Then we're off to London, after meeting MI6 agent Emma Marlow (Sienna Miller). She's intended to be both a rival for Ryan and a potential romantic interest, but neither of those archetypes really forms fully. Which might be for the best, because while Miller hints at having chemistry with Krasinski, the same can't be said the other way around.
Once we're in London, the plot thickens: a rogue black ops outfit dubbed Starling is behind the botched operation in Dubai, and it has ties to the people Ryan and Marlow are working with.
To the credit of the movie, it does explore this for a scene or two, culminating in a shootout in the streets of London that was the high point of the movie. But with a full season of television, we could have delved far deeper into this shadowy organization. There's one conversation Greer has with Ryan that I'd have loved to see explored in a full-length flashback episode. But instead, we're quickly back off to Dubai for the film's climactic showdown.
Verdict: You can skip 'Ghost War' unless you're a 'Jack Ryan' completionist
I'd delve more into that climactic firefight, but I'd be spoiling how the movie ends. Additionally, I can't pretend that it's a particularly memorable action sequence.
Honestly, outside of the London action set piece, not much of this action thriller sticks in your mind after it's over. It lacks the truly thrilling stunts of the "Mission: Impossible" franchise, and it fails to fully sink into the darkness of a government conspiracy, a la the "Bourne" films. For all its money, it also lacks the style of a John le Carré, like Prime Video's other spy franchise, "The Night Manager."
Frankly, this movie also lacks the lead that those films and shows have as well. I think John Kransinski can be a perfectly fine actor. In fact, I've seen him steal a scene in the "Jack Ryan" franchise before. But he fails to impress in "Ghost War," especially in a scene where he and Wendell Pierce engage in spirited verbal jousting.
In the end, there's simply no reason to recommend you stream this forgettable thriller. Even included in your Prime subscription, there are simply better options out there for those looking for a spy flick. Only the most hardcore of "Jack Ryan" completionists need to hit play on this movie.
"Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War" is streaming on Prime Video now
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