Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit - 2 1/2 stars

This is the fifth movie to feature Jack Ryan, the character created by the late author Tom Clancy.  Chris Pine, the new Captain Kirk, is the fourth actor to play him.  Unlike the first four movies, this one is not based on a Tom Clancy novel.  Going in, I wondered whether the screenwriters could write a story as interesting as Clancy.

Not surprisingly, the answer was no.  This is a very generic, by the numbers spy thriller.  It's written by people who know what they want the major story beats to be, but they have no idea how to write the details.  Besides the great characters and stories, Clancy was so good at the details.  Those details helped make the stories so much more interesting.

Since this is another Jack Ryan reboot, we have to forget the previous movies.  When we first meet Jack Ryan, he's a university student in London when 9/11 happens.  Inspired to join the marines, his helicopter is shot down and he faces a long and painful recovery.  While he is in the hospital, he meets two important people.  One is Dr. Cathy Muller (Keira Knightley) who he falls in love with, and the other is William Harper (Kevin Costner), who recruits Ryan into the CIA. 

While working for the CIA, Ryan's job will be to use his financial expertise to look for terrorist groups by following their money.  What he finds leads him to Moscow and the movie's villain, Viktor Cherevin (Kenneth Branagh).  Like Gary Oldman in Air Force One, Cherevin is one of those Russian villains who's biggest goal in life is to return the Soviet Union to its former glory. 

This movie doesn't suck, but it isn't nearly as good as it should have been.  Since the screenwriters couldn't figure out the details, we get to watch Ryan look at financial statements and computer screens and figure out what it all means.  It's laughable that he is suddenly able to see an algorithm that tells him exactly when and where a terrorist strike will happen in the United States.  There is also a scene where Ryan and Harper - aided by 10 - 15 analysts sitting in front of computers - are able to solve a bunch of mysteries in about 30 seconds.  Ryan is such a genius that he barely has time to think before he's able to figure out all of the villain's motives, who his sleeper agents are in the US, everything. 

Chris Pine is too bland to play an interesting Jack Ryan.  Kevin Costner is good but he isn't given nearly enough to do.  He has a good line here and there, but not nearly enough.  The actor having the most fun is Branagh, who also directed.  I'm trying to think of another example where the director cast himself as the villain, and I can't think of one.

Overall, this movie doesn't suck, but I've seen it done so much better.  I think I'm going to go watch The Hunt for Red October or Patriot Games, just to cleanse the pallet.