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The Sum of All Fears [Blu-ray] Review

Ben Affleck is a suitably young Ryan to match the fact that he is courting his future wife; Morgan Freeman, as always, is excellent. James Cromwell does well by the President although not always well served by the scriptwriter. There are thrills aplenty as we watch, knowing that an unexploded nuclear bomb has been discovered in the Golan Heights. Who has it? What will they do with it? Finding out provides its share of thrills as the film unfolds. By far, not of the first rank, but sufficient for an entertaining two hours.
After my brief comment I read some of the negative reviews. Taste for films varies by individuals, as it does for most cultural objects. I did not read the book, or if I did, it was too long ago for me to remember the plot, so I would not comment on the relationship of the screenplay to the novel. However, I am moved, as I often am, vigorously to disagree with the notion that one can translate a book into a movie as if each word projects an exact image on screen. Words on a page are words on a page, images on a screen are images on a screen, and never the twain will meet. Of course, some poorer novels are written essentially as screenplays so the film-maker has little trouble using them almost as is. Some movies take a highly literate book and fail because they do not make something new out it. I am entirely on the side of Fred Astaire, who insisted to a person who was being “portrayed” in one of his films, that regardless of what she and her husband had actually done, the film demanded something other than that to be successful. As one of our ages’ best artists said of painting, if what is in a painting could be said in words, you have a lousy painting. Painting is for what cannot be communicated any other way. Amusingly, there is a line given to Larry Parks (as Jolson) in Jolson Sings Again, when he is supposed to be working with the writers on The Jolson Story, in which he tells them not to stick to the truth, but to make up a good story.

The Sum of All Fears [Blu-ray] Overview

Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 07/29/2008 Run time: 123 minutes Rating: Pg13

The Sum of All Fears [Blu-ray] Specifications

It’s not easy replacing Harrison Ford as a beloved screen hero, but Ben Affleck brings fresh vitality to The Sum of All Fears, reviving Paramount’s Tom Clancy franchise in the role Ford made famous. As CIA agent Jack Ryan, Affleck is a rookie in the covert ranks, unraveling a plot that lures Russian and American superpowers into a nuclear standoff, while a neofascist faction turns most of Baltimore into an atomic wasteland and holds the world in the grip of a terrorist nightmare. Affleck combines sharp intelligence with a new-guy’s perspective, while a senior agent (Morgan Freeman) passes the torch of back-channel authority. The result is one of the best Clancy films to date, ably helmed by Phil Alden Robinson (whose comic thriller Sneakers was sorely underrated) with a stellar supporting cast, and adapted with abundant humor, humanity, and thrills by Donnie Brasco screenwriter Paul Attanasio and cowriter Daniel Pyne. Even the typically reticent Clancy would approve. –Jeff Shannon

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Customer Reviews

Worst Sreen Adaptation of a Clancy novel yet – Dave Skeel –
I don’t begrudge Tom Clancy creating further wealth from turning his stories into films. He was the Executive Producer of this movie after all. But this film is so politically correct, poorly cast and the screenplay so far removed from the actual story line of the novel, the DVD cover should have some type of disclaimer to warn Clancy purists. Either that or give it some other title so it can’t be confused with the real item. About the only redeeming feature is the decent soundtrack music written by Jerry Goldsmith. The Sum of All Fears novel is one of my favorite Clancy books. This film adaptation was the worst of his works that have been made into a movie so far. Hollywood, being Hollywood screws up again…

Great Clancy book turned into a 1980s TV movie about Cold War paranoia – Jason – Backwater, Alabama
In easily the most horrible Clancy adaptation ever, The Sum of All Fears produces not only a nuclear blast on U.S. soil, but something just as damaging: overwhelming political correctness. The screenwriter for this film changed the villains from Islamic terrorists (something current) to a rogue neo-Nazi group (something anachronistic), and it is a completely flagrant, transparent, sanitized placation of the PC crowd.

Essentially the plot involves neo-Nazis detonating a mid-football game nuke in Baltimore to goad the United States into a nuclear war with a failing Russian government. Yeah, because there will be a lot of land and nothing but good times after the U.S. and Russia go all Jackson Pollock with nukes across the world. Pretty stupid, huh? Well, the problems after that are numerous.

First, after dropping a nuke nobody would stick around to see their handiwork. This is not a suicide-bomber or serial killer. Second, could someone explain to the cast and crew what an EMP actually does? If a massive one hits downtown Baltimore, there will not be operational handheld electronics or helicopter radios, and they certainly shouldn’t be used to advance the storyline. Speaking of the helicopter, if one gets rocked out of the sky by the concussive force of a mushroom cloud, I doubt someone is walking away, much less saving the day like Ryan. Finally, why is Ryan still in the Baltimore/D.C. area shortly after the explosion? Why does the movie end with him kicking his feet up in relaxation as if there isn’t fallout? It’d been more believable if he had a third eye on his forehead or looked like visitor to the bar from Total Recall.

It is obvious Ben Affleck is not Jack Ryan. Sure, he’s playing a former military officer with a law degree who is employed by the CIA as a foreign affairs analyst, but he’s way too young (in his late 20s when filmed) for this role. He’s neither Alec Baldwin nor Harrison Ford, two actors who actually look as if they could be Jack Ryan. The best he could possibly hope for is to be a younger version; a mouth-breathing, late-20 something, semi-serious entry level employee who would be more comfortable at a Frat house than a political environment. He’s as miscast as Denise Richards would be playing a nuclear physicist. (Oops!) Come to think of it, why WASN’T she cast for that role in this movie? It would have been just as believable.

Aside from Morgan Freeman’s portrayal of Bill Cabot (Director of the CIA), there wasn’t much I enjoyed other than a fun scene in which Ryan misses a date with his fiancé and tells her that his boss (i.e. Cabot) needs him to board a plane to Russia instead. Most of the time spent watching this movie involved me looking down at my watch, which is sad considering the realistic nature of the topic and source material.

Jason Elin

sum of all fears – MusicLover – tucson, az
Ben Affleck is O.K., but I liked Harrison Ford better. The movie itself is pretty good. It keeps your interest and attention and I like the plot.

Nuclear Detonation – Milkyway Movie Lover –
This movie is a very rewatchable flick, one that has a unique little tidbit you dont see used in modern day movies that are realistic enough to keep you glued to the screen, it detonates a nuclear weapon in The United States! It’s a truely pathetic and unfair slander against this fun movie that so many people gave it only one star merely because it was different from the book. I have news for these people, its a free country and there is no law that says anyone has to make a movie utterly cloned to what was in a book. Its perfectly legal to use our own creative talents and I even encourage people to use their gifts in such ways, after all, its how we get great poets and such by allowing free thinking. Perhaps those people would be happier living in a communist country. that said, the movie does have a few small things that I myself might have done better, but if its going to keep you from buying and watching this fun movie then you mustn’t use sugar or salt etc. on any of your foods because it will change the flavor. I’m kidding of course, the point is, the movie is fine just how it is and we are all entitled to our opinions, but the movie is still a great flick which I watch at least twice a year, and I own over 2000 movies to pick from yet this one is a classic to me. I wont point out all the reasons because I hate spoilers, but if it wasn’t such a great movie there wouldn’t be over 300 reviews for it. I just wish they would make more movies that are this entertaining.
Certainly its a must have for the video library!

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