Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War (2026)

I have spent the last month or so watching the Amazon Prime show Jack Ryan and that was in prep to watch this film. Today, I watched Jack Ryan: Ghost War and here is my review for the film. The premise of the film sees Jack dragged back into working with The CIA to stop an old enemy from Greers past. 

Main Character

John Krasinski is back as Jack Ryan and this is one of his better performances in the role. He seemed to have a bit more life to him here and the charisma was really back. There wasn't loads of character development and I do wish there were more chances for him to be an analyst but overall I really liked his performance here.

Supporting Characters

Wendell Pierce is back as James Greer and to be honest it feels like the emotional impact of the film relies on him. I feel like he could play this role in his sleep and he is great again. There are some good scenes with him and I would say he is the real heart of the film.

Sienna Miller joins the cast as Emma Marlow and I liked her addition to the group. They like to compare her to Ryan and I think she did a good enough job and was a worthwhile addition to the cast. 

Michael Kelly reprises his role as Mike November and he is just so much fun in his role and I think he was clearly enjoying being back in the role. The chemistry between him, Krasinski and Pierce is off the charts and really carries this film. 

Story

The story of Greer and his connection to the villains was well realised and I think they did just about enough to add a personal element to the story. However, this plot is pretty paper thin and is definitely leaning towards the more generic nature of action films with the ending being a bit too clean and rushed for me. Also, an event that takes place in the film that annoyed me and felt forced to just add some emotional weight. 

Script

The script is okay, I have to say that the dialogue is a lot sharper and quicker then it was in the show with more humour. There was some decent drama, mainly through Greer and his situation. But I wish Jack has more drama in the show and that their had been higher stakes for what was exactly going on. 

Style

There was some good action scenes here that definitely kept me on edge and there were a lot which made the film move at a quicker pace then the show. It was really nice to feel like this film was higher paced and kept me pretty invested throughout. Though, the film does feel like an extended TV Episode of the show and I wish it had got a bit of a bigger budget to make it feel really like a major film. 

Overall

Overall, Jack Ryan: Ghost War is a good action film. I think I am in the minority, that I actually enjoyed watching this film and think if you are a fan of the show you will enjoy it too. It isn't blessed with a great script or plot but it has good performances and fun action and that was enough for me here. 

Rating - 7/10

Jack Ryan Season 4 (2023) Review

It has taken me a while but I have finally finished the Amazon Prime Jack Ryan show, finishing Season 4 today. So after watching all six episodes here is my review for the final season of Jack Ryan. The premise of the season sees Jack Ryan named Deputy Director of The CIA when he comes across a plot that could even come from within his organisation. 

Main Character

John Krasinski is back a Jack Ryan and to be honest I think this is his weakest portrayal of the character. I think he is still decent and I think he clearly still cares, I just think the character wasn't particularly interesting this season. It seemed like he didn't really have much development and that he was just a vessel for the action. 

Supporting Characters

Michael Kelly as Mike November was one of the best additions to this show from Season 2 and he is back in another fun role this season. He adds that bit of a rogue element and I actually think he got more to do this season which was fun to see. 

Wendell Pearce is back as James Greer and he is still a lot of fun here. He isn't on screen as much with Jack but he is still really good and I thought Pearce still really cared about the role and gave enough to the character. 

The main new addition is Michael Pena as Chavez and this was a good role for him. It is more serious then most of the things that I have seen him in, but he really filled the role well. He has natural charisma here and was a fun addition to the crew. 

Story

The story is easily the worst part of the show and it is absolutely nonsensical and confusing. It has so many pans in the fire that it doesn't really deliver on any of them. The overall plot involving the villains is underdeveloped and just feels like your generic end of the world stuff. Then we got the stuff going on in the CIA which should have been interesting but is again underdeveloped and uninteresting. 

Script

The script is okay, it has some fun one liners and okay drama. But it never hits the heights in both departments, mixed with a convoluted story makes it just some okay writing. 

Style

There is no doubt that this show has the larger scale feel with cool action sequences that really throw everything at you. There is less episodes this season and I think that might have been why certain story arcs are underdeveloped and not even finished. 

Overall

Overall, Jack Ryan Season 4 is an Average show that is the weakest season of the show. It is a shame that this show couldn't deliver on its final season and feels like it goes out on a whimper instead of a bang. 

Rating - 5/10

Jack Ryan Season 3 (2022) Review

I am slowly but surely getting through the Jack Ryan show and after a bit of a break, I have now finished the third season of the show and here is my review for the 3rd season of Jack Ryan. The premise of the season sees Jack go on the run as he attempts to stop a shadow organisation start World War 3. 

Main Character

John Krasinski is back again as Jack Ryan and he is just really good in this role. He just fits the role and it just feels incredibly natural for him. I wouldn't say that there are loads of character development but I feel like that was done in previous seasons and it is fun to just see him now as this action hero. 

Supporting Characters

Wendell Pierce is back as James Greer and it is nice to see him be his more confident self here after his journey through the 2nd season. He is great in the role and it is nice to see him just get a bit more of his own stuff to do. 

Michael Kelly is back as Mike and he is again a fun addition to the show. He isn't given anywhere near as much to do this season but he is good and I just liked the fact that he is back for the season. 

Betty Gabriel plays Ryans new boss Elizabeth Wright and by the end of the season I did like her character. It took a bit of time for me to warm up to her but she gets more likeable as the season goes on. 

James Cosmo plays Luka and he is easily the best character in the season. He has a really interesting character arc and I just thought that the show gave him plenty of depth and really shed a different light on him. 

Story

The story is okay, I did like how the show made it clear that it isn't a simple US versus Russia story and there is more layers to it. It has plenty going on and for the most part it keeps the energy going. The issue is that it does become a bit too complicated and I thought the ending of the season was again a bit too easy and like everything is wrapped up in a bow, similar to the previous seasons of the show. 

Script

The script is okay, it does nail some drama and makes you care about some of the characters and the situation they are put in. But it does nothing to stand out, also something I noticed early was that unlike previous seasons, characters wouldn't speak their native language to each other but all spoke English. It feels lazy and like it has less care then the previous seasons on this front. 

Style

There are some great action scenes in the show and I loved the Europe location, especially Prague which is focused on really well. Though the pacing isn't particularly good, I found it dragged a little bit and got stuck focusing on too many story arcs. 

Overall

Overall, Jack Ryan Season 3 is a good show that is an improvement on the previous season. It has better action and better characters so makes it a pretty watchable experience. 

Rating - 7/10

Jack Ryan Season 2 (2019) Review

I continue my watch of the Amazon Prime show Jack Ryan ahead of watching the new film released in the franchise. Today, I finished the 2nd season of the show and here is my review for it. The premise of the season sees Jack uncover a mystery in Venezuela and when he arrives an action causes him to dig deeper. 

Main Character

John Krasinski is back as the titular character and I just really like him here. The character has definitely progressed from the first season. This is more action hero then Analyst which does feel like a natural progression and it is cool to see him as a more intense character. 

Supporting Characters

Wendell Pierce is back as as James Greer and he is great. He gets his own personal arc and it is handled pretty well and I still think the chemistry between him and Ryan is one of the better part of the show. 

Michael Kelly plays Mike November and he is an awesome addition to the cast. He is basically the third musketeer of the CIA here and I love this addition and just feel like he works so well with both Pierce and Krasinski. 

Noomi Rapace plays Harriet and she offered literally nothing to the show. They try and sell her as this mysterious character where you don't know anything about her allegiance but she is just really bland. The chemistry between her and Krasinski isn't great and her character fizzles out of the overall show.

The villains are incredibly generic and just feel like stereotypes that you would expect from a show with a little bit less care. 

Story

Easily the worst part of the show is the story this season. It is so different to the previous season that it kind of feels like a different show. Everything is super predictable and we spend way too much time with characters that don't really matter. Also the ending is super obvious and doesn't really make much sense, making it even more infuriating then the previous season. 

Script

The script is okay, there is way more drama to this season and it works pretty well when it comes to Jack Ryan. Also the little bits of banter are still there and they are a nice touch. But the drama with a lot of the other characters doesn't hit as well and feels like they are pretty bland. 

Style

There are some really great action sequences in this season and it feels really violent, potentially more violent then the first season. Despite having issues with other areas of the show, I actually thought the pacing was pretty good and I was never bored watching the show. 

Overall

Overall, Jack Ryan Season 2 is an Above Average Show. It is a big step down from the first season but it is still pretty enjoyable. It does enough to get by, but I am hoping for a real return to form for the third season. 

Rating - 6/10

Jack Ryan Season 1 (2018) Review

A New Jack Ryan film has just come out and I feel like in order to get the best experience out of it, that I would go back and watch the show that came first. Over the last couple of days, I have watched the first season of Jack Ryan and here is my review for it. The premise of the film sees a CIA Analyst thrown into the world of the front line as he has to take on a dangerous threat. 

Main Character

John Krasinski plays the Titular Character and he does a great job in the role. He adds plenty of depth to the role of Ryan and I really wanted to root for him in this role. There is a lot of charm and charisma to him and he was certainly a great choice as Ryan. 

Supporting Characters

Wendell Pierce plays James Greer and I liked his character and the relationship that he has with Ryan. It starts off as you expect but I liked how it develops and you clearly see a mutual respect being built there. 

Abbie Cornish is Cathy Mueller and she is the love interest and I liked her in this role. Her and Krasinski have excellent chemistry and their scenes together adds more depth to Jack Ryan. Though her role in the main story feels a bit of a stretch. 

Ali Suliman plays the villain here and I thought he was a pretty good bad guy. Okay, he is somewhat your traditional Muslim villain. But the show does give him some character development that makes him a more interesting character. 

Dina Shihabi plays Hanin and they give her plenty of development and she was good in her role. She is a strong character and I thought she filled her role really well. 

Story

The story is interesting, learning more about Ryan throughout is well done and this is a good character study. I am a fan of investigatory shows and this show did a really good job of connecting the dots and making you guess along with the characters. But, upon the ending of the show, I do think that it became a bit paint by numbers and predictable which is a shame considering it was interesting throughout and there is a storyline here, that I have no idea why it was included as it leads to absolutely nothing. 

Script

The script is really good, it has some strong writing and a really good balance between drama and humour. These characters and situation are interesting and the writing rises it above some of the basic ideas. I also liked how the foreign characters spoke their own language to each other which is something we just don't see much.  

Style

The style of the film is pretty cool. There are some decent action scenes and it travels around the globe well keeping locations interesting. However, I do think there are some pacing issues with the show and I think by focusing the story a bit more, those middle episodes could have been a bit better.

Overall 

Overall, Jack Ryan Season 1 is a great season of television. It has good performances and an engaging enough tale to keep you interested and is worth a watch. 

Rating - 8/10