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The Sum of All Fears (2002)

tomatometer

59

Average Rating: 6/10
Reviews Counted: 168
Fresh: 99 | Rotten: 69

A slick and well-made thriller that takes on new weight due to the current political climate.

46

Average Rating: 5.6/10
Critic Reviews: 35
Fresh: 16 | Rotten: 19

A slick and well-made thriller that takes on new weight due to the current political climate.

audience

52

liked it
Average Rating: 3/5
User Ratings: 85,904

My Rating

Movie Info

The successful franchise of Paramount motion pictures based on novelist Tom Clancy's techno-thrillers featuring heroic CIA intelligence analyst Jack Ryan stages a much-publicized "do-over" with this action-adventure that recasts the character of Ryan as a rookie to the complex game of geopolitical warfare. Ben Affleck takes the reins from Harrison Ford as Ryan, a greenhorn CIA historian and analyst who finds himself thrust front and center into the spy community's spotlight when Nemerov (Ciaran

Oct 29, 2002

$118.5M

Paramount Pictures

Cast

All Critics (182) | Top Critics (36) | Fresh (102) | Rotten (70) | DVD (32)

An implausible apocalypse without depth or resonance, a cartoon of international politics presented with no James Bond-like playfulness and with all the superficial realism money can buy.

July 20, 2002 Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | Comment
Chicago Tribune
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I'm not saying Affleck is in way over his head, but a scuba tank and swim fins might come in handy.

June 13, 2002 Comment
Arizona Republic
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Affleck merely creates an outline for a role he still needs to grow into, a role that Ford effortlessly filled with authority.

June 10, 2002 Comment
Rolling Stone
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A trite espionage thriller without the thrills but with a lingering measure of nausea.

June 4, 2002 Full Review Source: Village Voice | Comment
Village Voice
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The Sum of All Fears is almost impossible to follow -- and there's something cringe-inducing about seeing an American football stadium nuked as pop entertainment.

June 3, 2002 Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | Comment
Ebert & Roeper
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Phil Alden Robinson, who directed from a script by Paul Attanasio and Daniel Pyne, is an accomplished craftsman, but his movie has been upstaged by the sum of our fears.

June 2, 2002 Full Review Source: New York Magazine | Comment
New York Magazine
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Generic action film not good for kids, or anyone.

January 1, 2011 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | Comment
Common Sense Media

Though this political adventure requires substantial suspension of disbelief, the witty script and mature approach keep the film on track. [Blu-Ray]

August 5, 2008 Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | Comment

... Entertaining and far more relevant than most other action/adventure movies.

January 7, 2004 Full Review Source: Star-Democrat (Easton, MD) | Comment
Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)

So don't worry, take in a matinee.

November 7, 2003 Comment
Greenwich Village Gazette

Has enough clichés and cut-out characters to condemn it to mediocrity.

September 22, 2003 Full Review Source: RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland) | Comment

Realizando um bom trabalho ao condensar o complexo livro de Clancy, o filme é tenso, inteligente e conta com fortes atuações de todo o elenco - inclusive de Affleck, que confere uma curiosa vulnerabilidade ao herói.

July 21, 2003 Comment
Cinema em Cena

It's a tired premise, and it's got its flaws, but the present talent makes it worthwhile.

February 8, 2003 Full Review Source: Film Quips Online | Comment
Film Quips Online
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for The Sum of All Fears

The Sum of All Fears is one of the worst of Tom Clancy's book to screen adaptations. I've read all his works that have been adapted to the screen, and The Sum of All Fears lacks the power of the previous three Jack Ryan films. I think that Ben Afleck is miscast as Jack Ryan, and that Harrison Ford should have played

October 30, 2011
TheDudeLebowski65
Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski

Super Reviewer

Just nothing special compared to the very entertaining Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger. This felt more like a Michael Bay interpretation of a political thriller, there's lots of explosions and lots of yelling. It was a pitiful way to reboot the franchise.

January 12, 2010
ythelastman89

Super Reviewer

    1. John Clark: Shoot him, Ryan! Shoot him!
    – Submitted by Spacelibrarian E (5 months ago)

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