Jack Reacher Review

Can Tom Cruise's latest action blockbuster be a colossal hit? In short: No.
There comes a time in every year where the annual Tom Cruise Blockbuster movie release rears its head. In 2011, we received the rather brilliant Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (4.5/5), which surpassed expectations and breathed new life into its respective franchise in time for Christmas. This time around, it’s Jack Reacher which has the job of kick-starting an all-new series of movies. Does it do the job with just as much success? No.

Tom Cruise’s protagonist here feels ripped out of just about every action movie before this one- mysterious, seemingly omniscient and apathetic, Reacher lacks just about any connection to the wider audience, a war veteran-turned-recluse whose only redeeming qualities lie in the inert humour of the actor himself. Soon enough, you as a viewer will learn that it’s best just to ignore this blatantly type-cast characterisation, and roll along with the ride, even if it that prospect alone is challenging enough.

In terms of the actual narrative of the piece, there’s little of real surprise or substance here to speak of either. Jack Reacher sets a depressingly linear path for its plot to trod along, devoid of unexpected twists and littered with the tropes and clichés of action movies gone by. The script is both predictable and over exhaustive, the characters are damn-near dislikeable and apathetic at the worst of times, and the easy-to-guess ending will leave just as many viewers dissatisfied as those who will inevitably to choose to flick the channel when this becomes a primetime TV release.

Boy, do I wish there was a way of ‘flicking the channel’ in the cinema by this point, because short of walking out of the auditorium, there couldn’t have been a more favourable release from the suffering that was watching this film. I could go on about the sub-par action sequences, lacklustre visual effects and offensively repetitive soundtrack for an infinite length of time, but to do so would be to waste your time in much the same vein as Jack Reacher has done for 130 precious minutes of your life. If you want to end your cinematic viewing experiences with a bang rather than a whimper, then at least take comfort in the knowledge that through this review, you at least stand a better chance of doing so. Avoid Jack Reacher like the plague, and your life will be better off for it.

2/5