Jack Ryan

I bought the final season of Jack Ryan on DVD. It is quite good.

However the aspect ratio is wrong and nothing I could do with my aspect control on my TV or player could fix it. Even after binge watching every episode the aspect was still annoying.

Having watched every season before I could predict what was going to happen next, but that was OK. I am glad to see that my cast favorites survived and was satisfied that the evil ones paid a price. The scenery/locations were superb. Casting was well done. I recommend this as great viewing.

I will attempt to buy again on Blu-ray and hope that the aspect ratio have been corrected.

Jack Ryan was even better than I was hoping. Now that I just finished this last season I can say it's just as good as the first three and has a satisfying ending. Like many here have already said the best past of the show is John Krasinski. He is terrific as Jack Ryan. Who knew when he was on The Office that he would be able able to pull off being an action hero? Here he plays Ryan as an up and comer with the CIA. This a smart, believable show that will keep you engaged every episode. If you're looking for a great spy thriller than keep you hooked and wanting to binge as quickly as possible then give this a try. You won't be disappointed!

You cannot go wrong with something based on Tom Clancy's stuff. I am also an avid fan of Reacher. So the premise for this series and the main plot points are super entertaining, everything has great pace, beautiful establishing shots all around the world.

My only big problem is the silly little decisions that constantly challenge our suspension of disbelief. I will just give vague references without mentioning seasons, episodes or characters so you will not be able to see them coming if you watch the show.

But I find it preposterous that they expect us to swallow somebody snapping a neck from a rear naked choke. Or a father trying to reestablish a bond with his son taking him "on the field" when the father knows for a fact his life is in danger. Or the bad guys missing their first shots when they have the element of surprise. I understand you need to get to a shoot out, but they should have set up the situations better.

Other than these details, AWESOME stuff.

Clancy's range of books have stood the test of time.

Go back and reread Hunt for Red October and understand this is a first time published author... who was so ahead of the curve most publishers didn't want to publish him! Insane in hindsight. Just goes to show marketing people aren't the brightest kettle of fish.

Although this series doesn't quite perfectly get it, it's certainly a lot better than the car crash of Rings of Power - at least the writers of this have obviously read at least some of the books and understand the characters. So yes, it's a bit more kiss kiss bang bang than the books but that is the medium.

Krasinski is a bit more gymbod than I always imagine Ryan but you know Krasinski will make anything work - and Krasinski's personality like Alec Baldwins and Harrison Fords is a bit more accurate - no offence to others but it's a personality thing)

Why John Clarke is called Mike November here is anyone's guess, but Michael Kelly is perfect for the role, as much as Dafoe was years ago. (Yes, I like the Without Remorse film, but that isn't the John Clarke from the books and this isn't a skin tone thing it's a personality thing.

Casting throughout the entire series has been great tho, Pierce, Cornish, Gabriel, and all the series co-stars...

A fair few other US Showrunners should learn a fair bit from this: Respect the source and don't insert your crappy untalented ego - you are not a better writer than these Authors.

In this day and age, we have no shortage of shows like these. Stuff like "Reacher", "Shooter", "Taken", "Punisher" and "Terminal List" all roughly scratch the same itch for a grounded gun guy vs government goons TV series. It becomes increasingly difficult to stand out when the series is based on books written roughly 30 years ago. I mean Tom Clancy has been dead for 10 years now. That might explain why so many of his stories involve some spark that will make the Cold War escalate to World War III between America and Russia. Most of Clancy's material has been mined in other films and even video games that anything now seems derivative. Similar to Jane Austen with romantic comedies, so it is with Clancy and political thrillers.

Well then, the difference has to come from the character. What makes Jack Ryan different than Jack Bauer? What made him a charming protagonist was the fact that he didn't have, as Bryan Mills would say, "a particular set of skills." Ryan is an analyst, a desk jockey. He was the everyman thrown into difficult situations outside his control.

I feel that edge is where "Jack Ryan" misses the mark. This Jack Ryan, particularly by the third season, is just the same type of action tough guy as every other political thriller show. It's not bad, just every change they make to Jack Ryan makes him more generic. They are making him out to be more like John Karasinki's character from "16 Hours".

That being said, they do an excellent job with the action in this show. The music, cinematography and acting are all top-notch. The political intrigue and stories are well done. I just wish it would appeal more to the everyman angle that makes Jack Ryan so unique.