Weekend Movie Guide: ‘Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit’ Tries To Save The World

Opening Everywhere: Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Ride Along, The Nut Job, Devil’s Due

FilmDrunk Suggests: You can read Laremy’s spoiler-laden review of Jack Ryan here, and you can read my review of Ride Along here. As for a suggestion? Maybe add some cardio to your daily routine.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

Rotten Tomatoes Scores: 64% critics, 65% audience

Gratuitous Review Quotes:

Branagh runs through all of this efficiently enough, but it feels awfully familiar. – Tom Long, Detroit News

“Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” comes off as a reasonable facsimile, serviceable but not compelling, something that could pass for the real thing if you’re not looking too hard. – Kenneth Turan, L.A. Times

Armchair Analysis: I hope the next Jack Ryan movie has all of the guys who have played Jack Ryan in the past – Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, Shaquille O’Neal and Peter Dinklage – teaming up to stop a meteor from crushing Mount Rushmore. That would be a great movie.

Ride Along

Rotten Tomatoes Scores: 17% critics, 80% audience

Gratuitous Review Quotes:

Hart’s springy energy and Ice Cube’s deadpan snarl can be amusing, but they can’t compensate for weak material. – Rafer Guzman, Newsday

Ride Along is a film so casual in its conception and execution, it should be titled Drive Thru. – David Hiltbrand, Philadelphia Inquirer

Armchair Analysis: The commercial for this film claims that Kevin Hart is the funniest man on the planet. That’s very interesting.

The Nut Job

Rotten Tomatoes Scores: 13% critics, 74% audience

Gratuitous Review Quotes:

Only a multilevel chase sequence involving Surly and some glowing-eyed street rats has any real kinetic excitement, and the supporting characters lack visual distinction. – Adam Nayman, Globe and Mail

“The Nut Job” features muddy-colored and often ugly animation, a plot that feels too stretched out and loaded with details to hold the attention of most children, and more flatulence jokes than anyone deserves. – Miriam Bale, New York Times

Armchair Analysis: An animated film with that kind of critical review score is never a good sign. But your kids don’t know that, so plop them down in front of it and daydream about your college-aged babysitter for two hours.

Devil’s Due

Rotten Tomatoes Scores: 26% critics, 55% audience

Gratuitous Review Quotes:

Devlin’s script tips its hand so early on that Devil’s Due lumbers toward a woefully flat, predictable ending, and the unwelcome promise of something truly demonic – sequels. – Chuck Wilson, Village Voice

Offers precious little in the way of real scares or engaging characters, and even less in original ideas. – Andrew Barker, Variety

Armchair Analysis: FARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOISE.