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In 1991, an experienced and professional CIA analyst named Jack Ryan brought bad guys to justice after the detonation of a nuclear device on American soil. That is how the story goes in Tom Clancy's bestselling novel The Sum of All Fears. In 2002, as director Phil Alden Robinson brings an adaptation of the military thriller to the big screen, it's a much different story. It also has a different audience, with different concerns and fears.

Jack Ryan has tracked down terrorists and tried to prevent nuclear disaster several times before. You've probably seen previous adaptations: The Hunt for Red October (starring Alec Baldwin), Patriot Games (Harrison Ford), and Clear and Present Danger (Ford again). While Fears is a later chapter as the books go, on the big screen it has been altered to become a story of young Jack Ryan, played by Ben Affleck, whose furrowed brow gives away his adoration for Ford. Why was the story altered? The franchise wanted a new star that might stick around; Ford was not interested in the project.

But so much has changed in the world's political climate since 1991 that the story has changed in other ways as well. The villains of the novel were three terrorists: a German leftist, an anti-Zionist Arab, and a Native American political activist. Today, it would be politically incorrect to even suggest that such characters would carry out such atrocities. And America is trying to balance anti-extremist action in the Middle East with careful reaffirmation of respect and support for Arabs in America. Thus, the villains of this movie are—you guessed it—Neo-Nazis. Too bad Harrison Ford didn't sign on; we would have had ourselves an Indiana Jones movie in disguise.

As the story goes, these Neo-Nazis want to bait the U.S. and Russia into all-out nuclear smackdown, while they prepare to seize control in the aftermath. So Baltimore becomes the target of a nuclear attack, and all clues point to the Russians. More specifically, they're going to bomb the Super Bowl.

There has been much skepticism about Paramount's decision to release the film so soon after September 11. Religious press critics and mainstream reviewers as well are offering some limited praise, but I haven't seen any reviews that avoided the awkwardness of watching a movie that actually portrays the world's imminent nightmare.

Marie Asner (The Phantom Tollbooth) says, "There are certainly flaws in this script. A lost bomb and no one was looking for it for almost 30 years? Despite a horrible tragedy, the phones still work. People in danger of assassination never check under cars before starting them. Some of the special effects look cheesy, especially the Stealth planes." But she suggests that the plot "will bring audiences past September 11 and into the next phase of 'What If?'"

Phil Boatwright (The Movie Reporter) writes, "Eerily prescient in the current political climate, the film is a frightening depiction of a growing fear. The story is convoluted, and its star still needs a bit more seasoning, but in the light of 9/11, it's both fascinating and frightening to watch."

Holly McClure (Crosswalk) says, "I enjoyed every minute of this exciting story and applaud the approach … Robinson took with Clancy's thriller. I believe that this kind of movie serves a social purpose in reminding us all of how precarious the global climate is at the moment and how precious the gift of freedom and peace truly is."

But at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, a critic argues, "A year ago the film might have described as a sleekly made thriller, which it is, but the devastation of Sept. 11 has given it an extra layer of horror. A story that once might have seemed far-fetched can now ratchet up fear and dread in an already nervous public. It's certainly not a movie for those still emotionally fragile from having lost anyone in the terrorist attack, and it still may be too soon for many others. In fact, given the disastrous turn of events the movie takes, one can find fault with presenting a film in which thousands are killed as an exciting thriller." The critic concludes that the film's "romanticized ending tends to trivialize the movie's tragedy in disturbing ways."

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June (Web-only) 2002, Vol. 46