Review of Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016) by Matt C — 14 Feb 2017

I saw Jack Reacher when it came out in December 2012 and never thought anything about it since then. It was one of those movies that was passable and didn't do anything particular wrong, but I just didn't care for it and felt like it was just really average overall.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back--or Jack Reacher: Never Stop Never Reaching, as I'll call it, because that's more fun--isn't average. It's super generic with a lack of energy. With a poorly told story featuring characters that function as plot points or excuses for more shenanigans to ensue, it's hard to care about what's happening, especially when the movie is two hours long.

After the events of the first film, Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) is forced to go on the run as a fugitive with U.S. Army Major Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders) after he's framed for espionage. He's also being filed with a paternity suit and is forced to shlep around 15-year-old Samantha (Danika Yarosh), who is believed to be his daughter.

(Maury Povich doesn't show up or anything, because then the movie would probably be over quicker.) If it sounds awkward, it's because it really is. While the original was written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie (Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation), this one is directed by Edward Zwick, who also co-wrote the film with Richard Wenk and Marshall Herskovitz, and it's apparent that the behind-the-camera talent is the big issue here.

The bizarre nature of the synopsis that I gave in the last paragraph is pretty accurate not because of what it says, but because this movie is equally bizarre to watch. Zwick can't blend the action with the character arcs as a director or a co-wrtier, and the script feels really cobbled together.

It's difficult to know what's really happening and it's also hard to care about anything as a result; instead it's just entertaining enough on occasion. The character of Samantha is emblematic of this film's problems as a whole.

Just as Samantha exists only to be a brat and get everyone into trouble, the script doesn't really know what it is or what it's doing. Is it just an action movie? If so, why these subplots? Is it supposed to be humorous? It comes off as dead serious most of the time.

Why couldn't they have included some self-awareness to how ridiculous this is? There are so many peripheral characters as well that are interchangeable and the ones that can be identified are surprisingly annoying, and the 118-minute runtime doesn't help.

The actors really are the best thing about this. Smulders is decent as a badass although it isn't like she'll join the pantheon of kick-ass female characters or anything, and Cruise can play this kind of character in his sleep.

Yarosh is what keeps Samantha, the most problematic character, from being nothing else but grating. In fact, all three actors lend give the script and dialogue a lot more gravitas than it really deserves.

Zwick is pretty aimless as a storyteller, but his action sequences are okay--I guess. You can tell what's happening, so I guess that's a plus, but nothing stands out. Jack Reacher: Never Stop Never Reaching isn't quite bad, but it'd be a bit of a reach (no lame pun intended) to even call this demanding of your time if it's on TV.

It's purely disposable fare that doesn't succeed in keeping the audience invested, so it's really just a few inconsequential set pieces put together with uneven pacing. This movie won't anger you, but it'll probably confuse and maybe bore you, so.

.. yay, quality! 4.6/10, lame, C, below average, etc.