Jack Ryan Season One Blu-ray Review
Story
When CIA analyst Jack Ryan stumbles upon a suspicious series of bank transfers his search for answers pulls him from the safety of his desk job and catapults him into a deadly game of cat and mouse throughout Europe and the Middle East, with a rising terrorist figurehead preparing for a massive attack against the U.S. and her allies
Review
John Kransinski is the latest actor to take on the role of Jack Ryan, a CIA analyst who is suddenly thrust into action after sitting behind a desk for the majority of his CIA career. The series is of course based on the series of books written by Tom Clancy and is the first time that the books have been adapted into a show instead of a feature film.
I went into Jack Ryan blind, I might have watched a Jack Ryan film here and there but any major details about the character have been long forgotten. However it did catch my attention mainly because John Krasinski was front and center and his performance in A Quiet Place really opened my eyes to his range. This performance just builds on his growing resume. As Jack Ryan he is a goody two shoes who rarely bends on anything that goes against his moral code. There is more than meets the eye to him and he carries a very traumatic background that shows its ugly face throughout the show. With any show like this, that mostly focuses on a single character, you need your main actor to hit out of the park and Krasinksi most definitely did.
There are a few other stand outs in the cast who I thoroughly enjoyed watching on screen. Wendell Pierce plays James Greer, Ryan's new boss in the Terror, Finance, and Arms Division of the CIA. He of course butts heads with Ryan caught a bit and they have an interesting working relationship that develops throughout the season. Ali Suliman plays Mousa Bin Suleiman, the main antagonist of the show, a terrorist who is hell bent on getting revenge stemming from a childhood incident. I thought he did a great job of being unpredictable and also being a bit conflicted at times with who he was becoming.
One of the great things about the show is the top notch production quality. There was no cutting of corners here, it seems like they shot this show in many different locations and that only added to the viewing experience. I found myself intrigued plenty of times by things that came across the show and how realistic some of the situations really were so I took it upon myself to do some light research. I can confidently say that the show is really grounded when it comes to the details, of course some of the bigger plot points might be a bit exaggerated but overall the show really does take care of handling itself within the realms of reality.
I think one thing that might bother some people is that this first season does not feature a lot of action and doesn't make Jack Ryan look like some invincible super hero. This is almost an origin story, it seems like Ryan hasn't really made any kind of name for himself just yet and is really just getting his career started. I appreciated that because it gives me something to look forward to in future seasons.
Video
Jack Ryan Season one is presented in 1080p and in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. From what I could gather the show is available on 4K on Amazon Prime so you can expect a step down in quality from that but watching the Blu-ray I can't imagine it being a massive difference. The show looked gorgeous to me. Plenty of overseas location were rich and color and looked extremely sharp. There are plenty of great colors and textures to admire but I would be lying if I said I wasn't interested in seeing this in 4K.
Audio
The English Dolby Atmos mix here is superb. The dialogue is super clear and all the different locations come to life and sound real. This wouldn't be a Jack Ryan series without some gunfights and they do not disappoint either. This is one of those shows you're going to want to turn the volume up and just completely enjoy the immersive experience.
Extras
Unfortunately this Blu-ray release is a little light on the extras.
- 4 Deleted Scenes
Language
- English, French, and English Audio Description
Subtitles
- English, English SDH, French, and Spanish
Final Thoughts
Jack Ryan Season One is an amazing first season and a must watch for any fans of the other films and source material in general.
Jack Ryan Season One is available now On Blu-ray from Paramount Home Entertainment.
