# Just caught the 'Sum of All Fears' preview.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [April 30, 2002, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435 "2002-04-30T07:56:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2002, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/1 "2002-04-30T07:56:34Z")
What the fuck?
The book, by Tom Clancy, featured Islamic terrorists bent on destroying America. I read a site that said this movie has been “modernized” (I shit you not) to change the terrorists to eastern european white supremicists.
What the flying fuck?
Apparently the idea of Islamic terrorists attacking America is archaeic and silly.
I guess the “eastern European racist” plot fits in better with the PC “white people are the source of all that is bad” environment the movie is being released into.
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### Author:  [@Fugazi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fugazi)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2002, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/2 "2002-04-30T08:07:47Z")
Yea, I caught that preview too, and thought to myself, “and this has exactly what to do with Tom Clancey’s book?”. I guess the title is the same & probably some of the characters. How much you want to bet they change which city gets nuked? If anyone hears which city gets it, post it here.
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### Author:  [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2002, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/3 "2002-04-30T08:21:26Z")
Actually - what would cause them to change the city?
If it was NYC, maybe - because apparently the thought of something being blown up in NYC, in fiction, will make people cry - but what’s wrong with Denver?
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### Author:  [@Fugazi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fugazi)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2002, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/4 "2002-04-30T09:37:51Z")
Nothing’s wrong with Denver (other than I’m living here, so I’d really appreciate if people didn’t blow it up). I’m just thinking that the way the hack the hell out of Tom Clancey books that they’ll change the city.
Kinda reminds me of the end of “Hunt for Red October”. In the book, the destroyed the Russian sub by running over it with Red October. But IIRC in the movie, they shot it with torpedoes. No good reason to change it, but they did.
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### Author:  [@Fugazi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fugazi)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2002, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/5 "2002-04-30T09:40:04Z")
Twice…TWICE I said “the” when I meant “they”.
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### Author:  [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2002, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/6 "2002-04-30T10:31:13Z")
> [@](#):
>
> I’m just thinking that the way the hack the hell out of Tom Clancey books that they’ll change the city.
Yep–they changed it from Denver to Baltimore.
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### Author:  [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2002, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/7 "2002-04-30T10:52:29Z")
Hell, you guys didn’t even notice that they cast _Ben fucking Affleck_ as Jack Ryan?!?
THIS is the guy that’s supposed to follow in Harrison Ford’s footsteps?!?
It’s official. Hollywood is insane.
Oh, and note in the previews… they always (or, at least, in all the previews I’ve seen) include the line where Affleck (I REFUSE to accept that dweeb as Jack Ryan) says something along the lines of “Neo-fascists have bought a nuclear weapon!” Except they pumped up the volume on that line so it stands out more, giving it the effect of “Hey, these are NEO-FASCISTS, people! Get it? NEO-FASCISTS! Bad! Like Hitler! Bad NEO-FASCISTS!”
Oy. As Homer Simpson would say… Tom Clancy must be spinning in his grave.
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### Author:  [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2002, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/8 "2002-04-30T12:16:51Z")
Did they at least keep the opening Golan Heights scene?
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### Author:  [@Fugazi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fugazi)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2002, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/9 "2002-04-30T12:19:54Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Alessan \*
> \*\*Did they at least keep the opening Golan Heights scene? \*\*
I would doubt it since they’re buying the nuke instead of refurbishing a “lost” nuke.
I have a feeling that this movie will relate to the book about as much as “Starship Troopers” did.
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### Author:  [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2002, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/10 "2002-04-30T12:48:18Z")
Well, the damn book was a ga-zillion pages long. It would be unrealistic to believe that it could be done as a movie.
But changing the basis of the plotline seems silly. And I’d rather lose Denver than Baltimore. (Sorry.)
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### Author:  [@Briminator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briminator)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2002, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/11 "2002-04-30T12:59:07Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Well, the damn book was a ga-zillion pages long. It would be unrealistic to
> believe that it could be done as a movie.
Fellowship of the Ring was about a billion pages long and they got most of it in a movie, God forbid if the screenwriters who butchered Sum of All Fears got there hands on the FSOTR I could just imagine what they would have done to it.
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### Author:  [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2002, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/12 "2002-04-30T13:27:29Z")
I disagree. FOTR is less than half as long (page-count, at least) than SOAF. Throw that in with JRRT habit of describing in maddening detail (not that I don’t like it) the setting and you’ll find that it’s not that hard to put it all in one three hour movie. Really, describing the depths of Moria is all well and good, but in a movie all that text is replaced by the thing.
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### Author:  [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2002, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/13 "2002-04-30T13:33:38Z")
I just can’t wait for the scene when Affleck yells “Duck!”
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### Author:  [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2002, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/14 "2002-04-30T13:35:25Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by SPOOFE \*
> \*\*“Hey, these are NEO-FASCISTS, people! Get it? NEO-FASCISTS! Bad! Like Hitler! Bad NEO-FASCISTS!”
>
> \*\*
Neo-fascists? Bah! What ever happened to the good old days? What this world needs is some retro-fascists.
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### Author:  [@Phoenix\_Dragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phoenix_Dragon)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2002, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/15 "2002-04-30T13:37:25Z")
SoaF spent almost a whole chapter describing the details of exactly how a nuclear weapon detonates and it’s effect upon the surrounding area.
I think there’s quite a bit in there they could trim out without really leaving out any story 🙂
But this… Gah. I don’t even know what to say about the movie. Eesh…
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### Author:  [@Fyodor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fyodor)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2002, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/16 "2002-04-30T13:48:32Z")
I’m surprised none of you have figured out that the change in the terrorists is so they can use white actors in the roles.
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### Author:  [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2002, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/17 "2002-04-30T13:52:13Z")
I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords.
Wait, er.
I, for one, welcome the change in venue from Denver to Baltimore. Why, you ask? Because Clancy blew up the Super Bowl. As if that weren’t bad enough, he blew up a Super Bowl that featured the Vikings. And if THAT weren’t back enough, he blew up a Super Bowl that featured the Vikings WINNING.
Baltimore? No great loss.
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### Author:  [@Mighty\_Maximino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Maximino)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2002, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/18 "2002-04-30T15:29:18Z")
The book did contain an East German ex-communist who was working with the terrorists, but he wasn’t the main focus. Also, there was an American Indian with them too. What do you bet they don’t put _him_ in?
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### Author:  [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2002, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/19 "2002-04-30T16:02:45Z")
I saw the preview also.
I was utterly horrified by Ben Affleck. When he’s yelling what should be heart wrenching honorable lines, well, he just sounds like he’s going through the motions.
He’s definitely no Harrison Ford.
He’s pretty much just a pretty face. And he’s starting to bug me.
(heh heh, **lieu** said “duck”)
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### Author:  [@minty\_green](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minty_green)
#### Post date: [April 30, 2002, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-caught-the-sum-of-all-fears-preview/106435/20 "2002-04-30T16:07:04Z")
_The Sum of All Fears_ was the book where Clancy officially jumped the shark. Up until then, his stories were small and plausible. C’mon, who would doubt that the U.S. _could_ have hid a defecting Russian sub, or sent some Special Forces to fight Colombian drug cartels?
Then he nuked Denver. And it _stayed_ nuked in all his subsequent books. Then Jack Ryan, spy _extraordiniare_, works his way up the bureaucracy until he somehow becomes vice president. And terrorists crash an airplane into a joint session of Congress, so now Jack freakin’ Ryan is the goddamned _President of the United States_. And didn’t we have a war with Japan or something like that? Sheesh, I’m waiting for Ryan to step out of the shower somewhere in the middle of _Clear and Present Danger_ and realize the last six books were all tragically stupid dream.
The shark has been jumped, ladies and gentlemen. There is nothing more to see here.
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