Waiting a while to push out another Tom Clancy/Jack Ryan escapade after Clear and Present Danger led to a few problems. The jolt of a mis-cast Ben Affleck is problem one; continuity is unexplained even though this was the first book in the series makes for number two; and an awful payoff for the story set-up makes for three critical strikes against this nuclear bomb dud.
Jack Ryan is obviously a rookie in The Sum of All Fears, so why there was a need to set the film in the modern age (as made obvious by the various technologies) butchers the film timeline. If you’re unaware of the series, this isn’t a problem, but Ryan is a popular character and fans are left out.
The politics in the first hour don’t carry the weight of the previous films. Build up is slow, dull, and lacking intensity. Patriot Games and The Hunt for Red October did this amazingly well, along with offering a spectacular payoff.
In The Sum of All Fears, that payoff is a nuke going off inside a contrived and convenient Baltimore where by sheer coincidence (or lazy scripting) Jack Ryan lives with his girlfriend. The explosion is mere seconds, likely played down due to this being so close after the 9/11 attacks and audience sensitivity. It’s a half-hearted Hollywood disaster.
On top of that, we’re supposed to accept that someone can be close enough to the blast, be blown backwards at impossible speeds, and then be up and walking without a scratch a few scenes later. Out goes credibility, and out goes all the drama in the second half as the US and Russia begin arming for war.
The premise is intriguing, and the novel should have been perfect film material. Unfortunately, the lackluster casting of out of place Affleck, implausibility, and extensively boring first hour doesn’t let this be anything more than mediocre. 
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