Critics have torn apart Prime Video s new action thriller but is it really that bad TechRadar Skip to main content TechRadar is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's why you can trust us. Critics have torn apart Prime Video s new action thriller but is it really that bad By Tom Goodwyn published 7 July 2022 Opinion: I'm not angry, I'm just disappointed (Image credit: Prime Video) Prime Video has form for lavish military thrillers. In fact, in a roster of programming that ranges from delightful comedies like The Marvelous Mrs Maisel to bawdy action smash-em-ups like The Boys, it's one genre the platform can truly call its own. Take Jack Ryan, a TV reboot of the much-adapted Tom Clancy character, in the past played by Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck, and now played by A Quiet Place's John Krasinski. That show has had two well-received seasons, with a third and fourth confirmed. There's also a planned spin-off, which will expand the character's universe further. As well as that, there's Reacher, Lee Child's long-running muscleman, enjoying life on Prime Video. Reacher and Jack Ryan are both muscular, brisk, no-nonsense dramas with real cut-and-dried senses of right and wrong. They're a long way from shows that address the grey nature of conflict, like Homeland or Generation Kill. There are bad guys and there are good guys, and the stakes are very clear. On the face of it, The Terminal List should slot right into that groove. The show, led by Jurassic World: Dominion star Chris Pratt, premiered on July 1 on Prime Video, backed by a large, globe-trotting marketing campaign. It has the same hallmarks as Reacher and Ryan: based on a long-running and hugely successful book series, with a former top-ranking soldier now grappling with a system that wants to bring him down. Jack Ryan, Prime Video's other military man (Image credit: Amazon Prime) In The Terminal List, we follow Pratt's Lieutenant Commander James Reece, a US Navy SEAL left bereft after his platoon is ambushed on a covert mission. Reece is the only survivor, and, as he tries to piece together the truth about what happened, his version of events doesn't match up with the account given by the Navy's top brass. And, so, a deadly conspiracy starts to form. While Reacher and Jack Ryan were modest hits with the critics – reviewers acknowledged their rather narrow worldview, but praised their storytelling and the charm of leading men Krasinski and Alan Ritchson – The Terminal List has been given an absolute kicking. We've rounded up some of the most savage reactions here, but the general consensus has been that the show is bloated, boring and grim beyond belief. Hence, it's earned an abysmal 37% Rotten Tomatoes rating (opens in new tab). But is it that bad? I enjoyed Jack Ryan, though the second season fell a little flat, and I really enjoyed Reacher, so I thought I'd give it a chance. I regret that now… Is it really that bad It is. The Terminal List is dull, flat, plodding and far, far too long. If you still think you might watch it be warned there are some minor spoilers below: Basically, after he comes home, Reece is proclaimed a hero, but something doesn't add up. He believes his superiors are covering something up, but every time he suggests the official version of events isn't true, he finds himself accused. Suffering from PTSD, Reece is struggling to even believe himself. But when those closest to him find themselves brutally in the firing line too, Reece sets out on a vengeful journey to right every wrong done to him in the whole godforsaken mission. Jason Bourne, a revenge tale done right (Image credit: Universal Pictures) None of this is particularly original, but when done well, it can be gloriously effective. There's nothing quite like the feeling of cheering for a lone wolf as they battle the system. When it's done well, as it was with Matt Damon's Jason Bourne or even some of Tom Cruise's better turns as Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible, it's scintillating. Being swept along with the lead character and his mission is a rush, and it's here that The Terminal List falls down so spectacularly. Tell us a joke It's strange watching Pratt, who has played the wise-cracking action hero so well with Guardians of the Galaxy, play a part that is so devoid of charm or humor. He's stern and perma-scowling in every scene. Given everything that's happened to him, you wouldn't expect him to be dolling out one-liners, but there's no buy-in for the audience, we never see him having fun with his unit or even enjoying time with his family. Reacher and Ryan have a gun against their temple every 20 minutes, but their leading men have enough charm to take you with them. It's so frustrating watching Pratt, who we know can turn on the charm, not be given the chance to. It doesn't need to be funny either. The Bourne movies aren't laugh-a-minute, but Damon gave him soul and real pain. Pratt's Reece has been dealt a terrible hand, but he's an ice-cold killer. We don't see him learn, just growl his way through a body count. Chris Pratt as Peter Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (Image credit: Marvel Entertainment) Nobody else gets to have any light against the relentless darkness either, Constance Wu as Katie Buranek, a war correspondent trying to break the story, just gets to turn up and be righteous before Reece spurns her. Jeanne Tripplehorn's Lorraine Hartley, the Secretary of Defense, is so shifty it feels like her every sentence ends with an eyebrow raise, and the military top brass offers nothing else. Pratt dominates every scene and he does nothing with it. One shade and one shade only It's ironic that for a show with a protagonist so absolutely certain of the morality of his quest, with no thought given to whether there might be another path, that every episode, particularly the actions sequences, is filmed with a color palette transplanted from the North of England in the middle of November. Everything is grey, so grey in fact that it's hard to see what's going on. Antoine Fuqua, who directed the pilot, can do action. He did it with both Equalizer movies and Training Day. It's weird to see his take on the mission that goes so spectacularly wrong, which is dull and lifeless and actively hard to follow. Chris Pratt and Riley Keough in The Terminal List (Image credit: Amazon Studios) I m not angry I m just disappointed&hellip The overall sense you get from The Terminal List is one of frustration. All the men and women in front of and behind the camera can do, and have done, so much better. Instead, they've given us a dour slog that's too long and totally charmless. All eight episodes of The Terminal List are out now on Prime Video. Tom GoodwynSenior Entertainment EditorTom Goodwyn is TechRadar's Senior Entertainment Editor. He oversees TechRadar's coverage of the best TV shows, documentaries and movies across streaming services, theaters and beyond. Based in East London, he loves nothing more than spending all day in a movie theater, well, he did before he had two small children… TechRadar Newsletter Sign up to get breaking news, reviews, opinion, analysis and more, plus the hottest tech deals! Thank you for signing up to TechRadar. You will receive a verification email shortly. There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again. MOST POPULARMOST SHARED1The iPhone 14 Pro is made of the wrong stuff; the Pixel 7 proves that to me2Stop saying Mario doesn't have an accent in The Super Mario Bros. 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