KCR: SSN by Tom Clancy

USS Cheyenne, Image via WikipediaThis is the worst ever book by Tom Clancy (though mostly written by Greenberg, based on the GAME of the same name), no kidding. Even the Amazon reviews bear this out: majority of the review is 1 out of 5. Average is barely 2 out of 5.

The Setup: USS Cheyenne, the last of the Los Angeles-class SSN, is called into action when the Chinese People's Army Navy invaded the Spratly Islands, to grab the oil there. However, they's also captured a US flagged exploration ship there, which is an act of war. When Chinese submarines and ships started engaging civilian US-flagged ships, the US navy retaliated by declaring total war on Chinese Navy, and Cheyenne is leading the way. When the Russians decided to sell a lot of their subs to the Chinese, the game of cat-and-mouse turns ever deadlier.

While there's nothing wrong with such a premise, the book basically turned Cheyenne into a supersub that can't be touched, does everything right in 15 different missions, sinking the Chinese Navy twice over (including all the fancy subs and ships sold by the Russians). And the rest of the US Navy? Didn't do much of anything, apparently. Cheyenne got all the action to herself.

WTF?!

Don't consider this a Tom Clancy book. Consider this a game tie-in that has Tom Clancy's name on it.

Rating: Skip it, unless you must have everything that has Tom Clancy name on it

And yes, there's a VERY old game upon which the book is based.

KCR: Rambo, First Blood Part II (movie, war, Vietnam)

Image via WikipediaFirst Blood (reviewed earlier) was a social commentary about warrior's psychic wounds and how they have a hard time fitting back into society. The sequel, on the other hand, is a pure revenge fantasy, about how Vietnam can be "won". Indeed, one of the bonus features on the DVD was "We get to win it this time!"

The Setup: John Rambo, in prison, was rescued by Col. Trautman... a CIA guy, Murdoch, wants Rambo to go into Vietnam to find evidence of American POWs. It'll be a completely clandestine mission, with just help of one Vietnamese agent. It's supposed to be quiet, just in and out. However, when Rambo lost the camera equipment due to mis-jump, he changed the mission to rescue. When he reached the rendezvous point with one POW, Murdoch ordered the choppered turned around, leaving him behind. He was captured by the Vietnamese, now in concert with the Russians, and tortured. Instead of cracking, he escaped with help of the Vietnamese agent. When the agent was killed by ambush, he declared war on the prison camp, the Russians, the Vietnamese, and tries to rescue the POWs...

The setup is pretty atrocious, but there's enough action going through the movie to keep you on the edge. The initial insertion into Vietnam was interesting, and the escape from prison camp also interesting. The point right up to the betrayal was great, and subsequent second escape and big showdown is just awesome for its time. Nowadays, you see all the flaws and problems, but back then, it's like heck, yeah! Go USA! USA! It's cathartic.

You don't watch Rambo movies for characters. You see it to see bad guys killed, and good guys win.

KCR: Extreme Measures, a Mitch Rapp novel (terrorism)

Image via Wikipedia

Central Intelligence Agency Logo

Extreme Measures is another in a series of thrillers from Vince Flynn featuring his "Mitch Rapp", counter-terrorist in extremis. Unfortunately, this one is not one of his best works, as the plot is just a bit too contrived and some bits are way out of place.

The Setup: Two top Taliban officers were picked up by accident, but before they can be interrogated a few senators found out and ordered they must be treated with velvet gloves. Mitch Rapp jumped in, impersonating an Air Force colonel, and interrogated the prisoners any way, and that lead to his own arrest, and wrath of one of the Senators, who decided to go after Rapp and CIA as rule breakers. Rapp got out thanks to his boss, head of CIA Irene Kennedy, but is forced to go to congressional hearings. In the meanwhile, group of terrorists, hiding in South America and smuggled through Florida, is entering the US, with full SWAT gear and explosives. Their target: Washington D.C., and the Counterterrorism Center itself...

The plot itself just doesn't have that "ticking bomb" feel that other books in the series have. There is little action until the very end, and then it was over in a flash, maybe 5 pages at most. Clearly it's a setup for the next book, but it's still not a satisfactory ending.

Rating: read if you're a fan, skip otherwise

KCR: The One starring Jet Li

Cover of The One (Special Edition)The One has a clever premise that is barely scifi, and relies on a clever premise: Jet Li vs. Jet Li. How do you set that up? Alternate universes, of course.

The setup: Gabe Yulaw was an MVA (multiverse agency) agent who once killed another version of himself in self-defense. He felt stronger. So he decided to go rogue... go through the various multiverses and kill all other versions of him. He had gotten much faster too, doing all the "Matrix" like moves. Two other MVA agents (Del Roy Lindo and Jason Statham) were dispatched to catch him, but ultimately it falls to the last remaining, "Gabe Law", who also had gotten stronger...

You sure don't watch this movie for the acting. If you understand any martial arts, you may actually notice that Jet Li used different versions of martial arts for the characters. But basically it's special effects all the way.

But then, you don't really watch Jet Li movie for the characters, do you?

Rating: Worth watching once, but not enough to own

 

KCR: Persuader, a Jack Reacher novel (crime)

Cover of Persuader (Jack Reacher, No. 7)

Persuader is a typical thriller... except when Jack Reacher is involved, and there are several twists and turns.

Jack Reacher foiled a kidnapping attempt, only to reveal that the victim's father is a suspected kingpin in gunrunning, possibly involved in a kidnapped Federal agent... and an enemy Reacher thought he killed long time ago... As Reacher hired on as a bodyguard, he tries to search the house looking for evidence of the agent, while dealing with enemies who started to suspect him.

Lee Child by now is great in ratcheting up the pressure slowly, as the tension gets thicker and thicker in the air as he gets closer and closer to the truth. The book also has quite a bit of flashback where Reacher revealed why he thought he had killed the other guy. Clearly, this time he'll make SURE he really IS dead.

Undercover work is always tense, and Reacher have no problem this time dealing out some justice.

KCR: Bolo Strike (novel, war, scifi)

Bolo Strike is a novel set in Keith Laumer's Bolo universe. Bolos are huge fighting machines, massing thousands of tons and fire "hellbores" (plasma bolts) from cannons that can effectively engage ships in orbit, as well as defeat almost anything else except other Bolos, unless overwhelmed. The problem with Bolo novels is that Bolos are such magnificent fighting machines capable of so much destruction, it is very difficult to setup a situation where it's even 'close" to a fair fight, much less a tense fight where the Bolo may lose.

The Setup: the Dinochrome Regiment has been called up to attack a planet called Caern, held by a race called the Aetryx, and their "pet" humans, supposedly enslaved and worship Aetryx as gods. The attack was meant to liberate the humans. Unfortunately, as typical of most novels, the enemy is vastly superior to what the Terrans (or even the Bolos) have anticipated, so the Bolos have a VERY tough fight against enemies that may even have suborned older Bolos to their will. With the Terran fleet destroyed or driven off, the Bolos are on their own...

The problem with this novel is it tries a bit too much to make the odds overwhelming for the Bolos, or specifically one Bolo Victorious i.e. "Victor", and his commander(s), and end up with situation that virtually require a "deux ex machina" to salvage, and that's essentially what happened... the Bolo did a "Kirk Maneuver" (hint: M-5).

The fighting is fine, as William H. Keith, author of over 150 novels, knows his plots forwards and backwards. However, it somehow seem to lack the few twists and turns, and reads a bit formulaic.

Still, if you like Bolo novels, you should like this one just fine.

Rating: Try it

KCR: 2012 the movie

2012 was released in 2009 as a huge blockbuster disaster movie, about literally end of the world on Earth when 2012 come along...

The setup: Some technobabble about neutrinos heating up Earth's core, which is going to cause a "pole shift", causing massive earthquake, tsunami, volcano eruptions, and more. As disasters consume the United States on both coasts, and the rest of the world, one family must find a way to survive against all odds... as they discovered a secret government program that may ensure the survival of the human race...

What this movie really is... a CHASE movie.

SPOILER

ALERT

DO

NOT

READ

UNLESS

YOU

WANT

SPOILERS

The movie is basically the family being chased by disasters one after another.

In Los Angeles, the family in the limo was being chased by earthquake and collapsing buildings all the way to airport.

At the airport, they are being chased by the crack.

At Yellowstone, they are being chased by the volcano eruptions down the mountain

Then at the airport AGAIN, they are chase by the crack on the runway.

And so on.

You watch this for the special effects. Characterization is atrocious, and plot is melodramatic: only virtuous will survive, the vain and the sinful will not.

DVD, Blu-Ray, and 2-Disc Special Edition Blu-Ray available.