Critics are fighting over Reacher season four.
The latest season of Prime Video‘s action drama hit has overall a positive critics score on Rotten Tomatoes (it’s at 87 percent right now — below the previous seasons, but reviews are still pouring in). Yet some of the notices are interestingly split on whether the show has reached a new high or a new low.
One thing critics agree on: Star Alan Ritchson continues to be a charismatic (and literally huge) presence as wandering ex-military tough guy Jack Reacher, who once again finds himself embroiled with bad guys who chronically underestimate his near-supernatural ability to kick butt. And as always, Reacher’s bone-dry and hyper-literal wit continues to charm in this new adventure from showrunner Nick Santora (this time adapting author Lee Child’s Gone Tomorrow).
Here’s what some of the early notices are saying about Reacher‘s new season, which premieres Wednesday, with Prime Video dropping the first three episodes at once.
Roger Ebert.com: “Might be the best yet… It has everything that launched Reacher into a monster hit: compelling cases, brutal high-octane action, three-dimensional characters with stakes, killer quips and a lead who straddles the four quadrants like a deadpan yet sexy and highly skilled blend of Batman and the Punisher. (Someone call James Gunn and tell him his Bruce Wayne/Dark Knight is over on Prime Video.) … In season 4, Reacher enhances all the elements that action-thriller fans love about the series, using its tropes and style to peak effect.”
The Playlist: “Least satisfying outing yet … You’d think this return to the show’s basic formula would be a boon to its pacing, vibe and overall quality, yet somehow it isn’t. The writing — and its sometimes baffling aversion to the source material — is at the heart of the problem, but there’s plenty of blame to go around, from hammy acting to a cartoonish tone that smothers the whole affair. … It’s just not much fun, and the writing and acting are occasionally so bad that it can make a person almost embarrassed to watch.”
The Wrap: “After an incredible Season 3 that redeemed a lackluster sophomore run, Reacher is back with a fourth season that builds on what came before, while evolving the show and the character with new challenges, more commentary and also more humor. This is the bloodiest season of the show yet, as we swap constant gunfights for intense knifeplay that leaves a trail of blood behind. But it’s the political commentary that makes this season hit the hardest. … Alan Ritchson continues to be a delight to watch every week, with his performance this season adding a bit more humor to the stoic Reacher. If nothing else, the show continues to prove it does not run out of steam, but continues to improve and evolve with every new adventure.”
The Daily Beast: “The series’ first real signs of wear and tear … Reacher follows the formula that’s turned it into the streamer’s most reliable dad-core hit … this time around features an amazingly convoluted narrative whose particulars are so difficult to keep straight that its later episodes devote multiple scenes to characters simply laying out precisely what’s happened … By not seriously deviating from its own conventions, Reacher is too comfortable in its fourth outing, and that goes for Ritchson as well.”
RadioTimes: [Five Stars]: “It might be the best Reacher team yet, with each member of it espousing, in a different way, the series’s philosophy of refusing to take no for an answer if that answer is given in bad faith by a dodgy authority figure. And there’s also a lovely, unexpected romance in there waiting to tentatively reveal itself … As for Reacher himself, his deadpan humor remains impeccable. Watching him deliberately give literal answers to stupid questions never gets old, and neither does the pleasure he takes in insulting people immediately if they set off his finely tuned pomposity radar. We’re here for the dry wit as much as we are the extreme violence.”
Collider: “Season 4 of Reacher continues the show’s trend of delivering intriguing mysteries elevated by thrilling, aggressive action, showcasing Ritchson’s impressive physicality while introducing a fantastic assortment of new characters. With its fourth chapter, Reacher goes full neo-noir, embracing the genre’s fatalistic, gloomy approach while staying true to its action roots. The result is the show’s bleakest, most furious, and most demanding season so far, a mystery thriller that will have audiences on edge — and, perhaps for the first time, genuinely worried about its lead character.”
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