Reacher

S01: Reacher is, in the end, a fine action romp that, against the backdrop of a crime detective story, works very well and, more importantly, functionally throughout its eight episodes. It has to be said that the first episode set the bar so awfully high that it probably wasn’t surpassed any further, and it's a bit of a personal disappointment that in the first episode Reacher was in a head-to-head brawl, whereas in the later episodes things slowed down a bit and went more on the detective line, but fortunately it all balances out solidly in the finale, where we get to see both the conclusion of the whole rather convoluted investigation and an action-packed scene. The characters are entertaining, the violence is uncompromising, the plot is quite complex, and so even fans crime dramas will find something to enjoy, but the whole series is clearly driven by Alan Ritchson, who as a 100 kg swole animal was born for the role. I'm more than satisfied and for fans of the genre, this is almost a must-see. S02: Finally, another dose of manly action as it should be. Alan Ritchson is for me one of the best actors of this genre and I wouldn't want to meet such a monster. It's a fact that compared to the first season, Reacher doesn't go solo and doesn't take place in a small town, but instead he goes with a team and in a slightly broader story, so he loses his "main role" a bit and shifts more attention to the whole, but that's definitely not a bad thing (even if it might be a bit of a bummer). His whole team is ultimately a great bunch with great actors, the story also moves along at a decent pace, and Reacher still steals most of the limelight for himself. What I dislike a bit, on the other hand, are those ills of the genre that unfortunately haven't escaped Reacher. The fact that a 120 kg mountain is beats the crap out of guys, I get, but when there's a 50 kg girl beating them up too, I'm not so buying it. At times the action is drawn out and the team has it too easy with no collateral damage or injuries, many logical details don't make sense and what I regret the most is that there are too few brutal and violent scenes as we only see brutal limb breaking once, which is reprehensible. Otherwise, of course, apart from these "details", this is still an extremely entertaining, gritty and action-packed ride that benefits especially from great main characters and unrelenting tension, so I wasn't bored for a minute and it's simply exactly the kind of series that grabs you and doesn't let you go. Great satisfaction. (2022.02.18)

The new Reacher is a very good action romp that works very well and, more importantly, is functionally throughout against the backdrop of a detective story across its eight episodes. It has to be said that the first episode set the bar so awfully high that it probably hasn't been surpassed any further, and it's a bit of a personal disappointment that in the first episode Reacher was fighting head on, whereas in the later episodes things slowed down a bit and went more on the detective line. But fortunately it all balances out solidly in the finale, where we get to see both the conclusion of the rather convoluted investigation and the action-packed climax. The characters are entertaining, the violence is uncompromising, the plot is quite complex, even fans of crime dramas will find something to enjoy, but the whole series is clearly driven by Alan Ritchson, who as a 100-kilogram swole animal was born for the role. I'm more than satisfied, and for fans of the genre, this is almost a must-see. (2024.01.28)

Finally another batch of proper male action as it should be. Alan Ritchson is for me one of the best actors of this genre and I wouldn't want to face such a monster. It's true that compared to the first season, Reacher doesn't ride a solo track here and doesn't take place in a small town, but instead rides with a team and in a slightly broader story, so he loses his "main role" a bit and shifts more attention to the whole, but that's definitely not a bad thing (even if it might be a bit of a problem). His team is ultimately a great bunch with great actors, the story also moves along at a decent pace, and Reacher still steals most of the limelight for himself. What I dislike a bit, on the other hand, are those ills of the genre that unfortunately haven't escaped Reacher. I get that  a 120kg mountain beats the crap out of guys, I get, but when there's a 50kg chick beating them up too, I'm not so buying it. At times the action is drawn out and the team has it too easy with no collateral damage or injuries, many logical details don't make sense, but what I regret the most is that there are too few brutal and violent scenes, we only see brutal limb breaking once, which is reprehensible. Otherwise, of course, apart from these "details", this is still an extremely entertaining, gritty and action-packed ride that benefits especially from great main characters and unrelenting tension, so I wasn't bored for a minute and it's simply exactly the kind of series that grabs you and doesn't let you go. Great satisfaction. (2024.01.28)