An empty theater is almost never a good sign for moviegoers. Sure, an empty theater can be nice aesthetically, but the lack of patrons is usually indicative of the quality of the feature film. This proved to be true, as “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” floundered.

This film is the fifth installment of the Jack Ryan franchise and the first film since “The Sum of All Fears” (2002) making it a reboot as well.

Being that the film is based on a character (created by Author Tom Clancy) and not a specific novel, there was no clear direction for the story, which led to the film to be full of missed opportunities, from the lack of twists to the massively predictable plot.

“Jack Ryan,” starring Chris Pine (“Star Trek,” “This is War”) as a Financial Analyst with the CIA, left a lot to be desired as the plot left viewers hanging almost immediately.

The plot is almost too simple: Analyst Ryan is thrust into the spotlight when he discovers discrepancies with financial records between banks in the U.S. and Russia. He works in close consort with CIA Operative Thomas Harper, portrayed by Kevin Costner (“Dances with Wolves,” “Waterworld”) to uncover the truth and thwart a terrorism event. Throw in an exceptional baddie, Viktor Cherevin, portrayed by Director Kenneth Branagh (“Thor”), and some eye-candy as Ryan’s fiancé Cathy played by Keira Knightley (“Pirates of the Caribbean”) and you have your generic formulaic action movie.

Regrettably, the movie only featured halfway impressive acting, with the exception of Pine and Branagh, who both shone as opposite sides of good and evil.

Different factors also had a hand in the way I perceived the movie, from the volume in the theater to the giant mole on the side of Chris Pine’s face.

The Trailer for the movie told a far more intriguing story than the actual film. Therefore, I would recommend that you do not see this film in theaters, but rather you should wait until it is released on the small screen.