2 stars

Never Go Back is not terrible, just predictable and unoriginal. The sequel is based on the popular book series of the same title but it’s hard to imagine a simple action story like this getting a mainstream movie deal based on a story this cookie cutter. Reacher, Tom Cruise, is a former military man, as he often reminds people by calling himself “ex-major,” and is unencumbered by home, companion, car, dog, backpack or even a change of clothes.  This is meant to make him seem mysterious, but mostly he comes off as a blank, without psychological or emotional depth. He’s the kind of heroic question mark that works only if there’s enough star charisma or filmmaking to fill in the gaps. In both movies, though, he’s little more than a furrowed brow and pummeling fist. The script feels like an outlet of how to do a proper action thriller but the writer decided to not add any ideas to make it exciting. Opting to play it safe hurts the overall product and makes this look like a simple cash grab. Cruise is good enough to make this watchable but they are just not good enough to overcome the overwhelming feeling of generic storytelling attached to this sequel. As the sequel closes, if leaves the audience feeling that the ex-major has turned into the ex-major actor.