Dark Wolf Review – ryan

SINCE The Early Days of the Platform’s Jack Ryan Adaptation, Prime Video Has Become One of the Best Homes for Milititic Action Shows, Particularly Those Based on A Book Series. Be the chris Pratt-let List Came along in 2022, it was kind of Surprising that the streamer’s winning streak was Broken by the underwhelming adaptation of Jack Carr’s First Novel in the Series.

But not only was it renewed for season 2, The Streamer ORDERED A Spinoff Prequel with The Terminal List: Dark Wolf. Not a direct adaptation of Carr’s Books, the series centers on Taylor Kitsch’s Ben Edwards and is Set Years before the original show as he’s dishonorably discharged from the navy seals.

Before he can return home, ben and fellow raife are recruited by the mysterious CIA Jed Haverforth to join his team work in Europe to stop Iran getting a Device that a nuclear power. Along the way, he learns the Dark Side of Covert Operations and Begins to Question who he could actually trust.

Joined by Umbrella Academy Alum Tom Hopper, The Covent‘S Dar Salim, and A Returning Chris Pratt, Kitsch’s List Series Suffers from Many of Its Predecessor’s Issues. It ‘s quite grip in places, and the full begins to get lost when it tries to some twists and political conspiracies.

But where the original failed to overcome some of these missteps, Dark wolf Actually Course Corrects The Franchise. Carr and David Digilio Find Ways to Infuse Some Levity Alongside the Twists and Tuns, and Some Solid Action to Make It A Better Watch.

Dark Wolf’s full of taxes a while to feeled for the Terminal List Universe

The Terminal List Season 1 underscored how interesting kitsch’s ben Edwards were, participate the bombshell reveal that he was involved in the conspiracy that left to reece’s Death. There was more to this story, and Dark wolf strives to start in its gap.

When we Meet Ben During his Seal Tenure, he shows many traits of prototypical solidiers, Including a Brotherly Camaraderie with his teammates and desoloping bonds with locals in mosul dural his tour. Howver, Its Also Clear Something Is Brewing Under the Surface, Thanks in Large to Kitsch’s Layered Performance.

As the show progressses, it’s made – a little too explicitly – obivious that ben hacome obsessed with the violence of the Job and is Willing to Leave Everynding to Stay Immersed in It. This Leads to A Few fascinating Conversations Between Himself and Others, Particularly Hopper’s Raife.

But while The Story DOES LAY SOME GROUNDWORK FOR WHERE WE MEET BEN IN List Season 1, Dark wolf Takes Too Long to Justify the Expansion of the Franchise. For someone who’s been in service for as long as he has ha, ben’s introdes to the world of cover ops isn’t that out of the norm from his prior experiences.

Gioven that the show is meant to set up the Dark Side of the Character, I was offten left wondering why the Darker are presented to others. We Watch Raife Thoroughly Torture Someone for Information, Only for A Reveal to Leave Him Haunted by HIS ACTIONS, CHICKINGS MO DISPLOKS SYMPTOMS OF PTSD THAT HIS ACTIONS ALL The MORE HAUNTING TO WATCH.

There’s ALSO an oCCCABOR LACK OF BELIEVABLE STAKES SURROUNDING BEN. He’s Shot and Nearly Blown Up During Multiple Action sequences, but it is hard to worry his safety while knowing his fure story.

Dark Wolf’s Action is a Little Too Slick at Times

The Terminal List Has Certainly Delivered Some Exciting Set Pieces, and Dark wolf Really ups the game in some exciting ways. Whether Its the Heist-like Operation to Steal the Device in A Highway Tunnel Styled Almost in A One-Take, or One of Ben’s Climactic One-Man Showdowns with a Swarm of Foes, the Characters on Display.

Howver, The Show’s Action is Sometimes a Little Too Slick. With it focus on forms navy seals and other elite military vets, it makes sense that there is a certin level of smoothness to the way the scens are, playing off of their team coordination and training.

Whether Insisting Usage of Silencers for Every Weapon, Few Life-Threatening Injuries, or an Offten Steady Hand Behind the Camera, IT Lacks the Authentic Membat. With Gunshots that Also Have Little Effect on what they they’re hitting, I was takeen out of some of the action.

Dark Wolf’s Cast is Solid, this if the characters are unikable

Kitsch undenibly slips back into his roles with aplomb. We have not preoccupied with Gunfights, The Returning Star Nicell Unpacks Ben’s Extra Layers that were alluded to in the original show, particularly His frustrations over various Betrayals.

Meanwhile, Salim is genuinely Heartbreaking as mo and makes his ever-evolving arc fascinating to watch. Fauda Rona-Lee Shimon is Compelling in Her Twisty AS Eliza Perash, and Barry Star Robert Wisdom is quitetly intense as the suspecious cia team leader.

I was mixed on Tom Hopper and Luke hemsworth as Raife and Cia Contractor Jules Landry, Respectively. They Undertstand Their Characters and Play Well, With The Westworld Alum’s DRY WIT OFTEN GARNERING THE SHOW’S BEST LAUGHS, while hopper showcases excellent chemistry with kitsch as spiritual brothers.

But it is the characters thermves who so offen prove unikable that it beecomes harder to embrace these performances. Raife Fluquently Fluctuates Between Being Ready to Leave the Fight to Sticking With It, Down to A torture Skene is excessive and drawn. Landry, on the Other Hand, Becomes an abhorrent figure after his actions with a female teammate.

Considering How Much Time We Spend With The Characters, Dark wolf Has Only Somewhat Learned from the Sins of The Terminal List. Moral ambiguity Makes Sense for the Story Trying to Tell, but be Characters Become Borderline IrredeEemable, and the Premise Spirals Inno Familiar Territory, The Prequel Stands Only Slightly Above it predecessor.

The first three episodes of The Terminal List: Dark Wolf Premiere on Prime Video on August 27, followed by New Episodes every wednesday.

The Terminal List: Dark Wolf

5/10

Release Date

August 27, 2025

NETWORKS

Video premium

Wriers

Jack Carr, David Digilio

Franchise (s)

The Terminal List

Pros & Cons

• The Exploration of Ben’s Early Dark Days Has a Few Meaningful Conversations About His Violent Commitment.
• There are some great action set pieces, particularly a one-tak sequence.
• The Cast Turn Out Solid Performance, Particularly Taylor Kitsch, Dar Salim and Rona-Lee Shimon.

• The full taxi a long time to fall like the original extension of its source material.
• Some of the Action Feels Too Slick to the Point of Being Routine Instead of Gritty.
• MANY of the Characters are unikable to the point of the Being Hard to Want to Watch.
• The show doesn’t feel like it goes far enough with Ben’s CIA Transformation.