Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Writers: Christopher McQuarrie, Eric Yandereyson
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Frederick Schmidt, Marilu Carrega, Cary Elwes, Charles Parnell, Mark Gatiss, Indira Varma, Rob Delaney, Max Dolinsky, Zahary Baharov, Adrian Bustamante
Genre: Action, Thriller, Adventure
Country/Region: United States
Language: English
Release Date: 2023-07-14 (China) / 2023-06-19 (Rome premiere) / 2023-07-12 (United States)
Runtime: 164 minutes
Also Known As: Mission: Impossible 7, MI7
The rise of streaming platforms in recent years has had a certain impact on traditional cinemas, but cinemas are still the preferred place for many people to enjoy movies. For stars like Tom Cruise, who was hailed as the savior of the theatrical movie experience after the success of Top Gun: Maverick (2022) last year, his new film Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) can once again surpass the impossible and save movies from doomsday reckoning.
In reality, I believe all the discussions about Tom Cruise saving Hollywood have been exaggerated. The day he appears in a low-budget independent film that becomes a hit, that's when I believe the film industry is truly back. Whether it's big-budget or small-budget, movies still need to provide quality content. Just like the mediocre return of the new Indiana Jones film Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023). Directed by Christopher McQuarrie and co-written by Eric Yandereyson, the new Mission: Impossible film is not an unparalleled blockbuster, but it is a better sequel. Despite some unnecessary plot developments, it is still an exciting global adventure.
The highlight of this film is a stunning, epic fight scene that showcases impressive performances and cinematography, with Ethan and Gabrielle engaging in a brutal acrobatic duel on a runaway Orient Express. Yes, Cruise personally performs his own stunts, such as riding a motorcycle and parachuting onto the train from a 400-foot cliff. It is indeed impressive, but should we really encourage such risky behavior? Without a doubt, the film company's insurance company is also asking the same question. I can't imagine how Cruise plans to surpass this in the second installment.
To reiterate, the seventh installment of the Mission: Impossible series, which started in 1996, is only the first part. This means it is essentially an embellished trailer. (According to reports, the second part will be released next summer.) But some of the captivating scenes can stand alone, whether it's flying, racing, or high-speed chases. Whenever the movie kicks into high gear, which is about half of the viewing time, I'm more than willing to immerse myself in this comfort zone and enjoy the best thrills that Hollywood action movies have to offer.
The major twist in this film is that the central villain is not a person or a country, but a malicious autonomous artificial intelligence program. It can silently infiltrate any operating system and control the world. In today's unsettling discussions about artificial intelligence, this new type of evil adds a strange sense of panic to the film. Who or what is behind the AI is obviously a question for the second part, but the mission here is to prevent the disaster.
Agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his Impossible Mission Force (IMF) team members return: Luther (Ving Rhames), Benji (Simon Pegg), and later joined by Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson). Luther warns Ethan about the entity, delivering the film's most iconic line: "You're playing four-dimensional chess with an algorithm!"
The Central Intelligence Agency, led by Ethan's former boss Kittridge (Henry Czerny), wants Ethan to bring back the AI. But if Ethan doesn't break the rules, he wouldn't be Ethan, so he decides to destroy it. In the process, he becomes entangled with the unempathetic Gabriel (Esai Morales), who clearly has a close relationship with the AI, and Gabriel's blonde assistant Paris (Pom Klementieff). The arms dealer known as the White Widow (Vanessa Kirby) makes a return. The most popular new character is Grace (Hayley Atwell), a skilled pickpocket who steals more than she bargained for.
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