Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Writer: Christopher McQuarrie / Eric Yandereisen
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 / Marcella Correa / Cary Elwes / Charles Parnell / Mark Gatiss / Indira Varma / Rob Delaney / Max Dolinsky / Zahary Baharov / Adrian Bouchet
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 viewing experience after the success of Top Gun: Maverick (2022) last year, Tom Cruise is considered the savior of the theatrical viewing experience. Therefore, can his new film Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) surpass the impossible and save movies from doomsday reckoning?
In fact, I think 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 productions, 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 Yandereisen, the new Mission: Impossible 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 Ethan and Gabrielle engage in on a runaway Orient Express. Yes, Cruise performs his own stunts, like riding a motorcycle and parachuting onto the train from a 400-foot cliff. It's truly impressive, but should we really encourage this kind of 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 part.
To reiterate, this seventh installment of the Mission: Impossible series, which began in 1996, is only the first part. This means it's essentially an extended trailer. (According to reports, the second part will be released next summer.) But some of the captivating moments can stand on their own, whether it's the flying, the car chases, or the high-speed pursuits. Whenever the film kicks into high gear, which is about half of the viewing time, I'm more than happy 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 main antagonist is not a person or a country, but a malicious artificial intelligence program. It can silently infiltrate any operating system and take control of the world. In the unsettling discussions about artificial intelligence today, this new type of evil adds a quirky 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 (played by Tom Cruise) and his Impossible Mission Force (IMF) team members are back: Luther (played by Ving Rhames), Benji (played by Simon Pegg), and later joined by Ilsa (played by Rebecca Ferguson). Luther warns Ethan about the physicality of things, and he delivers one of the most iconic lines in the film: "You're playing four-dimensional chess with a blindfold on!"
The Central Intelligence Agency, led by Ethan's former boss Kittridge (played by Henry Czerny), wants Ethan to bring back the AI. But if Ethan doesn't break the rules, he's not Ethan, and he decides to destroy it. In the process, he becomes entangled with the unsympathetic Gabriel (played by Esai Morales), who clearly has a close relationship with the AI, and Gabriel's blonde assistant Paris (played by Pom Klementieff). The arms dealer known as the White Widow (played by Vanessa Kirby) makes a return. The most popular new character is Grace (played by Hayley Atwell), a skilled pickpocket who steals more than she bargained for.