'Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1'- mission accepted: practical filmmaking and romantic chemistry brings exhilarating thrills
The Cruise/McQaurrie Mission collab continues its hot streak with great new cast additions and the requisite death-defying stunts propelled by an innovative AI threat.
USA 2023, 163 mins | Action, Adventure, Spy-thriller | Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny, Shae Whigham | Written by: Erik Jendresen, Christopher McQuarrie | Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie | Prod. Company: Paramount Pictures
Capsule take on MI-7
MI-7 is this year's bona fide summer blockbuster thrill ride with romantic intrigue for general audiences. It succeeds where Indy 5 fails (in many ways!) by using practical filmmaking with CGI employed only to fill in where needed—never creating wholesale, weightless, cartoon-like scenes. It stays away from the gimmick of de-aging. Thankfully, it lacks any bait-and-switch casting tactics used to shoe-horn agenda-driven fake narratives. It’s defiant filmmaking that treats audiences with respect concerning its own lore, balancing our need for cinematic thrills without taking shortcuts.
Intro and preamble
This year audiences have never been more spoiled for choice when it comes to big tent pole movies. But the result is that most are tanking at the box office in droves like never before. Bona fide blockbuster franchise films are nosediving to massive consternation for the Hollywood studios and their titans. This year alone, movie-going folks have stayed away in droves from DC’s The Flash and Shazam 2, Paramount’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, and the reigning monumental hackery of Disney’s Little Mermaid, Elemental and Indy 5 all but bombing. When it comes to Fast X, (containing some of the wildest ‘fake’ action ever put on screen), the jury is still out on whether it has managed to break even.
Arguments around Guardians 3 aside, only a hand full of movies delivered the thrills promised to its fans. The biggest one for me is John Wick 4. For others, perhaps Across the Spider-verse, or Dungeons and Dragons fulfilled its mission. Of course, the wild card of The Mario Brothers Movie, an abysmal, soulless dud for me, head-scratchingly produced boffo box office, while Guardians 3 squeaked through on an over-sentimentalized indulgence, mostly geared to endentured fans. Still, compared to Ant Man 3, and the others above, it stands out as coherent and serviceable and managed to close the a chapter on that well-regarded trilogy with approval.
Summer, it would seem, is yet another chance for Tom Cruise to save the theatrical experience. Last year’s phenomenal performance of Top Gun: Maverick was credited by industry titans such as Steven Spielberg for single-handedly saving the movie-going experience. Post-pandemic, theatres continue to struggle to draw a large enough audience with over-delivered day-and-date streamable theatrical features long enough to change habits around the sticky foot theatrical experience of over-priced concessions and admission tickets.
Can Tom Cruise do it again, many wonder? Was Top Gun an anomalous nostalgia bait confection? Will audiences show up for another MI instalment? Cruise and his action enabler, filmmaking partner Christopher McQuarrie have positioned themselves to do so to all possible extents with yet another stellar iteration of the MI franchise, its seventh, and a two-parter to boot. In addition, this one, thankfully, doesn’t leave you with the dissatisfaction of an incomplete movie the way Dune, Part 1 did two autumns ago.
Meanwhile, its closest comparable, the Bond franchise, has mostly devolved outside of three impressive hits (Golden Eye ‘95, Casino Royal ‘06, and Skyfall ‘12) during the last 27 years since Mission debuted in 1996; Cruise has soared with the MI franchise elevating each one a tension level above the previous since the franchise found its re-iteration formula with Brad Bird on Mission 4’s Ghost Protocol, next picked-up and elevated by Christopher McQuarrie through 5 and 6’s double punch of Rogue Nation ‘15 and Fallout ‘18.
Through that time, the Bond franchise wasted one of their best in Peirce Brosnan, re-booting with Daniel Craig, to astronomical success with Casino Royal, but fizzling with each further iteration, minus the Sam Mendes thematic re-direct on Skyfall achieving massive critical acclaim. Eventually, the franchise could find no better way forward than the incredibly daft decision to suicide its hero in the latest outing, arguably unravelling into irrelevance—if we can concede that providing thrills is its only true relevance. By contrast, the Mission Impossible franchise, helmed by Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie, has no such problems.
Film review
Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1, it turns out, is a very breezy and entertaining spy-thriller that takes its time with the details, characters, and its own lore in refreshing old-school ways most studio hack films simply don’t bother investing the thought or care into—and quite frankly, do not even possess the craft or integrity to do it. Things devolved to a paltry state of affairs from the get-go this year, with Ant Man 3 looking like greenscreen goop at a price tag of $200M and written by foul-mouthed cartoon writers, making parents embarrassed to be at a film with their kids. This from a family-branded corporate entity.
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1 employs a prescient narrative, especially considering the film’s concept and script were developed four years ago. It concerns the development of a self-learning AI, so nefarious intelligence agencies must create an analogue room to combat its omniscient powers. Scary stuff, to be sure. This AI is referred to as “The Entity.” The concept plays out like a duo tag-team of villainy where it is the brains and the suave and sophisticated Esai Morales as Gabriel (note the biblical name) is its human executioner, with a team of his own assassins. Franchise newcomer Pom Klementieff as Paris, a sexy martial artist and a terrific ‘drive angry’ Hummer helmer, is a wonderful, badass addition. Gabriel and his crew are after two halves of a cruciform key made to look like a Christian-inspired artifact. I’ll leave it to you to assess whether MI writers McQuarrie and Erik Jendresen are suggesting Christ is our only saviour from AI.
“The Entity” enables Gabriel to pass invisibly through public spaces by wiping him from all surveillance footage. This is played to the hilt marvellously in one of the most compelling scenes in the film, the airport chase sequence. The concept and execution are highly compelling, timely, and original, keeping this instalment fresh and exciting.
The execution of spy intrigue and action is top-notch, as we've all come to expect, with a lot of added humour, likely to appeal even more broadly to movie-goers. The chemistry between Atwell and Cruise is off the charts. As someone who loves women with curves, it's a refreshing change to see an actor of such charms leading a film against the heroin chic of the majority of what Hollywood celebrates. Though it still feels unnecessarily restrained with Atwell dressed in a desexualizing vest, it’s certainly a welcome shift to celebrate women with figures, not just waifs as leads complemented by tokenism in supporting rolls.
Since Villeneuve set out to top David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia with Dune, Part 1, large-scale filmmakers are taking the cue and following suit. Like the comparable action-er, John Wick 4 did earlier this year, flexing with a grand visual opener set in the breathtaking deserts of Arabia. It's a few scenes in here, but MI-7 also takes us on an Arabian adventure where we catch up with the third time returning Rebecca Ferguson's Ilsa Faust as Cruise's Ethan Hunt looks to track her down out of fear for her safety. He does so in a whirlwind sandstorm as the two join forces to take on the existential threat posed by "The Entity."
The first big action set piece takes place at an airport and runs for approximately half an hour. It's a gloriously giddy bit of filmmaking that, for me, may even be the highlight of the entire film for its execution in a film that is stacked with many: the extended Rome car chase that does Rome car chases right (I’m looking at you Fast X), the crowing jewel is saved for last—the gasping, breathlessly tense, death-defying, edge-of-your-seat train-set finale, and of course, the jaw-dropping motor-cycle jump off a high cliff, which was exploited for marketing purposes. In that footage, Cruise revealed he did it six times on the day! I can’t even fathom that. The sheer stamina and focus this man has is remarkable, to say the least.
I love how McQuarrie and Cruise work indefatigably with these franchise iterations, paying attention to every detail and presenting procedural accuracy where others gloss over it. This has never been better exemplified than in the dizzyingly complex airport scene. This scene also introduces us to the terrific Hayley Atwell, who is clearly at home here, generating palpable chemistry with Cruise that leaps off the screen.
The power of the AI to obscure Gabriel’s looks is a brilliant concept played to the hilt as numerous interests collide, desperate to nail Hunt as he chases Atwell for the other half of the cruciform key but is constantly foiled by the power of the AI. Shifting faces fool investigators and then pixelate. This is also used to great comic effect, heightened wonderfully by the terrific addition of character actor Shae Whigham as Brigs and his sidekick Greg Tarzan Davis as Degas, agents on the hunt to bring down Ethan at all cost. Whigham in particular, displays his wonderful knack for irreverent humour.
This scene also introduces us to Esai Morales's devastating character Gabriel, in an incredibly suave and wonderfully executed role that drips off the screen like honey, mostly in your ears, as his voice is so compelling. His work is beautifully underplayed without hinting at any arch-villainy a viewer might encounter in a Bond film. Morales and "The Entity" present a well-crafted one-two punch that more believably presents a credible threat to the world and its spy agencies than dipping back into the cliche of world-dominating villains, chasing stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction for nefarious purposes, often affiliated with political foes such as go to Russian baddies. This AI threat is existential and very timely.
The women in this film are phenomenal. The energy, beauty and skill brought by the arrival of Hayley Atwell lifts the series yet again. She absolutely delights and is perfectly cast as Cruise's foil and love interest. The returning Rebecca Ferguson delivers a solid turn yet again, providing the film's greatest emotional impact. Vanessa Kirby returns as The White Widow, continuing her scenery-stealing debut in the last iteration. As well, in this one, she’s handed a great bit of doubling as masks once again play a big role in the intrigue. She does it so well that you actually think it’s the other actor working through her. And finally, as mentioned, another newcomer Pom Klementieff appears hellbent on destroying Hunt as Morales's pedal to the metal martial arts assassin. Eventually, she comes face-to-face with a one-on-one confrontation with Hunt. The script treats this fight scene in the best way I’ve seen, respectful yet honest to the human dynamics of its combatants.
Unlike other agenda-driven franchises, it is indeed refreshing to be able to sit back and enjoy a big franchise movie with incredible action, actors, and international intrigue and not have to be baited by wondering at what point the rug will be pulled out from under your on-screen hero in the name of activism (I'm looking at you, No Time To Die). It's a relief that some movie-making folks have not sold the farm to ideology and are stubborn enough to believe in the concept of entertaining audiences. With MI-7 Tom Cruise's singular real-life mission of saving cinema one summer at a time has another notch on its belt following last year's Top Gun: Maverick.
While MI-7 is a stacked thrill ride with the team returning, along with the wonderful Simon Pegg as Benji and always loveable and dependable Ving Rhames as Luther, new characters add terrific energy, elevating the film. Just like its action star, the film itself truly sticks the landing. Though ultimately, it doesn't top the franchise best (2018’s MI-6: Fallout), It is, however, a worthy new addition, with a terrific cast, great humour and true edge-of-your-seat thrills. The build from MI-4 through 6 is an incredibly tough act to follow, even if it is mostly this exact team that achieved it. For me, indulging in the humour takes the darker edge out of the film’s overall experience, which I found so compelling in both MI-5: Rogue Nation and MI-6: Fallout. This was achieved compellingly by casting Sean Harris as one of the nastier on-screen villains to come along. Supported by the tone overall, those iterations were darker, edgier and more gritty. Hopefully, this lighter take will see more movie-goers and welcome families to the franchise, increasing its pull.
MI-7 is an incredibly solid and entertaining instalment that earns its place, stokes viewers for the next outing, and delivers the first true big-screen blockbuster thrill ride to general audiences this year. Whether Tom Cruise will save the box office again this summer remains to be seen. Even so, he and his team have done everything in their power to save the integrity of movies. For that, he must be commended.
The greatest compliment this film could garner is if audiences signalled with their attendance that this is the aesthetics of movie-going—the practical, passionate approach to filmmaking—that affects audiences the most, forcing studios to take note and emulated its craft after nearly a decade of its ever-increasing lean into CGI and VFX hell. But I doubt it. It clearly takes hard work, commitment, and in Cruise’s case, even risking his own life for what he loves the most: the theatrical movie-going experience. Ironically, Hollywood studio honchos would seem to give two craps about that.
Enjoy it while you still can, dear reader! Sadly due to poor planning and rushed releases confounded by the pandemic, MI-7 will lose its premium screens to Oppenheimer this week. Here’s hoping audiences don’t let this chance for a great thrill ride on the big screen pass them by.
Rating
4/5
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Does seeing an action-er like MI-7 inspire you to visit it on a premium screen in a theatre, or are you content to wait for it to arrive in a more convenient means, such as VOD or worse, streaming?