By Gilberto Campa
It’s no secret that Tom Cruise is one of the most revered, passionate and important figures in Hollywood and has been for the last 35 years. Any movie that he is involved in either as an actor or producer, always has more going on than just being another movie releasing in theaters, with Cruise it’s going to be more of an experience and something that will blow audiences away. Continuing with the amazing work that Tom Cruise & Christopher McQuarrie (probably the most powerful Director/Actor duo in the business) did with Top Gun: Maverick, which to many including Steven Spielberg, saved the movie industry and helped to bring back audiences to theaters in droves, it was now time for Ethan Hunt to go on his next mission!
Spanning over 27 years and featuring seven installments in the series (with more to come) the Mission Impossible movies have only gotten bigger. Unlike the first four films which feature four different directors (and different tones) Christopher McQuarrie helms the latest installment (his third in the series) and I can safely say that Dead Reckoning may be his most ambitious project yet. Modeling other big franchises that have similar IP and multiple installments, the Mission Impossible series always finds a way to bring something different to each movie.
The biggest proponent and reasoning behind that is Tom Cruise and his unrelenting passion for giving his all for the sake of the movie going experience, in every movie he does something incredibly dangerous but it’s something that is memorable. When you think about it Cruise has already delivered some amazing feats in the franchise such as free climbing in Dead Horse Point, The Burj Khalifa climb, Halo Jumping, flying a Helicopter in Fallout, and even base jumping 56ft onto a building to name a few. Even if you don’t really keep up with the series audiences can always ensure experiencing something you will not see in any other movie because it feels incredibly real and elevates everything else going on.
When it comes to what Ethan Hunt and the rest of the IMF are going up against this time around, that’s where things get interesting. Ethan Hunt always does what’s best for the greater good and for his team when it comes to keeping them safe regardless of the mission, but that idea gets challenged this time around in the most intense way as the main antagonist is a form of Artificial Intelligence called “The Entity”. Created as a weapons system but eventually turning into a self-aware program that keeps Ethan and the Governments of the world looking behind their backs, it was a nice change of pace after Solomon Lane (who was the most personal villain in the series for me). I don’t know if McQuarrie saw the future, but the timing is quite ironic at the time that the film is being released.
There are also some new faces who fit seamlessly into the franchise as Haley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, Shea Whigham and Esai Morales all bring something fun and memorable to the series. In addition, some familiar faces all the way back from the first movie make a return and are just as good as they were when we last saw them. With a fun story and incredible action sequences that vary from one of the most unique and thrilling car chases, a beautifully crafted fight sequence in Rome, to the Third Act that takes place on a runaway train and features a death-defying stunt that will take your breath away, Dead Reckoning is everything audiences want and crave in a big summer blockbuster. See you at the movies!
The Verdict: