REVIEW: Your stress level will go up to 100 with new Mission Impossible movie

M:I7 squares up against a rogue AI
Jul 13, 2023
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PHOTO: Paramount Pictures

DUN-DUN-dundundun-dun-dun!

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) returns (cue that signature running pose) for another spy thriller with his Impossible Mission Force (IMF) crew Luther (Ving Rhames) and Benji (Simon Pegg), plus Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson) and possible new recruit Grace (Hayley Atwell). They are facing off against a crazy sentient artificial intelligence called the Entity and a man named Gabriel (Esai Morales), who knows Ethan from way back, before he even joined IMF.

We’re already expecting the frenzied stress and spectacle of back-to-back action sequences and DIY death-defying stunting, but can Mission: Impossible 7 really outdo itself this time?

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The extreme stunts in the new Mission Impossible will hit your adrenaline fix

Tom Cruise went from scaling Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, in Ghost Protocol, to catching a plane by hanging off an Airbus A400M in Rogue Nation, to pulling off a High Altitude Low Opening from 2,000 feet off the ground and more WTF-were-you-thinking stunts in this film. The M:I franchise has been flexing the behind-the-scenes production of the stunts prior to the official release but seeing the final result was still a mind-blowing experience.

For MI:7, the actor yeeted himself off the Helsetkopen mountain in Norway with a custom-made Honda CRF 250 motorcycle, dropped down 4,000 feet, and opened his parachute around 500 feet from the ground. He also did some Speedflying at Lake Valley UK, landing at around 80 KPH. What a mad lad!

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    M:I7 also serves quality platform gaming sequences

    The hero’s plot armor prevents any real sense of danger from creeping up on you, but from the opening scene until the last moment, the audience has no time to breathe a sigh of relief. Watch for the whole train sequence: It had us hyperventilating and gave us motion sickness, especially when Ethan and Grace were hopping from one cart to another, obstacles threatening to crush them as the train falls down a busted bridge.

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    As with every M:I film, there are always people and other non-living objects trying to harsh Ethan’s vibe. On the inside, his IMF director Kittridge (Henry Czerny) returns from the first movie to be a meddling boss who gets pissed when Ethan doesn’t directly follow his orders. He sends Briggs (Shea Whigham) and Degas (Greg Tarzan Davis), to stop him from going rogue (too late!), both of whom are low-key entertaining with the usual buddy cop banter. Degas even sides with Ethan at one point, saying that maybe there’s a good reason he’s gone rogue, which is then pointedly ignored by his partner.

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    The Entity, however, is the main boss battle for Dead Reckoning. This artificial intelligence can erase online existence in real time, take on multiple personalities, gain access to telecommunications, hack infrastructure systems, and basically dominate the digital landscape. And with the modern age being highly dependent on technology, it has the potential to really eff up the world just for the lulz. However, it’s also distracting that Entity looks like a blue Eye of Sauron from The Lord of the Rings.

    Also on the side of the baddies is Gabriel, who just looks like your typical corrupt executive. Paris (Pom Klementieff) is a standout Harley Quinn-type of chaotic baddie who looks like she’s actually having fun giving chase but she hardly has any lines and just walks around menacingly as Gabriel’s hype gal.

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    Part of the super spy fantasy has always been enjoying some sweet lovin’ from attractive allies and adversaries. Ethan has been living the dream with almost every woman fawning over him throughout the M:I franchise.

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    In M:I7 alone, we see Alanna A.K.A. White Widow (Vanessa Kirby) draped over Ethan while teasing him and Ilsa cuddling him while overlooking a romantic view. Bro was even flirting with new recruit Grace and constantly invading her personal space.

    However, that Ethan Hunt rizz often risks the safety of his many love interests. At times, some unfortunate comic book “fridging” takes place for the drama... and to make way for his new squeeze. There’s even a flashback scene from Ethan’s pre-IMF days with yet another mystery girl (Mariela Garriga) who was possibly offed. Way to really put ghosting to a whole other level — perhaps this is the real Ghost Protocol?

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    Should you accept the mission of watching Dead Reckoning Part One?

    Having an artificial intelligence as an antagonist is timely, considering the real-life issues surrounding the ethics and use of AI and Chat GPT. It also forces the IMF team to cook up some clever analog solutions.

    It’s also impressive how this movie, despite being filmed at the height of the pandemic, still delivers. The extreme stunts are also stunting hard with our collective blood pressure shooting up with every jump.

    Even more traditional action scenes are still fun to watch ,like the labyrinthine run in Venice, some rat-tat-tat action in Abu Dhabi that straight up looks like a Counter-Strike map, and a car chase in a bright yellow FiatT. Of course, you can have an M:I film without that hyperrealistic unmasking — which gets played for laughs at some point with someone trying to pull off real skin. And yes, Tom Cruise runs A LOT in this film. It wouldn't be Mission: Impossible without it.

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    The dialogue tends to head towards cheese territory, so prepare for more than your fair share of dairy intake. Instead of “family,” we get a lot of talk about friendship and accepting the mission. Thankfully, new characters like Grace and Paris got that chemistry on lock.

    So if you’re down for some stress-inducing stunts and badass women that will wreck your life, then run like Tom Cruise towards the nearest theater.

    Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is now showing in cinemas nationwide.

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    PHOTO: Paramount Pictures
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