Gillipedia Official Rating: Don’t worry, this is both Part One and Part Two of this review
Score: 9/10
Let’s start out by making sure we all
understand each other. If you told Tom Cruise to run across the street to pick
up some milk from the store, not only would I watch, I would still probably
give it a 9/10 because I’m absolutely biased and love watching this man perform
his own stunts. With that being said, unbiasedly, MI7 is over-the-top,
thrilling, a little cheesy, and I ate it all up. If you’re a fan of any of the
previous entries or are looking for something a bit like James Bond, this is a
film for you. Some of the stunts are insane, the locales are beautiful, and
this genuinely has one of the best scores in an action film of recent memory.
Let’s discuss.
Instead of something like an
inconsequential action scene, this entry starts with a more plot-driven tense
scene with a Russian submarine. Yes, this does kick off the whole plot about an
AI that has become sentient enough to organize an international threat and
scale beyond what has been seen in any prior film, but I do slightly miss
starting off with some quick action showcasing a crazy Tom Cruise stunt. Even
so, the way our actors emphasize the threat of our villain is a bit silly, but
it is timely enough still to actually be reasonable in its threat as well. And
just like how previous entries like Mission: Impossible 3 had the
mysterious “rabbit’s foot” that drove our characters and villains into action,
there’s a mysterious 2-part key that is -ahem- the key to stopping the AI. And when
Cruise, excuse me, Ethan Hunt, learns that previous associate Ilsa played by
Rebecca Ferguson has one of the 2 keys, this propels our hero into action to
help her from hired mercenaries sent to steal the key and kill her in the
process.
I’m slightly mixed on Ferguson’s
involvement. She’s been one of the best additions since her introduction back
in Rogue Nation, but her character has taken more of a backseat to
professional thief Grace played by Marvel’s Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell). Simon
Pegg and Ving Rhames return as well to round out the shortlist of IMF (Impossible
Mission Force) agents. And both Pegg and Rhames get to have tons of fun with
this film since they’re more the coders that hack into systems, and the
villain this time is an AI that operates exclusively through code, and I think
they handled how they have to combat the AI pretty well.
Thematically, this is a classic Mission:
Impossible experience. I’m talking characters using full face masks,
characters that sometimes work in their own interest and sometimes help Ethan
out, and of course, Tom Cruise doing stunts. Cinematically, this is one of the
best in the series and takes slightly from the neon and candlelight vibes of
the John Wick series. There’s an extensive car chase sequence with,
again, great practical stunts. It’s a joy to watch, but I do wish shots
lingered just a hair longer to really highlight Cruise driving around.
All of this leads up to a climactic
sequence on a train involving all of our characters. Grace is pretending to be
someone else to make a deal to try to discover what our 2-part key unlocks, and
Ethan has to find a different way onto the train to assist Grace. If you haven’t
guessed already, Ethan trying to find a way onto the train is the catalyst for
Cruise driving a motorcycle off a cliff in Norway into a base jump. It’s the
big selling point of the film, and it indeed is quite nuts. I had watched some
behind-the-scenes footage before watching the film, and Cruise not only
actually did that stunt, he did it 6 times to get the shot… and probably
because he simply enjoyed it too. I won’t say too much, but even after that
stunt is a whole sequence that was basically taken straight out of the Uncharted
2 videogame—people who have played will know exactly what I’m referring to
immediately.
Even if you inserted that exact same motorcycle/base jump
stunt in let’s say the live action Mulan film, that doesn’t make that
film great. You still have to build around the stunt with a meaningful story
and characters to root for, and that’s where this series has always succeeded
and where this film really triumphs. The way they go into an action scene with
a plan only to have to improvise every time something goes wrong is exquisite,
and it is exhilarating. This Part One film is on the longer side, but it
moves fast thanks to the rhythmic drums that keeps you on the edge of your seat
desperately trying to figure out how our heroes get out of these -ahem-
impossible situations. The way the score instills suspense and the story beats
lead up to the stunts is how this film earns the laurels of a 9/10. I saw this
film in IMAX, and as cool as it was to see the stunts on a larger screen, it
was the insane audio quality that really enhanced the experience. Tom Cruise
repeatedly talks about how he approaches films with the audience in mind—which is
not always a successful strategy or one that directors recommend. But teaming
up with writer/director Christopher McQuarrie for a third time now shows how
this series can continue to improve with age with its death-defying stunts, fun
characters, and an admittedly cheesy but thoroughly enjoyable action story. I
don’t know how much longer Cruise can possibly continue to put his life on the
line, but cinema will not be the same after him.
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