I was never a hardcore Mission Impossible fan, but I always liked these movies. The franchise grew on me and soon enough, it became a ritual to watch the MI movies when they came out. And so today, after long, I trudged down to the theatre to watch the latest installment – Dead Reckoning Part 1.
Was enjoyable, and nearly three hours passed but didn’t feel like it. The movie is fast-paced, with one sequence after another now allowing you to catch much breath in between. Of course, the whole premise is now close to culmination, with Dead Reckoning Part 2 possibly being the end of it. What better than AI as the enemy in the finale:)
Close to culmination since this time around, everyone is after the team. I mean everyone – governments, villains and AI as well. It’s only that much that three people can fight against, even with seemingly unlimited resources and stunts that well, are conveniently suited to the task at hand. Nevertheless, the movies are meant to border on the unbelievable and at least are not as atrocious as the brain-dead, but equally enjoyable Fast and Furious series.
The franchise rests squarely on the shoulders of a now 62-year old actor, who performs his own stunts, defying expectations every single time. It’s inspiring to see his commitment to the craft, even so when nearly all movies rely on green screens and CGI to create absurd-looking sequences that are technically brilliant but fake all the same. Here, Tom Cruise proves that a 5 foot seven above 60 actor can still be the biggest action star in the world, and that is a big reason I guess, why people go to watch him. The dedication, the preparation and the execution serve as lessons that anything is possible, even if the Mission isn’t.
Go watch it. The next one is rumored to be shot partly in space, and you will actually have to hold your breath for that one!