.jpg)
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1
A.I. is all
the rage right now. It’s crazy how fast it’s accelerating. At this stage, it
lets you ask a question and will provide you with a very detailed answer in
just a matter of seconds. In fact, it’s so accurate and hard to link to any one
source, students are using it to write their assignments. And just as it has
seemed to come out of nowhere and is only tipped to grow and infiltrate our
lives even more, it’s fitting and relevant that the movies tackle this latest
surge of artificial intelligence.
Even though
this issue has been explored in the realms of sci-fi and fantasy for decades
now, most famously with the fictitious Skynet creating time-travelling robots
to kill the mother of an unborn child, we once thought such advancements in AI
would remain just that; fantasy. But this is not the case in today’s world. How
then, did the newest instalment of the long-running Mission: Impossible
franchise predict this would be the hot topic in 2023?
Beginning way
back in 1996, and based on the iconic TV series, "Mission: Impossible" starred a
young Tom Cruise and was directed by Brian De Palma. A great espionage flick, stylish
and intelligent. Then in 2000, Cruise returned with a totally different take on
the property, a new director in John Woo, and a new hairstyle. "Mission-Impossible 2" was the biggest hit of 2000, although not the strongest film in the
series. Cruise decided to give it one more go around in 2006 with the decent "Mission: Impossible 3", which still has the best villain of the whole series in
my opinion.
With trilogies
all the rage, Cruise felt satisfied with what he had done and tentatively walked
away. But when his rantings and ravings about his personal beliefs and a
heavily publicized marriage to Katie Holmes dominated everything in the mid 00’s,
people just sort of lost interest and Cruise lost a lot of fans. It seemed the
best way to save his career after a few misfires at the box office was to
revive his only franchise once more. And luckily for him, it worked and brought
us "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol."
This was
the fourth entry in the series and would set up another four movies to
come over the next decade. The film shifted from just neat spy tactics and
complicated plots, to exhilarating action scenes and death-defying stunts.
Cruise decided to climb the worlds tallest building, and pulled it off. Then he
returned with the fifth instalment, "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation” and decided to hold his breath
for 6 minutes, and lead incredible bike chase through the desert. M:
I was reinvigorated and Tom Cruise was back. He punched out a few
other decent flicks in between instalment, until 2018 came along, to give us
the sixth movie and one of the best action films ever made.
"Mission:
Impossible – Fallout" (review coming soon) upped the ante in every way. A sophisticated plot, a
well-nuanced villain, and some of the best, most realistic stunts ever committed
to film – realistic because they were real. Tom cruise threw himself out of a
plane via a halo jump over Paris, he rode a motorbike into oncoming traffic through
the French capital, he ran on foot through London and leapt over the building, breaking
his foot in the process and halting production for 6 weeks. Then he topped it
off by learning how to fly a helicopter and chase another helicopter through
the mountains. It was sheer brilliance. The film ended with no real closure so
to speak, but Cruise made it clear – every film to follow, Mission: Impossible
or not, would continue to bring us amazing stunt work with the diminutive movie
star risking his life every time, all in the name of entertainment.
After Top
Gun 2 was filmed and in the can, it was due to be released in 2020. Then something happened… COVID, and the release dates for many movies were delayed because cinemas were closed. Many films due to be released, and in a bid to make money before they couldn’t make any at all, went straight to streaming.
But not Top Gun: Maverick. Adamant that he makes movies for the cinemas, Cruise
made sure the release was pushed back until we could all return to the cinema
plex once more. Delayed, delayed and delayed. Eventually being realised nearly
two years after its initial release date, the wait was worth it. Cruise, being
a pilot in real life, got back behind the cockpit of the Air Forces best
fighter jets, and taught the new young recruits how it was done. The result was
an incredible movie going experience of planes doing unbelievable things in the
sky, a good story, and the biggest film of 2022. Top Gun and Tom Cruise single headedly
saved the movies and brought people back out of their post-covid hibernations
and into movie theatres again.
So, all of
that brings us to Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning: Part 1; the first of
the final (?) two entries in the almost 30-year-old series. Expectations were
high to say the least, given the quality of Fallout and the smashing success of
Top Gun: Maverick, so why wouldn’t the film be just as good, if not better? Once
the first trailer dropped online, we were served a taste of what to expect;
Cruise flying through the air, risking his life and showing the rest of his
action-movie counterparts (most younger than him) how it was done.
The plot
this time? Mission: Impossible likes to keep it pretty simple. Some bad guy
gets his hands on a weapon, no other agency knows what to do about it, so the
IMF (Impossible Mission Force) are called in to get the job done. Cruise and
his cohorts, Benji, Luther and Isla, are scattered around the globe but return to get their hands on a special key which will unlock a weapon unlike any ever conceived by man. A fully self-aware artificial intelligence called, “The
Entity”. An invisible force, everywhere and nowhere, able to tap into anything,
or anyone, and pull the wool over their eyes to decieve them as to what is
real and what’s not. We can all relate to this. At this point in our society’s
progression, we have Chat Bots and deep fake videos on social media, so for now,
it’s all fun and games, right?
But for
Ethan Hunt, the world is at stake, and he will have to go up against an enemy
that can’t be reasoned with, can’t be killed, and is always two steps ahead. A
smart idea, which is executed in fine fashion with a tight script and fast-paced story, that starts
with a bang and doesn’t let up for almost three hours.
And like a
smart action film should do, the actions serves the story, instead of distracting
from it. You’ve got the usual car chases, bike chases, Tom Cruise running, exotic
locations around the globe, and two stand out scenes involving a bike and a cliff meeting up with a runaway train. You know the stunt I mean? It’s been the focus of all the
trailers and marketing for this film, and it’s superbly done. The settings, the music, the cinematography, and the pay off of each stunt has been so meticulously and carefully planned out and staged, you won't believe your eyes.
As a movie
going experience, the Mission: Impossible series have continued to top
themselves ever since Ghost Protocol took the series into new territory. It’s
all about the stunts and the high stakes, working together to take you on a thrill
ride. Clocking in at a whopping 168 minutes, this is the longest film in the
franchise, but I didn’t feel the time drag at all. It moves at breakneck speed,
and every scene is well-earned, keeps the plot moving, and brings you surprises
and twists along the way you won’t see coming.
Cruise is
in fine form once again, and is matched move for move by Hayley Atwell who
plays Grace; a master thief and pic-pocketer who wants the same thing Ethan
does, and will have to work with him whether she wants to or not.
I don’t
want to give too much plot away, but going into this film, it helps to have
seen the previous instalments in the series. If you haven’t seen them all
or don’t want to, then I’ve tried to recap them in this review. If you enjoyed
Top Gun: Maverick last year and were surprised that you did, then you will
enjoy this film. It’s a different film all together, but you will get the same calibre
of no-CGI, pure stunt work movie magic we’ve come to expect with Cruise and Co,
who make sure that you get value for your money and time spent in the theatre. Certainly,
a film to see on the big screen, and might even warrant a second viewing to
catch all the smart dialogue and sub-plots going on.
And being
sub-titled Dead Reckoning Part 1, does the film end on a cliff-hanger? Kind of.
Is there a post-credit scene hinting at what’s to come? No, so you don’t have
to stick around after the film ends. But bring on 2024 and Part 2 I say, as Part
1 has set up an interesting series of events to be played out.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
There was a time when movies ended on a positive note. They gave
us closure, and usually, a happy ending. Symbolised by our hero riding off on
horseback towards the sunset, and presumably a happily ever after. Where their adventures
would stop, and they’d live out the rest of their days in peace.
In 1989, when “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” was
released, it ended on that note. It was one of the great film trilogies of all
time, alongside Star Wars, and after finding the Holy Grail – the most coveted treasure
in history – surely the famed archaeologist would never need to hunt down
ancient artefacts ever again?
But in the early to mid-2000’s, when sequels and remakes
where being made in droves, Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford decided to dust
off the hat, pull out the whip and give us one more go-around with one of
cinemas greatest heroes. And the result? Well, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull” has it’s few loyal fans, a lot of haters, and everyone
else who thought it was just sort of… meh? For the most part, I enjoyed it, but
I grew up on the original films of Raiders, Temple and Crusade, so I was going
to find something to like about the new Indiana Jones film.
And with that fourth entry ending with an ageing Dr. Jones finally
tying the knot with his true love Marion, it seemed that it was indeed the final
adventure. But hey, in today’s shaky, vulnerable movie landscape where
anything new is a gamble, and everything old is new again, nostalgia is the flavour
of the month.
Talk of a fifth and final(?) Indiana Jones film started circulating online about five years ago, and hit a few snags with COVID. Until
Hollywood decided that no global pandemic was going to stop them making movies
(just postponing their release date by a couple of years, i.e., Top Gun:
Maverick). With COVID masks, and Glasgow, Scotland standing in for New York
circa 1969, production began on the fifth as yet untitled Indiana Jones film. Harrison
Ford was back in his most famous, iconic role ever, but Spielberg decided to
hand over the directing duties to the reliable and talented James Mangold. Haven’t
heard of him? Just look up his filmography online and you’ve seen more than one
of his films, I assure you.
And forty-two years after the original adventure classic,
here we have “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”. Interesting title, but
not as clunky as “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”. With an 80 year old Ford
playing to his age (close enough) we meet Dr. Jones at the end of the 1960’s, still
teaching archaeology to a class of very bored students, who just want to listen
to music, party and celebrate the recent landing of man on the moon. None of
this seems to interest Jones, clearly living in the past and doing what he
knows – talking about history and trying to preserve it.
With recent advancements in filmmaking, we see a de-aged
Ford at the start of the film, at the close of WWII. Indiana is battling it out
with the Nazis again for a prized piece of history. The opening action scene is
a standout and the fake-face Ford pulls it off, setting up events that will come
back to haunt him thirty years later. The film doesn’t ignore that Indiana has
aged, and uses the fact he is now an old man as a strength. He knows he’s way
out of his depth, but still has his wits and quick reflexes to get him in and
out of several tight spots.
Joining him on the adventure this time is his god-daughter Helena
(played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge) who holds her own against Ford as a history
buff with an agenda of her own when it comes to locating treasure. Despite their
differing points of view, these two estranged adventure-seekers must work
together to stop an ex-Nazi from digging up the past and changing the course of
history.
With a title like “Dial of Destiny” you might guess what
this entry of the series is dealing with? Without spoiling anything, I can say
it has to do with meddling with time, revisiting the past, and changing the
course of the future to rewrite history. I did like the way that was explored
in this film, and I must say the final twenty minutes really surprised me. Overall,
the film was inventive, didn’t play it safe, and had some entertaining and thrilling
action scenes.
Was a fifth Indiana Jones film necessary? That’s up to you. Is
it worth watching? If you’re an Indiana Jones fan, you’ll dig it, and it’s
always nice to revisit this character over the years, if you can suspend some disbelief
that an almost 80 year old man would still be running around the globe, swinging
across canyons with a whip, and punching out men half his age and twice as
strong. But isn’t letting go of reality why we go to the movies?
