To say that we had prepared for the first press screening of Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1 at the end of May is an understatement. Undoubtedly the most ambitious blockbuster of 2023, the film ticked all the boxes so that we came out captivated and full of eyes. But a detail came to put sand in the shoes, to the point indeed of being constantly embarrassed during our projection. And this disturbing element is the scenario chosen for this diptych, the second part of which is expected for June 2024 and the shooting of which ended just a few weeks ago. It’s hard not to hide our disappointment with this oh so sluggish narrative, which we didn’t imagine would “pop” in 2023 in a film as contemporary as this new Mission Impossible. And inevitably, such a wobbly scenario considerably weakens the footage, because we do not believe it for a single second. It’s quite surreal to write it, but yes, in 2023, it’s a story of artificial intelligence which becomes aware of its existence (and which has decided to threaten the security of the world as long as it takes) which has been chosen as the starting point for the new adventures of Ethan Hunt. We thought that this classic of action and spy films from the early 2000s was over, that it belonged to the past, we have to believe not… So certainly, the subject is more than topical with the he advent of ChatGPT, without forgetting that Skynet hangs in our face with the dazzling developments at Boston Dynamics, but 3 years ago, when the film was shot, the OpenAI software did not yet exist; or at least had not been marketed. But as Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1 is a film whose story was written during its shooting (the main plot was imagined, but not the details), we understand better why the narration is the weak point of the film.
CHATGPT REBELS
Because yes, Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1 was first thought around the stunt scenes that Tom Cruise could well do before imagining a single line of dialogue. It’s the film’s business card, it’s Tom Cruise’s know-how today which takes precedence over a good story, because the 61-year-old actor and his favorite director, Christophe McQuarrie, know it, if the public travels to see a Mission Impossible, it’s good for the physical and technical prowess of its headliner. How can we not remember that day of filming in Norway when Tom Cruise made the front page of all the newspapers around the world for having jumped off a cliff on a motorbike, without special effects or anything, with the only escape route parachute that he had to open at the right time. This was also the starting point of the film’s promotional campaign, three years before its release, obviously delayed by the health crisis, which was also the subject of another big spotlight, namely the blood stroke of Tom Cruise when he surprised two technicians not wearing a mask on the set of the film, in the midst of a COVID crisis. We still remember…
The pressure is therefore enormous on this Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1, because it represents the very essence of what Hollywood cinema is today, the one that justifies moving to dark rooms, at a time when streaming platforms have become the norm for consumption, accelerated by the COVID crisis and inflation that affects the whole world. Tom Cruise knows what a major role he has in this complicated cinematic landscape and the dazzling success of Top Gun Maverick, pushed back 2 years (but which nevertheless generated $1.5 billion at the worldwide box office), is proof that people are ready to move en masse if the show is on. And from this point of view, we have almost nothing to reproach this Mission Impossible. You will be amazed and get your money’s worth, because Tom Cruise is a generous man with his audience. He wants the latter to come out satisfied, limited satiated from having gone to the cinema, and this is undoubtedly the reason why he did not skimp on the duration. 2h46: the film is too long, some would say, and it’s true that some scenes should have been shortened. Not necessarily the action scenes that are fun to watch, but some passages that stretch a little long. The sequence in Abu Dhabi airport could have had the same result with 6/7 minutes less, just like certain passages where they try to justify this false threat to the world by this AI which is aware of it -even. As we do not believe in it for a second, we feel the pressure to try to make us swallow the pill, when these are not attempts to complicate a story that is all in all quite simplistic. And we’re not even talking to you about the intro scene which is undoubtedly the most embarrassing of the whole film. The one which lays the foundations of the scenario and which takes up a rather shameful cliché from the action films of the 90s. We find ourselves in a Russian submarine, with only crew members of Russian origin, who do not know no longer speak their own language and are forced to converse with each other in English, because the American public, subtitles, they don’t like that. And of course, we do not forget to place a big cliché Russian accent. Seriously ?! In 2023, it is no longer possible to use this kind of thing… Especially since as the opening sequence, Tom Cruise had accustomed us to more impactful.
THE STUNTS BEFORE THE SCENARIO
In fact, as we had the chance to see the film twice a week apart, we better analyze the structure of the film and understand that the film was built above all around the prowess of Tom Cruise. It is obvious that for Dead Reckoning, Tom Cruise and Christophe McQuarrie, the director, sat around a table to ask themselves this question: “What could we do with dingo that we don’t have not done yet? That’s how the film was built, at least some sequences that become a bit sluggish. The leap of the angel on a motorcycle, for example, which is undoubtedly one of the craziest stunts ever performed in the history of cinema, its justification turns out to be quite shaky in reality. We’re not spoiling anything for you, but the way the scene is brought up is still far-fetched… However, Tom Cruise and Christophe McQuarrie were clever, integrating humorous sequences to pass the pill, but it is where we understand that the stunt is thought out even before a single line of dialogue is written. Something that we can obviously understand, but as much, it was well found, well balanced in the previous Mission Impossible, as much there, it does not work. Attention, I am not telling you that the sequence is not impressive, it is the way in which it is brought where it lacks naturalness. And then, there’s another slightly embarrassing thing in this sequence, the fact of having pushed it so much on the Internet, to the point of spoiling the surprise effect. Because it’s unfortunate to say it, and especially to write it, but what is projected in the film, in the cinema, is what we have already been shown on the Internet. There are 2-3 more shots as the parachute opens, but the jump is identical to the footage posted on YouTube and social media. It is therefore difficult not to be a bit disappointed… However, in the making of, it was indicated that Tom Cruise jumped 6 times on the day of the stunt. Jackie Chan, when he repeated himself several times to do a stunt, it was filmed from all angles, so that we could witness this incredible feat. We would have loved to see other angles of view, even if that does not detract from the extraordinary character of the waterfall of course.
Otherwise, in recent days, the promotion of the film has also played quite a bit on the speedwing scene, which is therefore a short-distance parachute jump, since the sail is already open when jumping. Tom Cruise trained for several months in France, in the Alps in 2019, and unfortunately, the scene in the film does not honor the complexity of the discipline and the maneuver. We can clearly see Tom Cruise doing the stunt himself, but the sequence is not highlighted, it is a question of a few shots that are a little too wise and which ultimately do not bring much to the story either. Too bad, once again…
CRAFTSMAN, HANDMADE
However, we can once again take our hats off to Tom Cruise for the chase in Rome, which was really enjoyable, again with scenes entirely shot in “practical”, without the slightest effect of smoky CGI. Everything is done on the pitch, it shows and above all we feel it. It goes fast, the camera angles are dynamic with certain shots in camera mode attached to vehicles which make the action even crazier, and it’s a shame that there aren’t more of them. We could also quibble about the editing on certain passages of this chase, which allows itself some easy shortcuts, but in reality, it works. The train scene, which we also saw through social media videos, with Tom Cruise and other actors hanging on the roof, also has a small effect, a mixture of pratical and digital effects. There is also a passage that was practically taken from Uncharted 2 and gamers like us will appreciate the reference, that’s obvious. There is also a new – and new – element that has been added to this Mission Impossible, which is humor. So far it’s been pretty serious and there’s been no room for jokes, but this time around Tom Cruise has tried to put in some funny situations and some funnier lines, and it works there too. We are obviously far from the clumsy humor of superhero films, but these lighter traits for the character of Ethan Hunt, it makes him more touching, more human too, less the robot running headlong. Because there again, he runs the Tom Cruise and not just a little.
BETWEEN TRADITION AND MODERNITY
Another criticism: the fighting scenes, again, a little too old school for our taste. After John Wick, after Tyler Rake and his crazy sequence shots, it’s true that it’s complicated to land with fight scenes that are too choreographed, too dancing. This is the case for the confrontation between Gabriel and Ilsa on a bridge in Venice, which is closer to ballet than to a real fight. It’s a style, old school certainly, we like it or we hate it, but personally, we can’t stand the characters who do three back triple lutz and 6 rotations before landing a blow. Because if the stunts are as authentic as possible, the fights must also be as raw and realistic as possible. Moreover, in this regard, the confrontation in the alley Between Tom Cruise and Pom Klementieff is closer to the action cinema of 2020, more brutal, less dancing.
To sum up, if you go to see the film for its action scenes, you will not be disappointed, Tom Cruise made sure that we come out of it with stars in our eyes. On the other hand, if you expect a spy film worthy of the name, it’s missed, since the scenario is really its weak point and quite incomprehensible after what we had in the previous Mission Impossible. Clearly, Dead Reckoning Part 1 does not manage to do better than Fallout or Ghost Protocol, the episode in Dubai, probably because it was too marketed around the prowess of Tom Cruise and that the latter forgot that a good film also needs a good script. Afterwards, we don’t forget that the film is split into two parts and we keep our fingers crossed that the second will be able to rebalance things. But we will have to wait until June 2024 to find out for sure.
OUR RATING: 7/10