Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Cast: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny, Holt McCallany, Janet McTeer, Nock Offerman, Hannah Waddingham, Tramell Tillman, Angela Bassett, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Charles Parnell, Mark Gatiss, Rolf Saxon, Lucy Tulugarjuk, Cary Elwes, Katy O’Brian, Stephen Oyoung, Tomás Paredes.
The mission, it seems, is never over, and if a franchise still appeals to the vast majority of cinema goers, then who can truly say when the curtain should be drawn and the opera singer given the instruction to sing the closing title.
Mission Impossible and Tom Cruise has enjoyed a long and decent run in the box office, the franchise has kept its cool when other voices were criticising its portrayal of masculinity and often outrageous action; it stayed true to the ideas set down in the 1960s when a fledgling television series, and built up with vigour by the continued appearance of Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, and Simon Pegg; and its insistence of portraying strength in women and not using them as additional support, not giving way to the damnation of a nickname that was bestowed upon those gracing the stage of another espionage classic character, James Bond.
Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning may be the last in the franchise, or it could convincingly carry on with its demanding schedule, but to the point where in all honesty its star, the centre of the franchise, should now take the moment to relax and sit back with pride of the near 30 year contribution to cinema that he has given in the role of Ethan Hunt.
Regardless of how the franchise unfolds, its seventh film is one where it all comes together, a decent antagonist, a fantastic team, with both the superb Hayley Atwell and the inspiring Pom Klementieff having a sizeable influence and impact on the film, but most of all it is one of the most damning reasons displayed on cinema for 30 years of the inherent dangers of the over reliance of AI.
Artificial Intelligence may well be in part a benefit to humanity, but its risk of self-learning applications is a major risk to civilisation, to the human race; and this must not be denied that in the wrong hands, in the thoughts of those who might be tempted to use it for a nefarious reason. In a period of Time when AI is everywhere, and if it is not controlled, regulated beyond any type of possible misuse, then the theme observed by the writer and production team will be a distinct terrifying possibility.
The film has arguably one of the best stunts recorded in the franchise and it is without doubt one of the most anxiety driven feats attempted by Mr. Cruise in his life; and for that alone the film should be seen as an endeavour of cinematic excellence.
If this should be the last we see of the franchise in its current form then it has gone out with a terrific bow, action galore, a terrifying prospect, and the swaggering attitude and conviction of knowing it was always going to be admired; that is the belief that Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning installs in its fandom.
Ian D. Hall