The year is 2023, and enemies beset Hollywood. The Writers' Guild of America strike has been ongoing for two months on one end. Then there's the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) strike that only recently began. Both of these have brought the industry to its knees because of what they mean: No production will happen on any film.
As horrific as these enemies are, they're nothing compared to box office failures. Box office failures mean your money, effort, and resources are lost, and you can never regain them.
In 2019, the filmmaking industry hit new highs. But then, the pandemic struck, and the industry's progress went with it. In 2022, the industry showed some growth. Because of this, many people believed that 2023 would be the year when the industry would return to pre-pandemic levels.
Unfortunately, the reverse has been the case.
Instead of being a year where audiences troop back to cinemas in great numbers, thereby filling studios' coffers with gold, silver, and precious metals, 2023 has proven to be a time when a blockbuster movie is more likely to fail at the box office than break even.
But then comes Tom Cruise. Knight. But instead of wearing armor, he is dressed in a suit. And instead of carrying a sword, his weapon of choice is a gun, his wits, his band of merry friends, and sheer brawn.
Cruise's last film, Top Gun: Maverick, was the biggest film at the domestic box office in 2022. In fact, we have it to thank for bringing audiences back to theaters and keeping their butts firmly in their seats.
Now, when the industry is flailing again, in comes Cruise guns-blazing, ready to save the industry once again.
Cruise's latest film, Mission: Impossible 7, debuted in cinemas on Friday, July 14, and I had the pleasure of seeing it on that very day, and I must say, I was satisfied. I was convinced the film would be one of the year's best performers when I stepped out of the theater.
Why does Cruise's film feel so good? Why am I sure it will succeed and dominate the box office where so many others have failed?
There is one simple answer for that, and it is that Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One is a good film.
For one, the movie has a good story. One that gets you to suspend your disbelief and fully immerse yourself in this world of spies, world-shattering missions, and an ever-ticking clock. Its story convinces you to get on a rollercoaster ride, even though you've sworn them off after that scary experience you had in your youth. More than that, you actually enjoy this ride and maybe even desire another go.
Even though the formula is well-worn by now - it's the seventh film, it still feels new. It still feels exciting. It still feels sensible. The writers are obviously inventive, and it is evident in the familiar scenes that they are supposed to evoke a sense of suspense yet new because they accomplish it differently.
I especially loved the scene where Cruise and his partner fought for their lives after their train crashed. I can't remember ever seeing anything like it before.
That is something the other "big" franchise that recently released its 10th installment hasn't been able to pull off.
Next is the directing.
Christopher McQuarrie raised the bar on Mission Impossible 7. I didn't think it was possible after what he did with Rogue Nation, but he's more than proven that it is. Every gesture, every scene, and every action advanced the narrative. Each one of them carried a punch that hit. Hard. Each step happened at a distance far enough from the previous one that it isn't overdone, and it works.
More importantly, the stakes are high. This is not a film where the protagonist cruises through and isn't risking anything. There's an emotional investment by all the participants - you, me, Hunt. We all have something on the line. We're all involved.
Then there's the acting.
Cruise's career has spanned several decades. In that time, his films grossed nearly $12 billion worldwide. You cannot achieve that much success in anything if you don't know what you're doing. If you want to see his path to the heights of his career, this Deadline article does a good job charting it.
In Dead Reckoning Part One, Cruise brings all his skills to bear. He shows that his consistent success at the box office is not a fluke and that he's worth every cent he's ever been paid and every praise he gets.
His acting is nuanced but assured. Even the shyness he exhibits is self-assured, almost like that's how he truly is. His principles are also uniquely his. Not open to compromise or available to change. When he plays Hunt, he embodies the character, much like he's wearing a mask of said character like we have seen the super spy on screen.
Also, Cruise's co-stars bring their A-game to Mission Impossible 7. Each of them delivers their role to perfection with the result they've given us, one of the year's best films.
I've said this before, but I should reiterate it: Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One will be one of this year's best films. It'll deliver the second billion-dollar box office gross of Cruise's thrilling career.
I almost forgot: I did hate one thing about the film. And it was how Cruise's character Hunt kept forgiving that newbie. She is incorrigible, but Hunt wouldn't lose faith in her or cut her loose. There were moments when I wished I could enter the film and give her a piece of my mind since Hunt wouldn't. Too bad that I couldn't do that.
Anyways, if you ever take anything from me, let it be the following sentence. Dead Reckoning Part One is worth watching, and you should get your ass to a cinema to watch it. Fast.
