On Wednesday, Tom Cruise will make his major Cannes film festival debut with “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” which, despite its title, is probably not the last installment in the popular franchise.
It is the eighth installment of the popular epic, a three-decade-long, high-octane journey with equally fast-paced plot twists and amazing stunts that are filmed all over the world.
From tiny to large screens
The popular story is an adaptation of the same-titled 1966–1973 television series.
After an attempt to bring it back to life failed in 1990 after only two seasons, Cruise’s portrayal of Ethan Hunt, the main secret agent of the Impossible Missions Force (IMF), brought “Mission: Impossible” back to the big screen in 1996.
In addition to the extensive narrative, the film adaptation featured the iconic catchphrases “This message will self-destruct in five seconds” and “Your mission, should you choose to accept it,” as well as Lalo Schifrin’s well-known theme song.
Tom Cruise is king
In contrast to the television series, the movie franchise is almost entirely centered on Ethan Hunt’s adventures, and as a result, Cruise has managed to maintain his youthful appearance while portraying the all-action hero for thirty years.
Leading filmmakers
The show has drawn some of Hollywood’s most renowned filmmakers, and each has made an impression.
The first was filled with tension and excitement, thanks to Brian De Palma of “Carrie” and “Untouchables.” De Palma dug his heels in and refused to make another statement, stating, “One of these is enough,” even if he considers “Mission: Impossible” to be the pinnacle of his career. What’s the point of making another one? Naturally, they create another one in order to generate revenue.
The action scenes were then accelerated and the volume increased by John Woo. Despite the harsher criticism from critics, the Hong Kong director’s film was a box office hit. Brad Bird and J.J. “Star Wars” Abrams followed.
The latter four films were written by Christopher McQuarrie, who took over as scriptwriter for “Usual Suspects” in 2015.
The key to achievement
The franchise’s thrilling action sequences are its main source of success. Anyone with a delicate temperament or a fear of heights should avoid it.
Cruise endures some horrendous beatings, performs acrobatics on the Paris-London Eurostar’s roof, holds onto a passenger jet as it lifts off, and ascends the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the tallest tower in the world.
However, the vault scene from De Palma’s debut movie is still regarded by many fans as a virtually unrepeatable high point in suspense.
Cruise rarely uses body doubles for his stunt scenes, which has led to a number of mishaps, such as in the 2018 film “Fallout,” where he suffered two ankle fractures during a perilous ascent in London.
With viewers traveling from France to Ukraine, the UK, Hungary, Austria, Cuba, China, India, the Bering Sea, and South Africa in the most recent episode, “Mission: Impossible” is Hollywood at its most globalized during a time when Trump tariffs are a threat.
Billions at the box office
“Mission: Impossible” is incredibly profitable despite being incredibly costly to make.
The eight films have a combined budget of $1.5 billion. And the price keeps rising. The most recent opus is said to have cost $400 million, whereas the first opus was created for $80 million.
However, it has brought in an incredible $4 billion at the box office.
Although there have been rumors that “The Final Reckoning” would be the franchise’s last film, and Cruise has seemed to agree, referring to it as a “Homeric… emotional journey of the entire franchise,” McQuarrie has stated that it is not yet ended.
On Wednesday, the world will finally know if Ethan Hunt’s luck has finally run out.
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