Mission:Impossible 7 Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

 a 2hr 47 mins part one new Mission: Impossible, don't you guys overdo it?

Every new Mission film (as every new film) gets a longer running time as opposed to Hitchcock's rule about length of the film according to human bladder...

I didn't like the MacGuffin at all, you don't really have great bad guy here and it seems like a cut  together melange of action pieces trying to top those before -as those M:I movies are. This one tries to quote/rip-off the original one with Brian De Palma style red herrings, shot compositions, the train and the return of Kittridge (Henry Czerny). New femme fatale is introduced, Venice party rave style reminds of John Wicks, etc. The plot is mumbojumbo (mambojambo?) and we all know it. It's just pretext so why so serious? Well, Ethan Hunt  (Le Cruise) is, 'cos he needs saving the world (Again) on its own. And to top himself with another world record stunt, or I should say the much too much publicised stunt that sells these M:I films since Burj Khalifa in the fourth one. 

And Tom Cruise it's not getting any younger...he's gonna be 61 one by the time this one comes out. It's his and his only, his sole production and presenting credit, his director attiree, mr. Christopher McQuarrie who only directed a film of his own (The Way of the Gun), before becoming Cruise's main man...(Jack Reacher, 3 M;I and one coming up), scripts for Valkyrie (where they met), Edge of Tomorrow, The Mummy (!!!), Top Gun deux: Maverick. Maybe you remember, this is the guy who wrote The Usual Suspects back in 1995......Well I guess if he's happy with it, why should we be envious;)? As he works in such problematic enterprises (Covid shutdowns, reshoots, rewrites, studio madness over budgets, you know, the usual drill), this is the true Mission: Impossible, behind-the-scenes.

A 291 mill. $ budget for half of a movie...studios (Paramount) can't say no to the Cruiser especially after he saved the world B.O. with Top Gun 2. I'm afraid Part Two will fare even worst...

Odd coincidences: the train chase like the opening scene of Indy V and a Rome central a car chase like in Spectre and stunts on the Spanish Steps like in Fast X or XI, anyway the one from this summer.

Score by Lorne Balfe, the Scott's second film in the franchise after M:I 6-Fallout in 2018. Liked that movie much better. And the score (see here on my top 2018 soundtracks). See ya next summer for Part Deux! No more reshoots I hope;)

3 out of 5, 6 out 10!