The Tom Cruise as metaphor is really interesting, and I agree more applicable because, as you said, Tom Cruise is (was?) an actual good actor. He shouldn't *have* to be and rely on spectacle. After my husband and I saw Mission Impossible, we both said that while we had a good time and enjoyed it (yes, because we are basic and plebiscite, etc), we also missed the twists and turns and more caperish aspects of old Mission Impossible. The latest (last?) was too straightforward and in your face and lacked any kind of trust in the audience. Which is definitely reflective of broader society right now.
My husband and I saw Mission Impossible last weekend. I agree, the tension was the point. I said to my husband after the movie that I miss the days when there was a Big Evil (Soviet Union, ahem) that was being neutralized. This whole AI as the villain felt very meh. The best parts of the movie were the stunts - the whole underwater sequence, the planes. Apart from the stunts though, there really wasn't a good rooting interest. And we needed the Swedish Nightingale to come back.
The Tom Cruise as metaphor is really interesting, and I agree more applicable because, as you said, Tom Cruise is (was?) an actual good actor. He shouldn't *have* to be and rely on spectacle. After my husband and I saw Mission Impossible, we both said that while we had a good time and enjoyed it (yes, because we are basic and plebiscite, etc), we also missed the twists and turns and more caperish aspects of old Mission Impossible. The latest (last?) was too straightforward and in your face and lacked any kind of trust in the audience. Which is definitely reflective of broader society right now.
My husband and I saw Mission Impossible last weekend. I agree, the tension was the point. I said to my husband after the movie that I miss the days when there was a Big Evil (Soviet Union, ahem) that was being neutralized. This whole AI as the villain felt very meh. The best parts of the movie were the stunts - the whole underwater sequence, the planes. Apart from the stunts though, there really wasn't a good rooting interest. And we needed the Swedish Nightingale to come back.
This is giving me some things to think about!