Tag Archives: Simon Pegg

Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning

Reviewing Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning (MI:TFR) via some Q & A…

Does Tom Cruise do his own stunts? 

Yes. So we are told. The new film’s money shot is an aerial chase involving century old technology… biplanes, like the one Lindy flew to Paris 98 years ago. My concern while watching the scene was not the welfare of Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) but instead… how did they do it? How much time was spent digitally erasing the tethers? Where were the cameras placed on the planes and copters and drones? Did Tom realize he looked like Moe Howard when the wind pushed his hair down over his face?

Is it necessary to have seen 2023’s Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning (Part One) (MI:DR) to enjoy the new movie? 

No. There’s a voice over at the beginning of MI:TFR that goes over much of the activity and set up from the earlier film. And MI:DR is available for streaming on Prime Video if you’re interested. Watching it can help provide context for the new film. (My review of MI:DR from July 2023: https://davidcraigmovies.com/2023/07/11/mission-impossible-dead-reckoning-part-one/)

Are there other amazing stunts beside the biplane chase? 

Oh, yes! The submarine dive which comes in the middle of the movie offers big thrills and tension as Ethan goes into the sunken Russian sub to retrieve a vital element of “the entity.” His ingenuity as he escapes via a torpedo tube and the clever way the scene is resolved are true highlights of MI:TFR.

What is “the entity?” 

It’s a rogue software program that threatens to destroy everything that is online throughout the world. Or selectively, if a person or a nation has control of the entity. MI:DR’s plot was pursuing the two pieces of a key that can unlock the entity. MI:TFR’s plot is gaining access to the other elements that can enable or disable the entity.

Is there actually a server farm that contains all of humanity’s knowledge hidden deep underground somewhere? 

Who knows? But the image of the one seen is MI:TFR may provide a clue to digital storage capabilities that Amazon and Microsoft (and others in foreign lands) have now and are constantly expanding to accommodate AI.

Could a woman be our president? A Black woman? 

Well, maybe. (One such real life person did get 75 million votes last November.) Angela Bassett brings an even-tempered level of gravitas to her role as POTUS in MI:TFR. 

Can Nick Offerman play a heavy? 

Yes. He’s a general, one of the president’s key advisers. The question of destroying a U.S. city in a weird defensive strategy is debated among the POTUS and her inner circle. 

Do the other members of the Impossible Mission Force play important roles in aiding Ethan in his mission? 

You betcha! Benji (Simon Pegg) and Luther (Ving Rames) provide the hacking and other assistance needed at key junctures. The newest member of the IMF, Grace (Hayley Atwell), demonstrates physical abilities beyond picking pockets in a violent fight scene early in the film.

Is Gabriel (Esai Morales) a capable villain? 

Yes, if you like your villains handsome and swarthy with a bit of charm. 

Anybody else of note in the cast? 

Yes. Henry Czerny is back as CIA chief Kittridge. Also supporting are Hannah Waddington, Janet McTier and, as the curious character Paris, Pom Klementieff.

Is MI:TFR too long? 

No. Not at all. Except for a few sections of exposition, the film moves quickly from locale to locale, from task to task, from peril to peril. Just under two hours and fifty minutes.

Should I get the large popcorn? 

Absolutely, yes. The mondo bucket size.

When will Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning be available on streaming platforms?

In a few months. But do yourself a favor and see this one in a theater. IMAX if you can swing it.

Leave a comment

Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation

Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation does exactly what it is supposed to do: it provides action, thrills, suspense and a modest amount of sexual tension. Tom Cruise is back as Impossible Missions Force (IMF) agent Ethan Hunt with a new trademark stunt and a new motorcycle chase.

Holding of for dear life on the outside of a cargo plane as it ascends and flies through the air is impressive. Interestingly, this latest courageous Cruise daring action occurs just minutes into the film. An underwater mission to procure a computer file midway through the movie is tension-inducing as Hunt is forced to hold his breath for an extended period.

The basic plot: CIA head Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin) wants the government to defund the IMF while an organization of rogue agents called The Syndicate wants to wipe out the IMF. Hunt with IMF teammates William Brandt (Jeremy Renner), Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) and Luther Stickell (Ving Rames) work to take down The Syndicate and its leader Solomon Lane (Sean Harris).

As he does in the Star Trek films, Pegg adds a touch of welcome lightheartedness to the proceedings. He’s rapidly becoming one of my favorite character actors.

The gorgeous babe in the mix is Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson), an appropriately named character since M:IRN has scenes set in Casablanca and elsewhere in Morocco. Ilsa’s allegiance initially appears to be to The Syndicate, but she’s on Hunt’s side in short order. Hers is a classy sexiness, but she wears a two-piece swimsuit and a yellow evening gown very nicely. There’s no Hunt-Ilsa hookup in the movie, but there’s an attraction bubbling under.

Settings include an opera performance in Vienna, a formal state event in London and… a used record store (where Ethan Hunt gets his instructions via disc).

Director/scriptwriter Christopher McQuarrie keeps the energy going with only brief pauses in the action. Yes, Tom Cruise overacts a bit, but that’s his thing and he does it well.

Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation hits its marks and checks off most of the items on the list of things you’d want in an action-adventure spy story. Enjoy the ride!

Leave a comment

The Boxtrolls

 

The Boxtrolls is the best looking animated film to hit theaters in years. A combination of labor-intensive stop action filming and post-production CGI has brought forth a movie that’s filled with images of characters and settings that are brilliant in every sense of the word.

We are 20+ years into the Golden Age of Animation, which began with Disney megahit musicals (Aladdin, Lion King), gathered momentum with Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas and hit light speed with Pixar’s Toy Story. After those fallow decades when, because of TV’s less demanding visual needs, animators did their work on the cheap, studios began to deliver strong product and earned huge returns.

As has been shown over and over during this Golden Age, good looks and technical advances help the cause, but ultimate success still rests on a good story. Strong voice acting helps as well. The Boxtrolls hits the mark on all counts.

Boxtrolls are weird little creatures who live beneath the village of Cheesebridge. They come out at night and salvage junk to use in their underground lair. Because they wear boxes (and can hide within them, like a turtle in a shell), they are called boxtrolls. They may remind you in some ways of the minions in the Despicable Me movies.

A young boy called Egg (voiced by Isaac Hempstead-Wright) mysteriously appears among the boxtrolls who raise him as one of their own. Egg leads the boxtrolls to their confrontation with Archibald Snatcher (Ben Kingsley) who is the town’s boxtroll exterminator.

Snatcher’s burning desire is to share in a cheese tasting with the town’s elite. He has, however, a cheese allergy and his physical reactions are displayed with hilarious effects.

Winnie Portley-Rind (Elle Fanning), daughter of cheese connoisseur and leading citizen Lord Portley-Rind (Jared Harris), helps Egg expose the true nature of Snatcher’s work and reveal the good side of the boxtrolls. Other voice talents include Nick Frost, Simon Pegg and Tracy Morgan.

The Boxtrolls, co-directed by Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi, comes from the Laika production company, the outfit that produced Coraline and ParaNorman.

For fans of animated film, The Boxtrolls is a “must see.” All the creative work comes together beautifully in a movie that is filled with delights. Happily, the technology does not overwhelm the storytelling but, instead, enhances it. I’ll say it again: Brilliant in every sense of the word.

 

 

 

 

 

Leave a comment

“Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol” (Non-Stop Action!)

Tom Cruise and his MI team are on a mission to save the earth from nuclear annihilation. Sounds like a modest proposal, right? But it turns out to be rather complicated.

The team busts Tom (as Ethan Hunt) out of a Russian prison to the accompaniment of Dean Martin’s “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head.” They survive an assassination attempt in Moscow, then head off to Dubai to execute a scheme at the tallest hotel in the world.

You just know that some kind of stunt will involve the risk of falling a hundred stories or more and the filmmaker does not disappoint. This is one of the more exciting sections of the movie. After the scam occurs with partial success, it’s time for the team to go to Mumbai to scuttle the launch of a nuke targeted for San Francisco.

Throughout the movie, you will enjoy chase scenes (by car and foot), gunplay, hand-to-hand combat, a really big sand storm and some cool electronic surveillance. Should you notice any holes in the plot, or occurrences that defy all belief, don’t worry. Just enjoy.

In a genius casting move, Simon Pegg on “Shaun of the Dead” fame, appears as the team’s timid electronics guy. Pegg provides geeky comic relief. Jeremy Renner plays an agent turned “analyst,” whose cover is quickly deduced by Ethan. Paula Patton is the team’s designated babe. She’s gorgeous and feisty, too.

If you can, see this in the IMAX or large screen formats. It’s a big movie and it looks better on the bigger screen. The film is directed by Brad Bird, best known for directing Pixar hits “The Incredibles” and “Ratatouille.” As he did with “The Incredibles,” he has delivered more fast-paced action/adventure fun.

Leave a comment