New Delhi, Jul 10 (IANS): In their seventh outing Ethan Hunt and his IMF team are back with a bang in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1, and have an onerous task of tracking down a dangerous weapon before it falls into the wrong hands.
Transformed from the budgetary limitations of the original television series into a hugely profitable franchise, this latest addition is a magnificently spectacular and awe-inspiring 164 minutes of edge-of-the-seat actioner. Its pulse-racing stunts are so dazzling that they have an endless appeal with the starry presence of Tom Cruise who, undoubtedly, is the highlight of the movie.
Its plot has a unique spirit. It is steeped in nature, which sets it apart from all other jumbo budget movies of this genre, and so, there's no point in looking for deeper meanings or analysing the holes in this nail-biting spectacle.
It's blockbuster escapism fare with which it has been mounted lavishly on a scale that serves as pure adrenaline rush entertainment. Frenzied action by Cruise as Ethan Hunt leaves you exhausted, but so what? On display is a spectacle that fans of gritty thrillers simply adore. And take back home!
The film opens with Ethan Hunt and his IMF team embarking on a dangerous mission to track down a terrifying weapon that threatens humanity before it falls into the wrong hands, and could spell disaster.
A deadly race around the world begins when Ethan has to chase a villain -- an all-powerful Artificial Intelligence (AI) threat known as 'Entity', and is tasked with the sole motive of saving the world.
'Entity' is a powerful dongle that could set off global wars. It is divided into two pieces that must be reunited to unlock its secrets. Once combined, the cross-shaped key has the power of annihilation if some international agencies that are vying for it get hold of it. It is shrouded in mystery, as the brain behind 'Entity' is not known.
Ethan has saved the world many a times in the past, and therefore, this time too, he will leave no stone unturned to make sure his mission is triumphant. There are also a few dark forces from his past who show up as the deadly game of artful oneupmanship begins round the globe.
There is one insurmountable hindrance, though -- a mysterious and powerful nemesis named Gabriel (Esai Morales ), a powerful terrorist and Ethan's adversary aiming to use Entity to rule the world.
An erstwhile friend and ally prior to Ethan becoming an IMF agent, Gabriel is determined to thwart his mission. Believing that Entity is too powerful for any government to control, Ethan decides to destroy it.
The new CIA boss, Eugene Kittridge (Henry Czerny), wants Ethan to be on the mission. As he, along with his IM Force colleagues, tech wizards Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) and Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames), begin their search in Dubai, they discover someone with a part of the key.
But they get to know a clever pickpocket, Grace (Hayley Atwell), pinching it before Ethan gets to it. He finds two American intelligence agents (Shea Whigham and Greg Tarzan Davis) on his trail, and the shadowy Gabriel.
What follows is warring forces eyeing Entity, to weaponise it. When the one who owns a part of it, puts a price on her head, Ethan is sent off in a globetrotting pursuit chasing all those hunting for the coveted key.
Director Christopher McQuarrie has co-written the script with Erik Jendresen, possibly keeping mind for it to work as a sequel, which it unquestionably is, but for all those have come in late, this one also works as an independent saga full of action drama as Cruise -- all of 63 now -- drives through the streets of Rome, zips across the alleys of Venice and jumps off the cliff, literally, to name a few.
The core of film is its action sequences, and Cruise, we are told, has invested in the film as an actor-star and stunt master, insisting on doing all the scenes himself.
Being one of the physically fittest actors, Cruise, as the protagonist Ethan, steadily ups the ante on spectacle and action, a feat that has been widely used as a USP in all marketing campaigns.
And while critics may try to dig holes in the two-line flimsy storyline, none can find any fault in the visual language of his body hanging in space, zooming away on a bike on the mountains, or the agility with which he cruises along the room, all along doing astoundingly remarkable things.
Fraser Taggart's camerawork makes the breathtaking locales comprising mountains, rivers, deserts and old buildings look stunning through his lens. Deft editing by Eddie Hamilton complements his skill and is equally notable, as frame after frame change in quick succession, adding all the more exhilaration for the viewers.
There are other equally well-known and charismatic stars performing the fast-paced, gravity-defying physical stunts that don't seem to be computer-generated at all.
And so, apart from Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Esai Morales, Vanessa Kirby, Pom Klementieff, and Henry Czerny -- all contribute to making your silver screen experience most memorable.
Film: Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (From July 12)
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Cast: Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Esai Morales, Vanessa Kirby and Pom Klementieff
Camerawork: Fraser Taggart Music: Lorne Balfe
Duration: 164 minutes
IANS Rating: ***1/2