Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning is ideal escapism

Another nagging problem is that so much of the film is so familiar. Like the previous two Mission: Impossible episodes, both directed by McQuarrie, this one uses stunts and locations we’ve already seen in recent Bond movies (including a conveniently deserted Venice). What’s worse is that it uses stunts and locations we’ve already seen in other movies, too. Maybe there are just too many globe-trotting thriller franchises these days, but when Ethan chases some bad guys through the desert on horseback, it’s like a scene in John Wick Chapter 4, which came out in March. And when his car goes bumping down the Spanish Steps in Rome, it’s like a scene in Fast X, which came out in May.

Bearing in mind the films which inspired Cruise and McQuarrie, it might have been more appropriate if Ethan and Grace had been swanning around the French Riviera instead. But maybe McQuarrie is saving that for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two, which is due to be released in a year’s time.

★★★★☆

Mission: Impossibe – Dead Reckoning Part Two is released on 10 July.

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