If Artificial Intelligence took the place of humans, how would the world change? Would we begin pleading with AI to save our lives? These are a few of the questions that viewers still have after seeing Christopher McQuarrie’s Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One, the seventh installment in the spy action film series, which was released on July 12.
The Tom Cruise-starrer film was the first Mission: Impossible movie to receive an Academy Award nomination, and it also did pretty well at the box office. It also got points for portraying the possible risks of AI in a timely manner, which is causing serious concerns in the real world.
However, fans have not been shy about pointing out a fatal flaw that has left them baffled, maybe thinking twice. And yes, it is about Cruise’s battle against someone as ‘inevitable’ as AI.
The Fatal Flaw That Fans Can’t Ignore in Mission Impossible 7
Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible franchise has been a staple of action-packed cinema for decades, grossing more than $4 billion globally. The latest installment, Mission Impossible 7, has received praise for having a more relatable plot than its predecessors. However, eagle-eyed fans have not refrained from drawing attention to a fatal flaw that baffles them.
In the film, as one fan points out, Cruise’s character is confronted with the realization that AI control over finance and culture is “inevitable”. And the only way to stay ahead is to influence it ourselves. Instead of considering this option, his character chooses instead to “kill it”—a decision that has caused a lot of fans to scratch their heads.
Sad now more than ever that people slept on the new Mission Impossible, where Tom Cruise is told that total AI control over finance and culture is inevitable and the only way to avoid being left behind is to influence it ourselves and his response is “nah I’m just gonna kill it” pic.twitter.com/9sMuzPkZbO
— Lumpy (@LumpyTheCook) February 18, 2024
Although the movie has received praise for being the most relatable in the franchise, some fans believe this particular plot point fell short. In a world where artificial intelligence (AI) and technology are increasingly integrated into our daily lives, the idea of trying to eliminate them appears shortsighted and unrealistic. What do you think?
Tom Cruise’s Plans for Mission: Impossible Films
Tom Cruise complimented Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’s box office competitors, which included Barbie, Oppenheimer, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald. He applauded Harrison Ford, who reprised the role of Indiana Jones in James Mangold’s 2023 flick.
Cruise was adamant that he would adore continuing in Ford’s footsteps and producing Mission: Impossible films until he was as old as Ford:
“Harrison Ford is a legend; I hope to be still going; I’ve got 20 years to catch up with him. I hope to keep making Mission: Impossible films until I’m his age.”
In Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Cruise performed stunts to such an extreme degree that his co-stars were concerned he would not survive the filming. This was despite his advanced age. His character teams up with his fellow operatives to take on one of their riskiest missions to date: finding a potentially devastating new weapon before it falls into the wrong hands.
As he works to finish the mission, Ethan Hunt must confront demons from his past and consider the possibility of losing the people he loves. Cruise co-stars with Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Henry Czerny, Shea Whigham, and Rebecca Ferguson in the 163-minute film.
Despite the above-mentioned flaw outlined by fans, Mission Impossible 7 remains a box-office success. The movie made over $567.5 million in revenue worldwide and was well-received by critics.
The release date of the untitled sequel is May 23, 2025.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, streaming on Paramount Plus.
