Mission: Impossible 7 -- Dead Reckoning

Synopsis in 3 sentences or less:

Ethan is tasked with retrieving two halves of a key that unlocks "The Entity," a powerful AI computer that can help dominate the world. 

Memorable Quote:
So just how do you plan on getting out of here? Of course.  ~Kittridge

Highlight:

The blond villain-turned-ally lady is a cool character.  

Lowlight:

The train-crashing scene at the end could have been cut. At this point of the movie I was ready for it to be over, and the scene was too long, too CGI'ed, and too unrealistic. 

Most interesting piece of IMDB trivia:

Footage was released of Tom Cruise's next big stunt for this film, which involved riding a motorcycle off a cliff and parachuting to a moving train. A years worth of preparation went into the stunt, with Cruise performing over 500 skydives to learn how to control himself in the air, and practicing jumping his motorcycle off a purpose built practice ramp after clocking up over 13,000 jumps on a motocross track. When it came to filming, the only CGI used for the scene was to digitally erase the ramp Cruise launched from. Cruise performed six takes of the jump.

Other thoughts, observations, and questions I didn’t ask when I was in fourth grade:

• A 2 hour and 46 minute movie -- time to get comfy! 
• Nice to see Kittridge again. Fun character and well acted.  
• 23:23 mark:
• "I understand you're upset." ~Kittridge
• "I'm not upset, Kittridge." ~Ethan
• Nice callback to MI1 where Ethan said "You've never seen me very upset."
• 30 minutes in and we're still seeing opening credits on the screen. 
• Who needs The Entity when you have Luther's tech that can change people's faces, do instant facial recognition, unlock airport doors, etc. 
• The cipher riddle bomb at the airport was interesting but random and underdeveloped -- would have been fun to see more of that later in the movie. 
• Ethan profiling Grace as an orphan is reminsicent of Casino Royale, and their being handcuffed together during the chase is reminiscent of Tomorrow Never Dies. 
• I usually find car chases to be a bit boring, but this one is pretty good -- some humor, cool setting, and well filmed. 
• 1:32:27 - one of the several obligatory Cruise movie sprinting scenes. You'd think that sprinting at an olympic pace in dress shoes would lead to foot pain, or at least some blisters. 
• Regarding the motorcycle jump off the mountain, I generally am very anti-CGI and much prefer more realistic-looking scenes and sets. In this case though, what's the point. Like one whole year, 500 skydives, and 13,000 motorcycle jumps -- why not just put in a little CGI, save everyone some time, and call it a day. As it is, the scene looks kind of CGI to me anyway.
• I didn't know until the end credits that the corrupt government guy was Cary Elwes. 

Final Analysis:

As with the previous movie, this one doesn't do much for me. The characters are undeveloped and the plot is unclear (though to be fair I haven't seen MI8 yet so maybe things are explained more there), like who is Gabriel. what happened between him and Ethan in the past, what is The Entity, and who is Grace and what motivates her. And Ilsa has been in three movies now and I still don't feel like I know her or understand her motivations either. It's very close between this one and MI6 -- I'll put this one just slightly higher on the list. 

Mission: Impossible 6 -- Fallout

 

Synopsis in 3 sentences or less:

After Ethan and his team lose some plutonium in an exchange gone wrong, they attempt to recover it by offering to trade Solomon Lane, the imprisoned head of the Syndicate. They cross paths with "John Lark", the codename of the man who wants to use the plutonium to bring about apocalyptic change. They must stop Lark and Laine from detonating the nuclear bombs in Kashmir, where Ethan's former wife Julia is doing humanitarian relief.  

Memorable Quote:
Fate whispers to the warrior.  ~IMF Contact

The storm is coming.  ~Hunt

And the warrior whispers back?  ~IMF Contact

I am the storm.  ~Hunt

Highlight:

I haven't seen Vanessa Kirby before in anything else, but she's great as the White Widow, very charismatic and alluring. And I'm not sure if it's intentional, but her voice and intonation is reminiscent of Vanessa Redgrave in MI1, whose character of Max the arms dealer is supposed to be her mother. 

Lowlight:

Henry Cavill on the other hand is not great. He's not horrendous -- I've seen his screen test for Bond from 2005 which is quite horrendous -- but he's overly stiff and lacking in charisma. 

Most interesting piece of IMDB trivia:

While Tom Cruise (Ethan Hunt) is famously known for performing his own stunts throughout the films, he ups the ante in this installment by performing four elaborate set pieces (mostly without green screens or stunt doubles): a HALO jump, an unusually dangerous variety of High-Altitude Low Opening parachute jump; a helmet-free motorcycle chase through Paris, including a portion in which Hunt rides against traffic in the circle around the Arc de Triomphe; an extended foot chase across London rooftops, in which Cruise broke his ankle while jumping between two rooftops; and a helicopter chase in which Cruise does most of the piloting.

Other thoughts, observations, and questions I didn’t ask when I was in fourth grade:

• Whoa, it's a 2 hour 27 minute movie! 😮 A far cry from the glory days of MI1 which was 1 hour 50 minutes, and also MI8 which I haven't seen yet but is apparently 2 hours and 49 minutes. 😰
• The IMDB trivia said that the HALO jump over Paris took a year of planning and over 100 jumps. If I were directing, I could have saved everyone a lot of time and money by scrapping the scene, which is completely unnecessary to the plot. Why can't Hunt and Walker just enter Paris like normal people? Apparently the Widow has spies everywhere, but they are spies too so they should be able to inconspicuously enter a city without having to jump from 25,000 feet during a lightning storm.
• Also if the Widow has spies everywhere and is a competent underworld figure, you'd think she'd have some facial recognition capabilities and could identify Hunt as an IMF agent. 
• "Max was something of a paradox. She had a fascination for paradoxes." ~White Widow.  This quote calls back to MI1 when Max first meets Ethan and says "You are something of a paradox."
• 1:00:11 mark - cool scene where Ethan, Luther, Benji, and a knocked-out Lane are riding in a hoverboat on the Parisian sewers to the tune of the classic MI theme called "The Plot." I also like the following scene where the policewoman sees them with a hooded Lane and then Ethan saves her from the bad guys. 
• 1:34:35 - the rooftop jump where Cruise broke his ankle. In general, doing your own stunts is overrated. Like in this case, there's no reason that he would need to do this -- we only see him from the back as he jumps across the gap to the next building. But of course Cruise has to be Cruise and do all his stunts no matter how crazy. And in this case, it cost him 8 weeks of filming and almost caused the movie to miss its release date. 
• I did a long college paper on the Kashmir conflict. Interesting and underrated place.
• I was a bit harsh on Michelle Monaghan in my MI3 review, but I think she's fine here. 

Final Analysis:

This movie doesn't do much for me. It's not bad, but it's too long and there's not many higlights or scenes that I really enjoy watching. I am ranking it last on the list. 

The 007 Project: No Time to Die

Synopsis in 3 sentences or less:

Bond leaves Madeleine after thinking that she betrays him, and he lives a quiet life in Jamaica. He is called back into action when a scientist is kidnapped who was working on a secret poison that targets people with a certain DNA. He reconnects with Madeleine and discovers that they have a daughter, and he destroys the facility on the poison island at the cost of his life. 

Memorable Quote:
You know, they come with fur these days.  ~Bond

Highlight:

Kind of a minor part, but I really like his house in Jamaica and the scene where he pulls up to the dock in his fishing boat and walks in.  Beautiful home. 

Lowlight:

What else could it be other than Bond dying at the end of the movie, and in an overly emotional and dramatic way. I just don't agree with the choice -- why would I or anyone want to see Bond dying, it's a Bond movie for Christ sake and it's supposed to be fun, not depressing. While I do prefer serious over campy, the Craig era took itself a bit too seriously sometimes, never more so than the ending here. And if they were going to rewrite the franchise by doing something that had never been done before, why not remove his tragic figure persona and allow him to ride off into the sunset with his wife and daughter.

Also, why couldn't he have just gotten off the island? The whole problem as I understood it was that he got poisoned in a way that would prevent him from ever seeing Madeleine or Mathilde. But he didn't have to die, he could have still gone back to Jamaica and they could talk on Zoom or something.  Or maybe a cure would have been developed over time. 

Most interesting piece of IMDB trivia:

Jamaican actress Grace Jones, who starred as May Day in A View to a Kill (1985), was going to make a cameo appearance in this film during the Jamaica scenes, however she quit shortly after shooting began upon learning how small her part was. 

Other thoughts, observations, and questions I didn’t ask when I was in fourth grade:

• I wish Bond would give Madeleine a chance to explain herself instead of dumping her without a word. 
• Excellent performances by Ralph Fiennes and Rami Malek. I liked Ana de Armas's character, though it seemed underutilized. 
• How was Blofeld able to run the Cuban party from an English maximum security prison with a special eyeball?
• On Daniel Craig, I like him overall and rate him second best Bond behind Brosnan. Craig is an excellent actor, and while sometimes a bit too serious, I prefer that over too campy, as I said earlier. And I love his swagger and arrogant mannerisms, like for example when he casually tosses the rich guy's car keys aside in the parking lot in Casino Royale. 

Final Analysis:

This movie was better than I remembered, but the ending is hard to overcome. Ranking it 14 out of 25. Also see the ranking page for my full rankings of villains, Bond girls, Bonds, and title songs.  

That wraps up the 007 project -- stay tuned for something new coming soon!  

The 007 Project: Spectre

Synopsis in 3 sentences or less:

Bond finally identifies Spectre, the criminal organization behind all the recent plots that he has foiled, and he learns that their leader is someone from his past. He vows to protect the daughter of former Spectre operative Mr. White and falls in love with her in the process. 

Memorable Quote:
You're a kite dancing in a hurricane, Mr. Bond.  ~Mr. White

Highlight:

Lea Seydoux is my favorite Bond girl of the series. She's beautiful, smart, witty, kind -- I love everything about her.  

Lowlight:

The end where Bond is in the old MI6 building falls flat and feels a bit cartoonish with the photos on the wall of former Spectre villains and Bond having to save Madeleine before the timer goes off. 

Most interesting piece of IMDB trivia:

Following the success of this movie, Mexico City held its first The Day of the Dead parade, complete with floats, dancers, and giant marionettes, in 2016. Prior to this, no parade had ever been held, despite the movie scenes.

Other thoughts, observations, and questions I didn’t ask when I was in fourth grade:

• Fun setting for the opening with the Day of the Dead parade, though too much CGI at times. And apparently Mexico City doesn't have any air defense, as the helicopter is allowed to fly out of control over the crowded plaza. 
• This is so cool -- it's the exact same hotel and elevator as License to Kill: 

• The guy who plays Max Denbigh (aka C) is a great actor who I remember as Moriarty in the Sherlock series. 
• My favorite scene is where Bond crashes the Spectre meeting and Blofeld calls him out in front of everyone. 
• Looks fun to drive around Rome at night with no other cars on the roads. 
• I don't know why Bond has to ditch his priceless car in the Tiber, he could have gotten away in it. 
• The Austrian clinic is a great location, and in fact the filming location has been turned into a 007 museum. 
• When Madeleine tells Bond about the time that "A man came to my house to kill my father," that's a reference to the beginning of No Time to Die. 
• The train they take in North Africa is quite fancy considering they seem to be in the middle of nowhere. 
• The storyline of Bond and Olberhauzer as foster brothers falls flat, mostly because their interactions in the movie don't seem to reflect a shared history or familiarity.  

Final Analysis:

Overall this is a decent movie, but it's not particularly inspiring to me. Lea Seydoux is outstanding, and Christophe Waltz deliver an excellent performance, but the story doesn't have a lot of depth or meat on the bone. Ranking it 15 out of 24. 

The 007 Project: Skyfall

 

Synopsis in 3 sentences or less:

Bond is presumed dead after being shot on a mission by Miss Moneypenny (who was aiming for Bond's target). He returns to England after a bomb is detonated in MI6, and the culprit is revealed to be Silva, an ex-agent who has never forgiven M for leaving him to be tortured. Bond and M retreat to Skyfall, Bond's childhood home, where they await Silva for a final showdown. 

Memorable Quote:
How much do you know about fear?  ~Severine

All there is.  ~Bond

Highlight:

While I do love the scene where Bond meets Q in the museum, I'm going with Bond and M getting in the Aston Martin while the Bond theme plays. Also love Bond threatening to use the ejector seat on her. 

Lowlight:

I'm not sure what the neon lights in the background are supposed to be during the fight on the top floor of the Shanghai skyscraper -- just seems very bizarre and out of place. 

Most interesting piece of IMDB trivia:

The role of Kincade (Albert Finney) was originally written with Sir Sean Connery in mind. Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson originally wanted Connery to come out of retirement and make a surprise cameo. Director Sam Mendes told "The Huffington Post", "There was a definite discussion about (Connery playing Kincade), way, way early on. But I think that's problematic. Because, to me, it becomes too... it would take you out of the movie. Connery is Bond, and he's not going to come back as another character. It's like, he's been there. So, it was a very brief flirtation with that thought, but it was never going to happen, because I thought it would distract."

Other thoughts, observations, and questions I didn’t ask when I was in fourth grade:

• Fantastic opening with great music, and the Adele song is the best opening song of the series for me. 
• I like the guy who plans Tanner (Rory Kinnear) -- he's a good actor who can say a lot with his expressions.
• The dialogue throughout is well written and smart, such as between Bond/Moneypenny, Bond/Q, and Bond's word association with the therapist.
• Q's "Were you expecting an exploding pen" line is a reference to Goldeneye. 
• The Bardem intro is memorable, as he performs a soliloquy while walking towards Bond, all in the same camera shot. 
• 1:27:00 mark -- Cool scene where Q is analyzing Silva's code while it spins in a 3D model (even if developers probably don't look at their code this way). And I like how Bond figures out before anyone else what is going on and is the first to sprint down to where Silva was being held. 
• 1:34:50 -- Tanner whispers to M that Silva has escaped and they need to get her to a secure location immediately but then they don't do anything. Get M to safety! 
• Poor Bond, Skyfall looked like a very depressing and bleak place to grow up. 
• 2:00:02 -- I love the shift in music from the happy-sounding Boom Boom song to the dark and ominous themes.
• Why did M even need to be in the house when Silva came, like he wouldn't know at that point if she was there or not. She could have holed up elsewhere. 
• Why does Kincade need a flashlight? He's lived there his whole life. 

Final Analysis:

Incredible movie. Of all the Bond movies, it's has by far the most depth and is the one most like an Academy Award type-movie given its dramatic and serious nature, the exploration of Bond's past, and his relationship with M punctuated by her death. At the same time, it manages to still be very entertaining and rewatchable, with great acting and characters (including Silva, Mallory, Moneypenny, and Q), clever dialogue, and a top-notch soundtrack highlighted by Adele's opening number. Tomorrow Never Dies is still my sentimental favorite, but this one is close behind. Ranking it 2 out of 23. 

The 007 Project: Quantum of Solace

Synopsis in 3 sentences or less:

Bond and MI6 continue to investigate the organization behind the events of Casino Royale and Vesper's death. The trail leads Bond to Haiti, Austria, and Bolivia, where he discovers their plot to keep a dictator in power in exchange for control over the Bolivian water supply. 

Memorable Quote:
Can I offer an opinion? I really think you people should find a better place to meet.  ~Bond

Highlight:

The entire opera scene is great, especially the line referenced above where Bond speaks on the Quantum frequency. 

Lowlight:

The way Bond drops Mathis's body in the dumpster with such disdain is disrespectful and doesn't make sense given how he was tenderly consoling Mathis moments earlier in death. 

Most interesting piece of IMDB trivia:

In a later interview, Daniel Craig revealed that the script originally wasn't intended to be as much of a sequel to Casino Royale (2006) as it ended up being. However, because of the writer's strike, they had only the "bare bones" of a script, and Craig and director Marc Forster ended up re-writing a lot of scenes between them, with many decisions being made on the fly, and at the last second. Much of the content that made it such a direct sequel to Casino Royale (2006) was a last-second addition. Also, the title was chosen more or less at random, with Craig saying that most Bond movie titles are "meaningless" anyway, and they hoped it would sound intriguing. 

Other thoughts, observations, and questions I didn’t ask when I was in fourth grade:

• Solid and intense opening car chase punctuated by Bond opening the trunk to reveal Mr. White while a cool version of the Bond theme plays. 
• I don't like the Another Day to Die song at all, just doesn't sound good to me. Ranking it as a solid last on the song rankings. 
• At the moment that Mitchell breaks his cover, it would have been smart of him to shoot Bond first instead of the other random security guy. 
• 15:12 -- Nice quick musical cue as the scene shifts back to London
• 32:28 -- A solid boat action sequence ending with another cool musical cue. 
• 54:00 -- Great scene where Bond takes one look at the run-down hotel and walks out. "So shoot me, I'd rather stay in a morgue."
• 1:05:20 -- "He'll make much more when he sells us out." So it's a crappy looking plane to begin with, and you know that the guy is gonna sell you out -- not Bond's finest plan. 
• At the very end where Bond exposes the Vesper's old boyfriend, the Canadian agent just leaves very meekly and doesn't show any surprise or emotion. "OK, this guy betrayed me, thanks, see you later." The actress is actually the lady from Castle (a show I saw maybe one episode of). 
• End credits score is good. 

Final Analysis:

This movie doesn't do much for me -- it's ok, and I like the music (not including the title song), but it's kind of bland and devoid of any real highlights. Additionally, the lead villain and Bond girl aren't that memorable. Ranking it 13 out of 22. 

The 007 Project: Casino Royale

Synopsis in 3 sentences or less:

Bond is a newly promoted double-00 agent, and his investigation into a bombmaker eventually leads him to Le Chiffre, a terrorist financier. After Le Chiffre loses a hundred million dollars after Bond foils his plan, he holds a poker match at Casino Royale to win it back. Bond enters the game under the supervision of treasury representative Vesper Lynd, who he later falls in love with. 

Memorable Quote:
Vodka martini.  ~Bond

Shaken or stirred?  ~Bartender

Do I look like I give a damn?  ~Bond

Highlight:

A lot of great scenes to choose from. I'm always a sucker for the Caribbean locale, and I'm gonna go with the scenes in the Bahamas, first where he pretends to be the valet and wrecks the guy's car (and I love the arrogance with which he casually and disdainfully tosses the keys aside), and second where he wins the Aston Martin in the poker game. 

Lowlight:

The opening scene falls flat and isn't very compelling. 

Most interesting piece of IMDB trivia:

This is the first movie in the forty-four years of James Bond where it rains.

Other thoughts, observations, and questions I didn’t ask when I was in fourth grade:

• This movie is directed by Martin Campbell, who also directed Goldeneye and The Mask of Zorro. 
• The chase scene in Madagascar is fantastic, as is the subsequent embassy scene. The actor who Bond is chasing is a real-life parkour master, meaning that he can basically run and jump and climb like a cat. These scenes are also a great introduction to Bond's intensity and determination. 
• 28:58 mark -- What are the odds that when Dimitrios receives the phone call from the bombmaker, he'll be right in line with the camera Bond is reviewing? What if he was in his hotel room?
• 32:00 -- What a beautiful scene with the nighttime pool and surrounding trees and steel drums playing softly in the background. I just now looked up the filming location, and it actually is called The Ocean Club and is in the Bahamas. I would not mind going there someday. 
• How does Bond get through the standard airport security?
• Excellent opening scene for Vesper on the train -- well acted and great dialogue and chemistry between her and Bond. 
• 1:10:33 -- It's clear that Bond does not enter "Vesper" as the password. 
• Instead of Vesper leaving a "message" for Bond in the hotel room on her phone, why couldn't she have just talked to him about it.  Always better to talk things through. 
• 2:17:00 -- Regarding Vesper's Algerian boyfriend, M tells Bond that "We should have picked up on it." No shit, M, you just said the same thing in Die Another Day with Miranda and Moon on the fencing team together. Doesn't anyone in MI6 do background checks?
• Two interesting casting notes: the actress at the poker table in the Bahamas appeared in Thunderball, and the actress at the poker table at Casino Royale appeared in You Only Live Twice.

Final Analysis:

Fantastic movie and script, ranking it 2 out of 21. It's a long movie, but I don't feel like any of the scenes are wasted. Even the poker scenes, which go on for quite a long time, are captivating throughout. Daniel Craig is excellent as Bond -- I can see why there were some doubts about him just based on his appearance, like he doesn't have quite the leading man look. But he plays the role very well with intensity, arrogance, and humanity. I also appreciate that this movie, while being grittier and darker than some of its predecessors, isn't quite as dour or depressing as some of the movies that follow. Martin Campbell delivers once again.