"Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One" Movie Preview

Intro

While Tom Cruise can currently be seen in theaters with "Top Gun: Maverick", many fans are eagerly awaiting "Mission: Impossible 7". Almost four years have passed since the last installment and we still need to wait more than a year for the release of the next part. In today's Original, we are going to present you with a first overview of the upcoming blockbuster and talk about all the information that is known so far. After that, you will definitely be up to date on the storyline, the cast, the production and the first trailer. So please enjoy our new video!

Plot of the "Mission: Impossible" Series

Let's first briefly recap the storyline of the previous movies. The main focus is on Ethan Hunt, an agent of the so-called Impossible Missions Force, or IMF for short. This is a fictional US government institution and, with its highly specialized team, carries out only the most difficult of missions.

In the first installment, Ethan Hunt's entire team is seemingly wiped out. As it eventually turns out, his mentor Jim Phelps faked his own death merely to sell secret documents to the highest bidder. Hunt succeeds in finally avenging his team and killing Jim Phelps.

In the second part, Ethan Hunt is seen traveling around the world as a loner. Unfortunately, his vacation is interrupted by a call from the IMF, as the next mission is already expecting the agent. This time he must track down a harmful virus in the possession of the terrorist Sean Ambrose. The villain's plan is to release the extremely lethal virus and then make money by selling the cure. Needless to say, Hunt manages to defeat Ambrose, thereby saving the lives of millions of people.

"Mission: Impossible 3" first shows how Agent Hunt has retired from active duty in order to use his expertise to train new recruits. However, the normal life he hopes to have with his wife Julia is abruptly disrupted by the capture of his trainee Lindsey. While trying to rescue her, she tragically dies and that leaves Hunt with a new mission, which is to hunt down Owen Davian, the black marketeer behind the incident. Davian, however, manages to get ahead of Hunt and abducts his wife. After a nerve-wracking showdown, he is able to dispose of Davian and save his wife.

By the time of the 4th part, a few years have passed and Hunt has decided to fake the death of his wife, since otherwise she would be permanently targeted. This time he finds himself on a mission in Russia, more precisely in the Kremlin. There he is supposed to obtain information about the arms dealer Kurt Hendricks. In the course of the mission, the Kremlin is destroyed and the US government is held accountable by the Russians. Left on his own once again, Hunt tracks down Hendricks while he himself is forced into hiding due to the unfolding events. He is finally successful in tracing the nuclear terrorist, preventing a Third World War, as well as dealing with a new clue that leads to an international crime ring called the Syndicate.

The penultimate film opens with a scheme by the Syndicate posing as Hunt's employer, the IMF. Hunt is captured and can only escape with the help of the mysterious syndicate member Ilsa Faust. She later reveals herself to be an MI6 agent and they both discover that the Syndicate was formed by MI6 chief Atlee. Hunt and Faust do their utmost to destroy the Syndicate from within, in which they succeed.

The latest installment in the series is "Mission: Impossible - Fallout" released in 2018, in which Ethan Hunt and his team are challenged with a race against the clock. Once again, they must prevent a nuclear attack. This time, Hunt and his team are after arms dealer John Lark. In addition to reuniting with his ex-wife Julia and her new husband Erik, he learns that said John Lark is none other than Hunt's initial colleague August Walker, who has an agenda of his own. After the nail-biting helicopter showdown, Hunt again holds the upper hand in this movie and kills Walker.

Story of "Mission: Impossible 7"

After six impressive movies, the question now arises as to what the plot of the upcoming "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One" will look like. As usual with the franchise, little is revealed about the exact storyline beforehand. So our best clue is the first trailer, which was released at the end of May. In the barely two-minute long piece of action, we see some well-known faces, including Ethan Hunt's IMF team consisting of Ilsa, Benji and Luther. Clearly more exciting, though, is the reunion between Hunt and former IMF chief Eugene Kittridge. The two last met in the very first "Mission: Impossible" film - and that was no less than 26 years ago. Even then, Kittridge was wary of Ethan Hunt, and although Hunt was able to clear his name, Kittridge vanished from the movie series altogether. In the trailer scene, the two again seem to have a rather strained relationship. The former IMF director confronts Hunt with the question whether his loyalty is to the US government or to his personal ideals. A further indication of a conflict between Hunt and the IMF can be found in the scene in which Kittridge and an older man sit across from each other in what may be Ethan Hunt in disguise. The latter throws two gas bombs into the room, knocking everyone unconscious but himself and Kittridge. This could be a sign that the IMF is once again engaged in dubious schemes, and it appears to be the only way Hunt can have an undisturbed talk with the IMF official.

Another storyline will be the relationship between Hunt and Ilsa Faust. The tough female agent has been an integral part of the film series since "Mission: Impossible 5 - Rogue Nation" and has also been a potential love interest for the main character ever since. In the trailer, we see the two of them happily embracing, but also some sequences where she can be spotted with an eye patch and blond hair. Also, in one scene she seems to have a heated argument with Hunt, suggesting a volatile relationship between the two. Further, she wears a cross-like key around her neck. This could be an important element in the course of the film, since the key appears numerous times in the trailer.

Another important part seems to be given to the character Grace. We see her, for example, during a high-speed pursuit in Rome, and it is not quite clear whose side the new character is on. She was described as a "destructive force of nature" by director Christopher McQuarrie in an interview, which doesn't sound like a clear-cut hero figure to us.

Two villains will probably be played by actors Pom Klementieff and Esai Morales in roles yet unknown. Klementieff seems to be a kind of assassin who pursues Hunt and Grace in one scene, for example. She is also extremely agile and can effortlessly fight multiple enemies at once. In some way, we think she works for Morales' figure, who is presumably the main villain. He is also very skilled with stabbing weapons and many speculate that he will seriously injure or even kill Ilsa Faust during the course of the film to provoke Ethan Hunt's vengeance. Who knows, perhaps this will be the cliffhanger for Part 8? After all, the title addition "Part 1" of "Mission Impossible 7" strongly suggests that the two movies will be closely connected.

As you can see, the trailer reveals a healthy mix between familiar characters and new ones, and at the same time manages not to give too much away. Still, the footage shown leaves enough questions that can be addressed in more detail either by further information or a new trailer.

Stunts

Truth be told, the many plot twists and storylines that pop up regularly throughout the film series are only part of the movie experience. Equally important to many fans are the stunts that have always been the signature feature of "Mission: Impossible" as well as Tom Cruise. We are particularly looking forward to two scenes that are hinted at in the trailer. In one we see Tom Cruise and the bad guy battling on top of a train, which is a nice reference to the very first part. We are certain that the train sequence will conclude the film and decide the further plot of Part 8.

Another stunt may not be as plot-relevant as the train shot, but it is all the more impressive: We are talking about Tom Cruise's motorcycle stunt, which made headlines long before the trailer was released. We see how the soon 60-year-old Cruise speeds over a precipice and saves himself with a parachute at the very last second. Actually, not much of a surprise anymore with the franchise. Of course, there was no stunt double in action here either, just Tom Cruise himself. Allegedly, he performed over 13,000 motocross jumps and over 500 parachute jumps in preparation. As we are told, the actor had only one attempt to make the scene work. A small mistake on the motorcycle or parachute could have had disastrous consequences. Thus, it is all the more remarkable that he wanted to perform the stunt himself. What some may have missed: He is wearing the same outfit there as in the scene with the train. Will he actually land on the train in style with his parachute? We can't wait to find out!

Cast

After we have already mentioned some of the names and characters, we will now list the actors who are involved in "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One".

Of course, the familiar team of heroes once again consists of Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt, Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust, Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn and Ving Rhames as Luther Stickell. We are also happy to see the return of Henry Czerny, who will play the aforementioned Eugene Kittridge one more time. On the villain side, there is also an old familiar face and that is Vanessa Kirby as White Widow.

New to the cast are Esai Morales as the still nameless antagonist, Hayley Atwell as Grace, along with Shea Wigham as Jasper Briggs, who will be following Ethan Hunt in Parts 7 and 8. Among the actors with still unknown roles are Pom Klementieff, Carey Elwes, Indira Varma, Mar Gatiss and Rob Delaney.

Production

Lastly, let's talk about the production of the movie and some facts worth mentioning. What many fans probably remember most is the repeated postponement of the start of shooting along with the release date as a result of the pandemic. In the end, filming ended up lasting from September 6, 2020 to September 2021, which was mainly due to more rigorous regulations and contact restrictions. In addition, there were loud protests regarding a scene set in Switzerland. There, they planned on filming a train crossing a bridge that had previously been blown up. However, the Swiss government did not grant permission for this. As an alternative, the plan was moved to the Polish village of Pilchowice. This bridge is a more than 100-year-old railroad bridge that was opened by German Emperor Wilhelm II at the time and even withstood the Second World War reasonably intact. However, in March 2020, local authorities and museums intervened and prevented the planned demolition of the structure. Later, director and producer Christopher McQuarrie rectified the reports and claimed that they only wanted to blow up a small part of the bridge and not the entire thing. Either way, the project did cause an international sensation.

Despite all the back and forth, filming was successfully wrapped up. Following a further significant change in the theatrical release date from 2022, "Mission: Impossible 7 - Dead Reckoning Part One" will now hit cinemas on July 14, 2023.

Outro

We hope you enjoyed our Original about the new "Mission: Impossible". What are your expectations for the blockbuster and do you believe the film has still some surprises left for us? Feel free to let us know your thoughts in the comments!