Before the release of "Mission: Impossible 7: Deadly Reckoning (Part 1)", there was almost all praise and publicity before it was released. Among other things, the shot of the leading actor Tom Cruise jumping off the cliff on a motorcycle has already been published. Social media is all over the place. We must pay tribute to the courage and adventurous spirit of this veteran Hollywood superstar, but the negative impact of publicity is also obvious-after witnessing this scene on the big screen in the theater, I feel somewhat guilty in my heart, as if, that’s the way to go matter.

"Mission: Impossible 7: Deadly Reckoning (Part 1)" poster

This is probably the epitome of the film's current situation in the Chinese film market: the appearance is as gorgeous and dazzling as Hollywood movies over the years, but the core is becoming more and more conservative, outdated, and even has a decadent taste. When the so-called big scenes and big productions can no longer attract the audience, they can only helplessly talk about the charm of the actors themselves, but such logic is obviously not convincing.

Of course, the main creator of this film does not want to innovate, no, this time the big boss behind the scenes is not "human", but artificial intelligence. Reminiscent of ChatGPT, which was a mess some time ago, it seems that the crew is still very conscious of keeping pace with the times. However, the actual effect is the opposite - under the threat of the so-called "smart body", no matter how Ethan Hunt and his action team plan, they are all in the opponent's expectation, so they have to give up the digital equipment , Return to the old-fashioned way of contact and combat strategy.

"Mission Impossible 7: Deadly Reckoning (Part 1)" Stills

But wait, isn't this going back to the routine of old-school Hollywood movies? Gunfights, hand-to-hand combat, car chases... After so many years, the "Mission: Impossible" series has reached the seventh installment, but everything is still the same as "True Lies" in the 1990s. It is true that the action scenes in this film are as good as ever, but it can't hide the old-fashioned and boring inside the text: in what age, countries still rely on the so-called "intelligence" to rule the world, which is similar to the sudden arrival of aliens on the earth What difference does it make to eliminate humans? They are already "smart bodies" that surpass the ability of human beings to control the world at will. Isn't there a higher ideal?

The seemingly novel artificial intelligence setting is actually not new at all. Many years ago, the "Minority Report" starring Tom Cruise had already discussed this issue - the fate of human beings should be created by human beings themselves, rather than handed over to external factors, especially without Emotional artificial intelligence. In terms of depth of thought alone, this film is even far inferior to this old film. This kind of dramatic retrogression and landslide of imagination may be the biggest challenge facing Hollywood movies today.

"Mission Impossible 7: Deadly Reckoning (Part 1)" Stills

The result may be an increasingly stylized narrative. The car chase scene in Rome is very similar to the "Fast and Furious 10" not long ago? The meetings and fights in the nightclub are very similar to the "Quick Chase 4" not long ago? The fight in the train carriage and the chase on the roof are very similar to the "Bullet Train" not long ago, isn't it? There are shadows of other movies everywhere. I am afraid that it is not the "laziness" of this film, but that the ideas that everyone can think of are highly similar. The products produced on an assembly line are basically the same, the only difference may be the way of packaging.

Some people may say, it's just a popcorn movie, just for entertainment, why should it be so serious? It may not be that simple.

More than ten years ago, "Avatar" had a global box office of 2.92 billion US dollars, and reached 242 million US dollars (about 1.715 billion yuan) in the Chinese market, winning the box office championship of mainland theaters for many years. More importantly than the box office results, the film has shocked domestic audiences and left many people dumbfounded-how can a movie be made like this? However, "Avatar 2", which Cameron has honed his sword for ten years, has not caused many disturbances in the domestic film market this year. The "family hero"-style plot has also been complained by many Chinese audiences.

Similarly, "The Fugitive" starring Harrison Ford was one of the first representative works of Hollywood movies introduced into China. However, although "Raiders of the Lost Ark 5: Turn of Fortune" starring him was introduced this year, it has been coldly received by the market, almost to the point where it is unknown and no one cares about it.

"Mission Impossible 7: Deadly Reckoning (Part 1)" Stills

Why are Hollywood movies "not good" in the Chinese film market? After all, everyone watches more and has more choices. It is indeed difficult for Hollywood movies that have been changed for so many years to restore their former glory. What they need to do, I am afraid, is not just to put a few Asian or Chinese faces in the movie - just like Pom Klementieff in "Mission: Impossible 7", who looks very eye-catching, but in fact is still A functional role, responsible for being influenced by Wei Guangzheng's hero.

When Ethan Hunt's teammates ask him, can you resist the desire for personal revenge; The right choice; when the voiceover at the end of the film once again emphasized that the world may not know, but Ethan Hunt is saving the world... We also deeply understand that no matter how the appearance of the "Mission: Impossible" series changes, the inside is still the same. The American individual heroism that has remained unchanged for thousands of years. It goes without saying how reckless and content with the status quo Hollywood movies are.

"Mission Impossible 7: Deadly Reckoning (Part 1)" Stills

Of course, commercial ambitions won't stop them. I don’t know when, the movie was designed to integrate the standard configuration up and down, from the parallel universe of Spiderman to the fast and furious street racing to Ethan Hunt’s journey around the world, war and peace style The ultra-long form seems to be a kind of "panacea" that is expected to be high. It seems that by stretching the background of the story to infinite breadth and setting the reserved suspense to be extremely mysterious, the audience can be firmly nailed to the position of the theater.

Many years ago, the once Hollywood blockbuster really made people shine, it told us what is adventure and exploration, what is the outside world, what is a different life... But now, only Ethan Hunt is left Jump planes, jump trains, jump cliffs. Tom Cruise is indeed an admirable filmmaker, but his efforts may be able to save the world in the film, but after all, it cannot save the sluggish Hollywood film.

"Mission Impossible 7: Deadly Reckoning (Part 1)" Stills