Sunday, August 9, 2015

Mission: Impossible 5 at Le Grand Rex

Photo from lacritiquerie.com


While it might have come out on 30 July over in the New World, Tom Cruise's newest beat-the-baddies installment "Mission : Impossible 5 - Rogue Nation" doesn't open 'til Wednesday here in France. (I'm not sure why the delay, but then again I'm sitting in Starboock listening to Shaggy's "Angel," so perhaps the French aren't so bothered about sitting at the front of the mainstream pop culture bandwagon.)

The Irishman is unabashedly a fan of Tom Cruise and the franchise -- he claims it's the stunts and the jokes, I think he also identifies with the character/actor's unfailing good-guy persona ;) -- so a quick search for screenings on AlloCine.fr led us to an avant première at Le Grand Rex, one of the oldest and swankest cinemas in Paris, which also does cine-concerts, live shows, film panels, and premiers.

Booking in advance is advisable. The tickets for the pre-screening were cheaper than for a normal Saturday night showing at 10 euros each - and we also added two drinks to our reservation to save time at the candy counter.

The movie was playing in La Grande Salle which, spoiler, looks like this:

Photo courtesy of tout-paris.org, because my iPhone 4 camera sucks

We climbed three flights of red carpeted stairs before we found our way in. Why were they herding everyone into the balcony? Because instead of the screen coming down from the curtained semi-circle above the stage, an IMAX-worthy panel descended from the ceiling. In a rare display of collective enthusiasm, everyone applauded and cheered.

The film's greatest stunt occurred in the first five minutes, which isn't to say the movie wasn't action-packed, but if Tom Cruise is going to regrow his fanbase while maintaining his cult membership, he'll have to do it clinging to the cabin door of a taxiing cargo jet.

On that note, to my (admittedly cynical) tastes, some of the dialogue in the film sounded like it was written by either Abraham Lincoln's speechwriter who's gone a bit rusty or by someone with an agenda, namely, selling the idea that Thomas Ethan Cruise-Hunt is the "human manifestation of destiny" and "the only one who can see the way things are."

The supporting characters are all flawlessly fun and aware of their trope-iness. Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames, and Alec Baldwin bring the chuckles while Rebecca Ferguson kicks ass and scales buildings in an opera gown. If you're looking for motivation to take up Krav Maga, this girl has the face of fellow Swede Ingrid Bergman and the head crushing thighs of Daryl Hannah in "Bladerunner."

All in all, an excellent night out! :)

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