Mission: Still possible? Tom Cruise’s relentless pursuit of the impossible

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Mission: Still possible? Tom Cruise’s relentless pursuit of the impossible

Published: 27 May. 2025, 00:05

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Lee Hoo-nam

The author is a senior culture reporter of the JoongAng Ilbo.

In the world of espionage thrillers, few images are as iconic as that of a secret agent peeling off a rubber mask to reveal a different identity. “Mission: Impossible” (1996) has turned this trope into a cinematic ritual, alongside self-destructing messages and gravity-defying stunts. Though reminiscent of the absurdity found in Korean dramas wherein a mole or wig serves as a full disguise, the franchise leans into these elements with a blend of earnestness and self-awareness.

But to reduce the films to masks and gadgets would be to overlook their core appeal: the relentless physicality of Tom Cruise. Now in his sixties, Cruise continues to perform high-risk stunts that blur the line between action cinema and documentary-grade realism. In the eighth installment, titled “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” Cruise once again takes center stage in a series of elaborate set pieces shot for maximum impact on large-format screens.

Tom Cruise in “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning" [LOTTE ENTERTAINMENT]

If the seventh film, “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” (2023), featured motorcycle cliff jumps, the sequel ups the ante with sequences involving submarines and light aircraft. Watching Cruise push his body to its limits raises questions about not only production logistics, but also endurance itself. His commitment infuses the screen with a kind of visceral suspense rarely achieved by computer-generated spectacles.

The latest villain is not a person but a digital force — an artificial intelligence (AI) with the power to manipulate global systems and push the world toward nuclear conflict. In response, the film returns to analog tools and raw physical action, emphasizing the tactile over the virtual. That thematic contrast feels particularly timely in an era where even blockbuster cinema is increasingly shaped by AI and digital effects.

It has been two years since the release of “Dead Reckoning Part One,” and, at the time, the eighth film was expected to be the final chapter. That assumption now seems premature. Though the film contains retrospective nods to the franchise’s 30-year history — including echoes of the iconic wire-hanging scene from the original “Mission: Impossible” (1996) — there has been no official confirmation that this will be the end.

In Hollywood, profitable franchises rarely die. Unless the film dramatically underperforms, it is hard to imagine that Paramount or Cruise would walk away. Still, the question lingers: Can this series continue without sacrificing its defining trait — Cruise’s real, bruising, high-stakes physicality?

If AI begins to replace the actor’s body, does the thrill diminish? That question may explain why the film’s 170-minute runtime feels weighty, not just in pacing, but in implication. A computer-generated version of Cruise might offer spectacle, but would audiences show up for it?

For now, “Mission: Impossible” remains a franchise driven by sweat, risk and a palpable sense of danger. Whether that mission continues — or ends on Cruise’s own terms — remains its greatest cliff-hanger.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.