Latest news with #Entity
New European
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New European
Tom Cruise, the Nietzschean Superman
The most recent instalment of the series, The Final Reckoning, involves an evil AI called 'the Entity' and nods to Dr Strangelove with its theme of nuclear jitteriness. But Tom Cruise summed it up best in a late-night show interview: 'There's a mission, and it's impossible!' And that's all you really need to know. I have seen most of the Mission: Impossible films, but I couldn't tell you much about their plots, not in any real detail anyway. The basic formula doesn't change much: retrieve a top-secret gizmo from the most impenetrable place on Earth, disarm a nuclear device with a few minutes to spare, dodge a few double-crossing agents and, from time to time, kill off the leading lady to make way for a new, younger, one. While most of us don't watch these films for their plots, what we do remember are the insane stunts: Tom Cruise climbing the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, Tom Cruise hanging onto the side of a plane as it takes off, Tom Cruise running very, very fast, Tom Cruise holding his breath under water for six minutes, Tom Cruise riding a motorbike off a mountain. Cruise famously performs all of his own stunts, a fact I was acutely aware of while watching a heart-and-show-stopping scene in The Final Reckoning, where he swings around on the wings of a biplane as it loops, dives and rolls. At one point, I turned to my partner and whispered, with a laugh of amazement, 'He's 62!' I wasn't the only one thinking it. You could feel the entire cinema tense up, everyone lifting slightly out of their seats. It was one of those cinema experiences that reminds you why going to the cinema is a thing in the first place. We weren't watching Ethan Hunt, the main character of the franchise, we were watching actor Tom Cruise push the boundaries of entertainment and of human possibility. The term 'Übermensch' comes to mind here. When the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche introduced the idea in the 1880s, he was thinking about how to prevent humanity from drowning in nihilism after he announced the death of God. Nietzsche imagined a superior being who could build his own values and overcome his limitations through self-determination, a creative ability to shape the world according to his will. The idea of the Superman is a wishful idea of what each of us could be, the potential to which we might be able to aspire, a better (according to the philosopher) version of humanity. This concept has been coopted, distorted and caricatured into near oblivion, and if we stretch it a little further, there is definitely a lens through which we can read both Cruise and his alter ego Ethan Hunt as embodiments of the Nietzschean Superman. Throughout the Mission: Impossible franchise, Hunt imposes his will on the chaos of the world, bending the rules of governments and institutions to enforce his own values of loyalty and justice, and, of course, to save the world. Cruise himself seems to have decided long ago that the laws of physics and of human mortality do not apply to him, and he is sometimes described as an alien, not just due to his long-standing affiliation with Scientology, but because of his apparent über-humanness. No matter your opinion of Tom Cruise, it's impossible not to be at least slightly fascinated by him. Never has someone exuded more natural charisma while seeming entirely removed from any recognisable form of human experience. It doesn't seem possible for him to exist without pushing life to its literal limits, putting himself in situations so extreme that he is likely the only person to have ever lived them. Even the way he eats popcorn reflects his desire to live to the max. The Übermensch is the one who enthusiastically says 'yes' to life, through joy as well as pain. But let's not get carried away. Nietzsche would no doubt disapprove of a hero like Hunt who operates within a traditional moral framework and whose mission isn't to transcend humanity but to preserve it. And Cruise's personal commitment to a rigid hierarchical structure like Scientology would probably not sit well with the philosopher either. When Nietzsche introduced the idea of the Übermensch, he was trying to imagine what our evolution as a species might look like. He envisioned a being as far beyond us as we are beyond our ape ancestors. Even Tom Cruise can't live up to this Nietzschean standard. But by Hollywood's standards, Cruise is the closest thing to a real Superman. I'd be willing to bet that if the stuntmen of early Westerns or the wing walkers of aviation's early days had been asked to imagine their ideal entertainer – someone as far beyond them as they were from, say, medieval jesters – they probably would have dreamed up someone like Tom Cruise. Someone who has spent years building stunts on a bigger scale than anyone in history, and continues to execute them flawlessly into his sixties, who advocates for the theatrical experience of cinema, who is credited with almost single-handedly saving the cinema industry during Covid lockdowns, and who likely influenced the Academy's decision to introduce a Stunt Design Oscar starting in 2027. A more cynical view might be that Cruise's image as the saviour of cinema, and as 'the last real movie star' is the result of a savvy PR campaign aimed at diverting from the more controversial aspects of his personal life. Whether or not that's true, there's something undeniably intoxicating about Cruise's unhinged enthusiasm, and he shows no signs of stopping. He recently said he plans to keep going well into his hundreds.
Pink Villa
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Mission Impossible The Final Reckoning Day 14 India Box Office: Tom Cruise's action-espionage sequel adds Rs 1.75 crore ahead of third weekend
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning continues its theatrical run in India with a steady pace. On Day 14, the Tom Cruise-led action spectacle earned Rs 1.75 crore, pushing its two-week total to Rs 79.40 crore nett. While the film has slowed down compared to its opening weekend, it is trying its best to hold its ground with consistent weekday numbers. After a respectable start that saw back-to-back Rs 15 crore days, the film stabilized into a more modest range from Day 4 onwards. Week 2 opened on another high note with a Rs 7 crore Saturday and Sunday, but the viewership dropped again. Although daily earnings have unfavorably declined over the past few days, it will hope to draw major action lovers to cinemas in its third weekend. The Final Reckoning's day-wise India box office breakdown: Day Collection (Rs net) Day 1 Rs 15.50 crore Day 2 Rs 15.75 crore Day 3 Rs 5.75 crore Day 4 Rs 5.50 crore Day 5 Rs 4.00 crore Day 6 Rs 4.00 crore Day 7 Rs 4.00 crore Day 8 Rs 7.00 crore Day 9 Rs 7.00 crore Day 10 Rs 2.50 crore Day 11 Rs 2.50 crore Day 12 Rs 2.15 crore Day 13 Rs 2.00 crore Day 14 Rs 1.75 crore Total Rs 79.40 crore Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, The Final Reckoning is the 8th and final film in the Mission: Impossible franchise. It sees Ethan Hunt and his IMF team face off against the Entity, a rogue AI threatening global chaos. The film stars Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Henry Czerny, and Angela Bassett alongside Cruise. With a massive budget ranging between USD 300 to 400 million, the film is among the most expensive productions in cinema history. Despite delays due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, the film made a high-profile debut with a world premiere in Tokyo and a special screening at the 78th Cannes Film Festival. Having grossed USD 227.1 million globally so far, The Final Reckoning is the eighth highest-grossing film of 2025 and holds the record for the biggest opening weekend in franchise history. Its performance in India adds a significant contribution to its international success.
Washington Post
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
‘Mission Impossible' is the perfect movie for our AI doomsday fears
What's more kooky: Hollywood fantasy of an artificial intelligence doomsday or real life technology executives' predictions of human-enslaving AI? In the new installment of Tom Cruise's action film series, 'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,' a godlike AI called the Entity has the world on the brink of a nuclear apocalypse, and a doomsday cult is rooting for the AI. (Spoiler alert: Cruise saves everyone.)
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Astro's Cha Eunwoo to enlist in July
Cha Eunwoo of Astro will start serving his mandatory military service from July 28, agency Fantagio said on Thursday. He was accepted by the Army marching band and will be the second member of Astro to enlist, after MJ. Earlier this month, the 28-year-old had an interview and received notification of his acceptance on Thursday along with the enlistment date. He debuted as a member of Astro in 2016 and in February last year, released his first solo material, the EP 'Entity.' The idol has forged a career as an actor as well, appearing in a slew of dramas and movies. He is currently shooting the Netflix drama 'The Wonder Fools,' which airs next year, and a movie with the working title 'First Ride.' Separately, he starred opposite IU in her music video for 'A Beautiful Person,' which was unveiled on Thursday.
Pink Villa
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Mission: Impossible The Final Reckoning Day 13 India Box Office: Ethan Hunt's final assignment declines further at the ticket window, nets Rs 2 crore
Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning continued to hold steady at the Indian box office as it added Rs 2 crore on its Day 13, today, bringing its cumulative total to Rs 77.65 crore net. The film, directed by Christopher McQuarrie, marks the thrilling conclusion of the nearly three-decade-long saga during which it managed to impress numerous audiences across the globe with its high-octane action sequences and compelling storyline. Here's a day-wise breakdown of Mission: Impossible 8's collection so far: Day Collection (Rs net) Day 1 Rs 15.50 crore Day 2 Rs 15.75 crore Day 3 Rs 5.75 crore Day 4 Rs 5.50 crore Day 5 Rs 4.00 crore Day 6 Rs 4.00 crore Day 7 Rs 4.00 crore Day 8 Rs 7.00 crore Day 9 Rs 7.00 crore Day 10 Rs 2.50 crore Day 11 Rs 2.50 crore Day 12 Rs 2.15 crore Day 13 Rs 2.00 crore Total Rs 77.65 crore Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is the eighth and final installment in the iconic series. It follows Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team as they race against time to stop the Entity, a rogue artificial intelligence threatening to unleash global destruction. The film stars an ensemble cast including Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Henry Czerny, and Angela Bassett, who reprise their roles alongside Cruise's unforgettable character. The film's production was ambitious and therefore lengthy. Announced in January 2019, the seventh and eighth films were planned to be shot back to back under McQuarrie's direction, who also contributed to the screenplay. Initially titled Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two, the film was renamed The Final Reckoning in late 2024. Principal photography faced delays due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike but resumed in time to wrap by November 2024. Filming took place across several international locations such as England, Malta, South Africa, and Norway. With an estimated budget between USD 300 to USD 400 million, The Final Reckoning is one of the most expensive films ever made. Despite stiff competition from Lilo & Stitch as well as holdovers like Sinners and Thunderbolts, it opened to the franchise's largest-ever opening weekend and has grossed over USD 220 million worldwide, making it the eighth highest-grossing film of 2025 globally. The film's sustained box office performance in India and worldwide underscores Cruise's appeal and the franchise's popularity, providing a fitting atmosphere for the conclusion of the epic journey of the Impossible Mission Force.
