Summary
- VFX artists rate Tom Cruise’s stunts in the Mission: Impossible franchise for their real versus CGI elements, with some scenes utilizing CGI for backgrounds.
- Cruise’s stunts continue to impress because he performs them himself, with extensive training and physical challenges involved.
- Each Mission: Impossible film has notable action sequences, including underwater scenes and scaling the Burj Khalifa, showcasing Cruise’s dedication and preparation.
Tom Cruise’s stunts in the Mission: Impossible franchise are rated by VFX artists for how much is real versus CGI. The film series began in 1996, tracking IMF agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team through various assignments, often involving dangerous enemies and increasingly high stakes. Over the years, Mission: Impossible has been praised for its action, and the effort Cruise and other actors put in to perform their own stunts. Some of the franchise’s most memorable sequences include Cruise hanging onto a plane or jumping from a cliff, as seen in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.
In Corridor Crew’s latest video, VFX artists looked at three of Cruise’s stunts and discussed how much CGI was actually used. Check out their comments in the video below:
In terms of the plane sequence in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, they explained how it was “his truest shot,” adding that Cruise was simply wearing a wire. On the other hand, while the famous HALO jump from Fallout was really filmed, they noted that the storm created was less effective. Lastly, they revealed that the cliff jump in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One utilized CGI for the background, but were still impressed by how the scene looked overall.
Why Cruise’s Mission: Impossible Stunts Are So Impressive
Despite using special effects in certain areas, and to varying degrees, Cruise’s Mission: Impossible stunts continue to impress because he performs them himself. When it comes to that cliff jump from Dead Reckoning Part One, the VFX artists at Corridor Crew mentioned how a lot of the action was still real, noting the ramp that was built. Described as one of Cruise’s most dangerous stunts, it likely required extensive training, but served as a highlight of the film and was even included in the trailers.
With seven movies in the Mission: Impossible franchise having been released, there are many action sequences that stand out, including one from Rogue Nation that took place underwater, requiring Cruise to hold his breath for a handful of minutes. Another fan favorite moment occurred in Ghost Protocol, when the actor scaled the Burj Khalifa, currently the tallest building in the world. For each stunt he performs, Cruise puts in a hefty amount of prep work and undertakes many physical challenges to pull them off.
It’s interesting to hear how CGI was employed in these various Mission: Impossible scenes, and what actual VFX artists think of them. Their comments reveal a lot about the filming process and what goes into making such memorable moments. Considering Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two has yet to come out, it is also worth wondering if any of Cruise’s latest stunts will be topped.
Corridor Crew/YouTube
