The man who wrote “Transcendental Style in Film: Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer” was apparently unimpressed with “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One.”
Paul Schrader took to his always-colorful Facebook page to write a terse review of Christopher McQuarrie’s latest Tom Cruise blockbuster. The “Master Gardener” director was not a fan of the blockbuster’s script, which he saw as indiscernible from AI writing. (Not to mention the movie’s main villain is a godlike AI.)
“‘Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning.’ Such tiresome claptrap,” Schrader wrote. “There’s no reason that AI, given the correct prompts, could not have written this script.”
While Schrader invoking AI is hardly a compliment, he has been more supportive of computers writing scripts than most of his peers. The Oscar nominee has frequently spoken about what he sees as the potential for AI to replace screenwriters on supposedly lowbrow Hollywood entertainment.
“It’s apparent that AI will become a force in film entertainment” Schrader recently wrote. “Do you need a new episode of ‘CSI: Vegas?’ ChapchatGPT [sic] will deliver that in a matter of seconds. And it will be good, it will cull all the episodes of CSI for the last 20 years and come up with something both generic and contemporary.”
Schrader has not been shy about sharing his thoughts on this summer’s biggest theatrical blockbusters. He raved about Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” calling it the best film of the 21st century and encouraging his followers to make the long drives to see the film in IMAX.
“‘Oppenheimer.’ The best, most important film of this century,” Schrader wrote. “If you see one film in cinemas this year it should be ‘Oppenheimer.’ I’m not a Nolan groupie but this one blows the doors off the hinges.”
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Schrader found time to see the allegedly MAGA-coded blockbuster “Sound of Freedom” after every screening of “Barbie” was sold out on opening weekend. He had harsher words for that film, even if he conceded that he could understand its appeal to largely Trump-supporting audiences (many of whom see it as touching on subject matter related to Q-Anon conspiracy theories).
“Interesting film, more interesting phenomenon,” he wrote of the film. “It’s simplistic, schematic and effective in the Hollywood tradition of ‘message’ movies–but is not ‘Christian’ per se. It’s also a white savior movie, the Hispanics beings saved or punished by the interloping blue-eyed hero. I saw it with a predominately Hispanic audience who applauded afterwards, not seeing the irony in this.”
Ultimately, Schrader did rave about “Barbie” on his Facebook after finally seeing it, calling the film a “wonder” and declaring Barbieland “Gretaland” after director Greta Gerwig.
No question, “Dead Reckoning” has suffered at the box office due to Barbenheimer. The tentpole has grossed $452 million worldwide so far, but that’s nothing compared to “Barbie’s” $823 million and counting total. “Oppenheimer” has so far grossed a cool $425 million, but it’s also currently occupying all IMAX screens in North America, crushing opportunity for “Dead Reckoning” even despite Tom Cruise’s alleged entreaties to exhibitors to make way for his movie.
