Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One proves to be a shocking reminder of the franchise's longevity thanks to a Tom Cruise age comparison.
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One is another showcase for Tom Cruise's incredible action movie star qualities, but the movie also acts as a shocking reminder of the franchise's longevity thanks to his age. The seventh entry in the Mission: Impossible franchise arrived 27 years after the original movie that rebooted the TV series as an action/thriller movie series. Audiences have spent nearly three decades watching Tom Cruise becoming increasingly more daring with his stunts in an effort to bring more people to theaters and treat them to something they've never seen. It's only become more impressive as he gets older too.
Tom Cruise's age in the Mission: Impossible movies has continued to gain recognition thanks to the unbelievable practical stunts he pulls off with each new installment. Mission: Impossible 7 is no different in that regard, as he was 61 years old by the time the movie finally hit theaters. Tom Cruise's age in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One is actually 59 and 60 years old as a result of the extensive production process and delays caused by the pandemic. Not only does this make many of the movie's stunts and his physical performance all that more special, but comparing it to the original movie makes it truly shocking.
Tom Cruise Is Older In Dead Reckoning Than Jon Voight In Mission: Impossible 1
It is somewhat miraculous to realize that Tom Cruise is older in Mission: Impossible 7 than Jon Voight was in 1996's Mission: Impossible. While Cruise was a spry 32-year-old in the original movie playing a 34-year-old Ethan Hunt, Jon Voight was introduced as Jim Phelps, the elder statesman of the Impossible Mission Force and a mentor to Ethan. Voight easily fills in this role and makes Phelps' experience in the field believable, and this is thanks to the actor being 57 years old during the making of the movie. That really puts Tom Cruise's commitment to Mission: Impossible and the franchise's success into perspective.
Tom Cruise has officially surpassed the age of the franchise's original "old" agent, but Mission: Impossible 7's ending shows no signs of him slowing down. This can partially be attributed to the fact that Tom Cruise looks much younger than a man in his 60s, whereas Jon Voight's slicked-back grayish-brown hair naturally makes him feel older. But, Ethan Hunt also continues to be incredibly active in missions as Tom Cruise runs, jumps, fights, and more in each new movie. It is clear that even after 27 years of playing Ethan Hunt that Tom Cruise's character remains a premier IMF agent who can save the world, even as he gets older.
How Much Longer Tom Cruise Wants To Play Ethan Hunt
Tom Cruise has no plans to stop playing Ethan Hunt and starring in Mission: Impossible movies either. He will be 62 years old by the time Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part Two hits theaters, as long as more delays do not come. The action star also told Sydney Morning Herald that he wants to match Harrison Ford's time playing Indiana Jones and hopes to keep making Mission: Impossible movies until he is in his 80s. That would mean there is room for plenty of other movies that will make Tom Cruise feel even younger in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One as a result.