Tom Cruise is a robot. Or an alien, He’s definitely not human. Or if he is, as a Scientologist, maybe he’s made a deal with Xenu. Who knows?

Whatever the case, there’s no doubt that he possesses an unparalleled commitment to pushing the limits of what’s possible — or even sane — in action-movie filmmaking. In this 10-minute behind-the-scenes video, Paramount Pictures gives us a full look at what went into a death-defying stunt that Tom Cruise performed for the upcoming Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning (Part One). We not only see the stunt itself but also the rigorous training that Cruise put himself through in order to pull it off.

I first saw this video on an IMAX screen as a preview before Avatar: The Way of Water and it was the most thrilling thing that I saw in that theater all night. And it’s more effective at hyping a movie than any trailer ever could.

Billed as “the biggest stunt in cinema history,” Cruise not only pulls it off but he actually does it multiple times just in order to be sure that they got the best shot. It’s the kind of thing that leaves you speechless, especially when you consider that Cruise was 58 years old when this stunt was performed two years ago.

In an age when digital effects are used for everything — especially for re-creating action that’s life-threatening — Cruise stands alone as a Hollywood titan who believes that something is lost for the viewer when we rely on digital effects, yet something priceless is gained when action isn’t faked and when thrills are real.

And he’s absolutely right.

The future of the moviegoing experience post-pandemic still faces many challenges, but Tom Cruise may single-handedly save it — or die trying.

I don’t know what Oscar that Tom Cruise should ultimately be granted from the Academy, but he’s earned the industry’s highest honor many times over albeit in the most unconventional ways, ones that defy categories but are still the peak of excellence.

Written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie (the visionary behind the last two, and best, Mission: Impossible films, and seen below gobsmacked while watching the stunt from the safety of a monitor), Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning (Part One) opens next summer on July 14, 2023.