The Unbelievable Skydiving Stunt that Outshines Mission: Impossible, According to VFX Experts

Summary

According to the Corridor Crew, a team of visual effects experts, the skydiving scene in the 1991 film Point Break surpasses the Mission: Impossible movies in terms of excitement and authenticity.

The skydiving scene in Point Break is more genuine and captivating than Mission: Impossible. It achieves this by seamlessly integrating practical and digital effects, unlike Mission: Impossible which can feel overly animated. The Corridor Crew's breakdown of Point Break emphasizes the significance of combining CGI and practical stunts to create a truly impressive and immersive experience for audiences.

Three visual effects artists believe that a Keanu Reeves movie from 32 years ago showcases skydiving on screen more effectively than the Mission: Impossible franchise. Despite the Mission: Impossible movies being praised for their impressive stunts over the years, the Corridor Crew argues that Point Break, starring Reeves and Patrick Swayze, has the best skydiving scene. The VFX artists break down the sequence, distinguishing between real and fake elements, and ultimately determine that Point Break captures the thrill and realism better than Mission: Impossible.

Does Mission: Impossible provide the same level of thrill as other shows without extravagant airplanes, wild costumes, storms, or cities beneath them? Or does Mission: Impossible offer even more excitement?

In fact, Mission: Impossible offers more thrills. The one-lens close-ups convey a sense of authenticity without feeling overly exaggerated. As a viewer, what takes away from the experience is when the danger presented is not real. This was evident in the baby shower scene in The Flash. Once you disconnect from the characters or the surrounding events feel unrealistic, you lose interest. However, Mission: Impossible maintains a sense of realism that keeps me engaged and invested.

This VFX Analysis Is Surprising (But Teaches An Important Lesson About CGI and Stunts)

Released in 1991, Point Break is now over 30 years old. Surprisingly, the Corridor Crew ranks it higher than Mission: Impossible, despite the latter's inclusion of more elevated elements and skydiving stunts, such as a "giant airplane." In Mission: Impossible - Fallout, Cruise performs a HALO jump through the night, while the most recent installment, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, features a motorcycle skydiving stunt against a CGI backdrop.

However, Point Break's skydiving sequences hold a special place in people's minds, even though they are comparatively less extravagant. Without the added danger of cities below or stormy skies, Point Break still manages to impress with its minimalistic approach to skydiving.

Point Break showcases the importance of CGI in stunts, emphasizing that computer-generated effects alone are not enough to make them impressive. Although movies like Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One may require the use of CGI in certain scenes, relying too heavily on these effects can detract from the overall experience, as noticed by the Corridor Crew. It is the combination of practical and digital elements, along with well-placed "one-lens close-ups," that truly immerses viewers in a genuinely authentic moment.