The Degrees of Tom Cruise

The Degrees of Tom Cruise:

You may be wondering “what the poop is this page?”. Well, I’ll tell yah. Tom Cruise is one of my favorite actors (in fact, he is probably tied for first with Christopher Walken) and he has been quite active on my site, with a lot of his movies reviewed. I wanted to honor that with this page. Before, I go into what this page is about, I want to put up some statistics on Tom Cruise’s activeness on my site (it will update from time to time):

Total movies reviewed: 25
Number of Juicy Popcorn movies: 22
Number of Burnt Popcorn movies: 3
Total Juicy awards (Best Actor): 0
Total Juicy awards (for movies): 6
Total Juicy awards nominations (Best Actor): 2
Total Juicy awards nominations (for movies): 28

Your next question may be “why do you like Tom Cruise this much?” There are two reasons why: he is great at acting and he stars in movies that are fantastic (well, except for one). Because of how much I like his movies, I have made this page to rank them, using a system that measures them by temperature (that’s the reason for the title). Below is the rating scale:

0-59%= Freezer Burn
60-69%= Cold
70-79%= Warm
80-89%= Hot
90-100%= On Fire

ON FIRE:

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“The Last Samurai”
Reviewed: July 31, 2018
Why is it on fire?: Cinematic landscapes, fantastic music, and a story gushing with themes of respect and honor, Tom Cruise astounds in his role of Captain Nathan Algren who fights for the traditional Samurai in a battle that may change the course of old Japan.

“Edge of Tomorrow” (100th review)
Reviewed: June 14, 2014
Why is it on fire?: With an original take on an old concept, this movie has several highlights from battles against aliens to great characters that you can connect with. Tom Cruise plays one of his best roles yet, portraying someone that is actually afraid to fight.

“Oblivion”
Reviewed: September 7, 2013
Why is it on fire?: Filled with a sleek futuristic setting and amazing special effects, this movie entertains, providing a plot twist that will surely blow your mind. Tom Cruise plays Jack Harper, a man without a memory of his past who is searching for answers.

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“Rain Man”
Reviewed: July 28th, 2018
Why is it on fire?: Emotional, heartwarming, and impactful are the proper adjectives that describe this wonderful, transformative journey as Tom Cruise portrays Charlie Babbitt, a selfish young man who kidnaps an austistic brother he never knew he had to obtain a three million dollar inheritance.

“Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol”
Reviewed: November 6, 2014
Why is it on fire?: With a new director taking the wheel (Brad Bird), this movie exceeds its predecessors with more thrilling and suspenseful situations. Tom Cruise once again plays IMF agent Ethan Hunt as he tackles his most dangerous of foes yet: Hendricks.

“Jerry Maguire”
Reviewed: August 29th, 2015
Why is it on fire?: It has several memorable scenes and quotes along with such a good-feeling atmosphere that is sure to make you grin. Tom Cruise stars as the titular character, Jerry Maguire, who is a popular sports agent who gets fired on the account of him realizing that how he gets his job done isn’t who he is as a person.

“Minority Report”
Reviewed: July 22, 2014
Why is it on fire?: Not only does this movie show a glimpse of the future (through Steven Spielberg’s eyes!), but it also shows how much dangerous it could be to even think about doing anything wrong. Tom Cruise plays John Anderton, a Precrime cop who is being chased down by the police after they find out that he will commit a crime in the future.

“Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation”
Reviewed: August 24, 2015
Why is it on fire?: The IMF crew is back and is just brings a smile to my face to see Ethan Hunt up on the screen performing daring stunts that are sure to put me on the edge of my seat. Tom Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt, who is having to chase down the Syndicate, an anti-IMF, while he is being hunted by the CIA after they shut down the IMF.

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“Collateral”
Reviewed: September 11, 2015
Why is it on fire?: An original story keeps this movie afloat and a deep theme makes it soar. Every person acted great in this film and it was very enjoyable. Cruise portrays Vincent, a killer contracted to murder a list of people, commandeering a taxi and its driver, Max (played by Jamie Foxx), to get him to his many destinations.

“War of the Worlds” (2005)
Reviewed: May 3, 2013
Why is it hot?: A retelling of an old story with Steven Spielberg’s twist, this movie is awesome. It offers a lot of suspense and is all around entertaining. Tom Cruise plays a father named Ray who is trying to deliver his children to their mother when aliens arrive and start to kill humanity.

“Mission: Impossible”
Reviewed: August 4, 2014
Why is it on fire?: The first in the Mission: Impossible franchise, this movie showed the potential in these type of movies. With Mission Impossible style, this movie gives you a thrill ride full of double-crosses and action. Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt for the first time, having to find the person who killed his team while they were doing a mission.

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“Jack Reacher”
Reviewed: May 24, 2013
Why is it on fire?: It is a very interesting movie in which you try to solve the mystery along with Reacher. It also has fantastic directing and cinematography. Tom Cruise plays Jack Reacher, a man that has been off the radar in life that comes out of hiding to solve a case that involves someone he knew.

HOT:

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“Far and Away” (1992)
Reviewed: July 30, 2018
Why is it hot?: Tom Cruise stars as Joseph Donnelly in this sprawling epic that sees a young Irishman wanting to get a stake in land in America. It’s an endearing experience that pairs Cruise with Nicole Kidman for fantastic chemistry that makes for a fun watch.

“Knight and Day”
Reviewed: January 17, 2015
Why is it hot?: It’ll make you laugh from start to finish while providing well-rounded action sequences that will keep you up. Tom Cruise is Roy Miller, a man on the run from the F.B.I who stumbles upon a woman that he begins to really like. Too bad the only thing he can do at the moment is keep her alive.

degrees of tom

“Top Gun: Maverick”
Reviewed: June 29th, 2022
Why is it hot?: They don’t make them like these anymore. A well-oiled machine of solid performances, fantastic aerial cinematography, and a good-natured story for the heart, this sequel out-does its predecessor in many ways. Tom Cruise returns as Maverick and (quite literally) soars his way into another classic.

degrees of tom 6

“Mission: Impossible- Fallout”
Reviewed: August 12, 2018
Why is it hot?: Filled to the brim with spectacular stunts, gripping action, and many misdirections, “Mission: Impossible- Fallout” sees the return of Cruise’s Ethan Hunt as he has to stop remnants of the Syndicate from releasing nuclear bombs.

tom cruise 2 “Mission: Impossible III”
Reviewed: September 28, 2014
Why is it hot?: With a story driven by J.J. Abrams, this movie provides excellent acting with a very thrilling tone of how the movie plays out. Tom Cruise reprises his role of Ethan Hunt and must track down an arms dealer who is ruthless.

“Valkyrie”
Reviewed: April 7, 2015
Why is it hot?: It has an interesting premise, having been based on a true story, and is filled with good dialogue as Germans try to formulate a plan to kill Hitler. Tom Cruise plays Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, one of the leaders conspiring against Hitler.

“Tropic Thunder”
Reviewed: April 19, 2014
Why is it hot?: A hilarious original movie with several big stars, this movie really gives you a fun ride! Tom Cruise plays Les Grossman, a jerk of a boss who will stop at nothing to make money.

Warm:

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“Top Gun”
Reviewed: June 29th, 2015
Why is it warm?: It has enjoyable characters that you can connect to with a fun story that, although hilariously bad when thinking about certain scenes, is entertaining. Tom Cruise plays Maverick, a Lieutenant United States Naval Aviator who gets the chance to become one of the best pilots of the world.

“American Made”
Reviewed: January 31st, 2018
Why is it warm?: With an interesting approach to the true story, Tom Cruise’s “American Made” may have some fun stored in his performance as Barry Seal, but the film as a whole could’ve benefitted from taking a more in-depth approach to Seal’s conflict instead of making it a comedic bit.

tom cruise degrees

“Risky Business” (1983)
Reviewed: July 28th, 2018
Why is it warm?: Tom Cruise’s breakout role as a young, rebellious teen makes for an interesting, risque joy ride. However, the amount of nudity, sex, and unrealistic ending was a turn-off for this reviewer.

Cold:

“Mission: Impossible II”
Reviewed: August 13, 2014
Why is it cold?: Although this film had good action sequences that will keep you on edge, it fell short because the plot was mediocre, feeling more like a love story than an action movie. Tom Cruise once again plays Ethan Hunt as he tries to stop a disease from going into the public while trying to save a woman he falls in love with.

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“Jack Reacher: Never Go Back”
Reviewed: May 14, 2017
Why is it cold?: Tom Cruise returns as Jack Reacher, however this sequel didn’t match the standards made by the first film. Everything about the movie screamed boring and tired as the story was hollow, the action was dead, and the acting was sub-par.

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“The Mummy” (2017)
Reviewed: October 22, 2017
Why is it cold?: With such a promising set-up that would ensure Tom Cruise a film universe to call his own, “The Mummy” stumbled to the finish line, focusing more on building its franchise rather than its own singular storyline. While Cruise turned in a feasible performance, everything else couldn’t adhere to the expectations from the audience.