“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” pits Tom Cruise against A.I.: Movie Review

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SEA Wave reviews “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”, directed by Christopher McQuarrie, and stars Tom Cruise again as Ethan Hunt.

At this point, there’s simply no stopping Tom Cruise. His passion to save the industry from collapsing during the pandemic and encouraging the moviegoing audience to come in to see his record-breaking “Top Gun: Maverick” was incomparable. He might be one of the last movie stars and we’re just savoring every moment we have with him.

He and his creative collaborator Christopher McQuarrie are once again back in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise in the two-parter saga “Dead Reckoning”. The villain and MacGuffin this time is the Entity, an A.I. (artificial intelligence) weapon that can be a global threat when accessed by the wrong people. “Part One” of this story is a cat-and-mouse chase to find the key that can unlock this weapon, and Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) knows where a part of it can be found.

Assembling the crew

To complete his mission, Ethan reassembles his crew: Luther (Ving Rhames), Benji (Simon Pegg), and Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson). Circling the team is the franchise newcomer Grace, (Hayley Atwell) a thief who accidentally found herself in the middle of a globe-trotting fight for the Entity’s key.

Cruise and the ensemble are all great, and you know and feel that they still enjoy making these movies. Hayley Atwell easily blended in too, especially in difficult set pieces with Tom Cruise.

Female power

While this is Tom Cruise’s show, the best part of “Dead Reckoning Part One” is its female presence. Ferguson, Atwell, and villain sidekick Pom Klementieff delivered some of the franchise’s best moments. And they’ve just enhanced the already superb action happening everywhere: from the Abu Dhabi airport to the alleyways of Venice.

Going the extra mile

Naturally, Tom Cruise continues to do Tom Cruise things. When he’s not flying aircraft, he’s either strapped to walk and jump in between tall buildings and in the case of this movie – ride a motorcycle through a cliff and jump out before using a parachute.

No daredevil with a very successful acting career would do this without hesitation unlike Cruise, and his dedication to doing his own stunts is glorious on the big screen. He wants you to look at his face doing incredible things, and if this is his idea of cinema, I’m already sold.

Back to the roots

Beyond its stunts, “Dead Reckoning Part One” combines the best elements of the “Mission: Impossible” franchise: the sense of suffocation of Brian de Palma, the fleeting excitement of Brad Bird, and the dynamic pace of Christopher McQuarrie.

A lot of people already noted how confident every frame and editing decision this movie looked, and it’s fascinating how they paced this out so well.

Overall, “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” is easily a great feat for blockbuster cinema, with impressive set pieces that never felt better on the big screen. You don’t simply watch a movie from this franchise, you experience it and this may have been one of the greatest experiences you can have in a movie theater. Go out and see it with the biggest crowd you can find.

 

SEA Wave rates the movie 4.5 out of 5 waves.

“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” is now showing in cinemas from Paramount Pictures.