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Mission Impossible-Dead Reckoning Part One Movie Review: It's incredible that Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One was able to accomplish what it achieved for being the seventh film in this long-running franchise. Christopher McQuarrie and Tom Cruise have been constantly pushing the boundaries of action films since the release of Rogue Nation and no one is doing it like them. It's a cinematic spectacle that will have you gasping, tensed, and flabbergasted in the best possible way by the time the final credits hit. Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One Review: Critics Love Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell’s Action Heavy Film! Call It ‘Extravagant’.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is once again helmed by Christopher McQuarrie, the director of the previous two MI films and it takes the franchise’s self-awareness to a whole new level. The plot does get complicated, so just to make things a bit simple - an artificial intelligence (AI), by the name of The Entity, goes rogue and many of the world’s superpowers are gunning for a key combination that will give them complete access to it. If it falls into the wrong hands, there will be total chaos on all fronts and the only man standing in their way is, you guessed it, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) who is in a race against time and must acquire the key and stop the AI himself.
With today's concerning boom in AI, Dead Reckoning's story feels relevant. The timing couldn't be better, and McQuarrie approaches things a little differently this time. If Rogue Nation and Fallout have a Hitchcockian psychodrama flair to them, Dead Reckoning transports us to the days of Brian De Palma's MI1 where Dutch angles reigned supreme and Ethan was a trickster with his hands. It has a fairly campy tone, which was a pleasant surprise, and it may give Dead Reckoning some of the most personality this franchise has seen in a long time.
The story is occasionally complicated due to the sheer number of characters, but it's a testament to McQuarrie's writing, with Erik Jendresen joining him this time around, that it can actually create a palpable sense of stakes mixed in with the mask-ripping goofiness we have come to expect. It has a different vibe and it makes for a zany adventure with a lot of humour to it. Even as a “part one” movie, it still feels like a complete film and doesn’t pull the rug right beneath of you. It has a beginning, it has a middle, and it has a definitive ending and that’s what really stood out considering how some of the recent “part-one” films haven’t exactly all gotten it right.
Watch the Trailer for Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One:
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One introduces several new characters to the series as well as some familiar faces. Grace, played by Hayley Atwell, is a master thief whose plot takes her in an unexpected way. She has the most to do from the side-cast, and Atwell readily fits into the pandemonium of the tale. Then there's Esai Morales' Gabriel, a guy who serves the Entity and has a history with Ethan. While he's not on the level of Sean Harris' Solomon Lane, Gabriel is still a formidable foe. And then, there is Pom Klementieff as Paris, an assassin after the AI, and her character is reminiscent of Ruby Rose's Ares in John Wick: Chapter 2, with some delectable action moments. Shea Wingham also appears as Briggs, an officer attempting to arrest Ethan, and he is the most amusing of the lot.
Henry Czerny also returns as Eugene Kitridge from MI1 and what a treat it was to see him back. There is one scene between him and Ethan in particular that is a direct reference to their initial meeting from the first film, and McQuarrie definitely delivers the goods with it. Unfortunately, the returning characters of Benji (Simon Pegg), Luther (Ving Rhames), and Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) might get lost in the shuffle. While Pegg and Rhames do receive their moments to shine, it's Ferguson who goes underutilised. There is one decision made with them in particular that left me perplexed, and I hope McQuarrie has a payoff for it because if not, this is the only truly disappointing moment in the film. Vanessa Kirby too returns as Alanna, and gets a more to do this time around.
Cruise, on the other hand, is completely insane here. He has never been more committed to the part of Ethan Hunt, and in some ways, he is even more animated this time around. Cruise nails it and proves that even after all these years he is willing to risk it all for our entertainment. His story begs the question, "Can the world's most dangerous man defeat a computer algorithm?" And you've never seen Ethan outwitted like this before, which gave a delightful layer of uncertainty. You come to an MI film to see Tom Cruise do some of the wackiest things ever put on screen, and in that regard Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is perhaps the grandest of the franchise.
We've all seen the insane cliff jump, which is one of the best stunts in the film, but there's a lot more over here. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One is essentially a series of increasingly large events. Cruise and McQuarrie push the envelope even further with the set pieces. The film starts with a cat-and-mouse chase at the airport and then moves on to a car chase in Rome - it's a sequence of ridiculously brilliant set-pieces that will leave your jaw on the floor. Especially impressive was a scene aboard a train, which was executed flawlessly. It devolved into this anxiety-driven ride that had everyone in the theatre leaning forward in their seats due to the sheer tension. And, of course, a Mission: Impossible film would be incomplete without a Tom Cruise running sequence, and this one goes all out with it. Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One: Tom Cruise Opens Up About His Death-Defying Stuns in the Film.
Marking as a series first too, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is shot digitally which gave it a more unique look when comparing it to the previous entries of the franchise. McQuarrie alongside cinematographer Fraser Taggart were clearly having fun here and their work reflects that sentiment. The cinematography and the shot selections are out of this world and the cinematography nut inside me just completely dug it. Also, Lorne Balfe’s score is to simply put it - heart-pounding.
Final Thoughts
With Dead Reckoning Part One now under its belt, Mission: Impossible continues to be that franchise that makes me go 'OH YES' each time an entry comes blaring with "Your mission is do you choose to accept". A certain decision does pull it back from being the best in the franchise, but there is no denying that this is another stellar sequel that pushed the envelope for what action films can be. And yes, Tom Cruise still remains the best working action star we have today - you just can’t bruise the Cruise! Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One releases in theatres on July 12, 2023.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 10, 2023 03:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
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