Product Info

Studio

Paramount Pictures

Director

Christopher McQuarrie

Genre

Action, Adventure, Thriller

Rated

PG-13

Theatrical Release Date (NA)

Jul 12, 2023

Film Length

2hr 43min

Purchase From

Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is the seventh movie in the long-running Tom Cruise action spy franchise. It makes his next mission worth watching despite being a two-part film.

New Mission, New Problems

Dead Reckoning Part One has Ethan Hunt, played by Tom Cruise naturally, pushing the envelope even further than ever with the stakes being even higher than ever. This story begins with an attempt to hide a new artificial intelligence (AI) computer that becomes self aware while being transported in a submarine. It decides to trick the crew into firing a live torpedo at a phantom target only to have it hit and sink its own submarine deep under the Arctic ice. The only ones who know this happens are a mysterious, very powerful enemy and the Impossible Mission Force (IMF).

The focus of Part One is possessing a key that controls the AI device. That’s easier said than done, since this key involves two separate pieces that combine to make one operative key. Whether it’s the forces of good or evil, whoever has the full key then can control the most powerful AI in the world.

Who’s Who Anyway?

Once Ethan Hunt accepts the mission, it’s off and running big time while picking up his usual team along the way. Ethan’s female partner this time is Grace, played superbly by Hayley Atwell (Captain America, Agent Carter), who happens to be a darn good thief herself. They meet as adversaries trying to chase the key down but decide to join forces very quickly. That’s mostly because Grace is the best partner for Ethan since Thandiwe Newton’s Nyah Nordoff-Hall in Mission Impossible II. The head of this new enemy conglomerate is Alanna Mitsopolis, played by the very beautiful Vanessa Kirby (The Crown). Her background is not revealed in Part One, but she proves to be a very capable opponent to Ethan and company at every turn.

However, Ethan should be aware of Gabriel, played by Esai Morales (NYPD Blue, Caprica). Gabriel has a way to sneak past security, including the most intelligent AI. In Part One, the film doesn’t dive much into this scene of Gabriel, since it is seen through security footage overlooked by the IMF team. Additionally, Ethan has extra motivation to go after Gabriel as Gabriel made a big impact on Ethan’s past from previous Mission Impossible films.

The mask play is done remarkably well throughout the film, a trademark in the Mission Impossible series. It’is so prominent in Part One that the viewer actually gets surprised a couple times by the duper. As a bit of comedy throughout the movie, one particular character puts on everybody’s face several times before actually talking to the person. Funny stuff indeed!

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Yes, the action takes place in the air, on the ground, underwater, and everywhere in between. It’s almost at a constant pace in Part One and the sequences themselves are quite long as well. Certainly what can now be called a trend in Hollywood, action scenes are taking up more minutes than ever before. This can be a bit annoying to some, but by observing the audience at these points, most viewers seem to like it. Personally speaking, it shouldn’t take forever to kick someone’s ass. The film should have been shortened by at least twenty minutes.

The old classic fight/chase scenes are plentiful, too. For example, the fight on a train segues to on top of the train complete with obstacles like tunnels, low hanging pipes, and wires. There is also a car chase that goes down several stone stairwells. (The end credits amusingly mention that “the actual stairs in Rome were not damaged; it was done on a set”.)

Why the Hate?

Once again, as a side storyline, Washington bigwigs just have it out for the IMF.

This has been a constant in this saga. Ethan has saved the world six times now and is working on the seventh. One would think they would be satisfied by now.

At this point, it’s comical. The jokes are good in these sequences and the comic relief is a nice break from the action, so it does stay entertaining. However, it does get a bit old as it continues on through the movie. Washington wants to control everything all the time, and the IMF stalls them as long as it takes. Round and round it goes with no good reasoning other than to show how inept politics can be when it comes to crisis scenarios. Just be glad they don’t spend too many minutes on officials bashing Ethan and company.

The Burning Fuse

The latest Mission Impossible film continues to have a solid orchestrated soundtrack that adds suspense and thrills to its action scenes. It does the job even if your full attention is glued to the acting. The classic “Burning Fuse” theme continues its appearance in the film. After all, it wouldn’t be Mission Impossible without it.

Not the Grand Finale?

Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is certainly needed to avoid the dreaded 3 ½ – 4 hour movie. It stands on its own merits quite well and probably could be its own movie. However, that would dissolve this stellar cast, which would be a real shame. All these characters are played so well that a Part Two is actually a welcome thing, and even worth some real anticipation. Who knows—maybe there will be a Part Three!

An early screening provided for this review. Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One opens in theaters on July 12, 2023, tickets available on the official website.