Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part I

Fans new to Rath's Reviews should know that Mission: Impossible is one of my favorite film series, perhaps my outright favorite. It's the spy genre mixed with impeccable action, all while featuring one of the last "great" butts-in-seats movie stars with Tom Cruise. There's lots of other reasons it has maintained a high quality, but suffice it to say I find a lot of inspiration and enjoyment with this series, particularly recent entries that have been near-perfect. 

After the insane, incredible success of Top Gun: Maverick last summer - which is basically the definition of legacy sequels done right at this point - Tom Cruise is back in the summer slot, ready to save movie theaters once again. Of course, he has some help coming next weekend with a couple of juggernauts, but that's for another time. This is Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part I, a mouthful, and perhaps better cited as the 7th(!) entry in this long running franchise. At a certain point, one must ask: how much gas is left in the tank? Especially with Cruise being older than 60. 

The answer, luckily for all of us, is quite a lot. Cruise, back in the producer seat and coupled with now-three-time-director Christopher McQuarrie, have delivered what is potentially the beginning of the end(?) with Part I of a 2-part finale(?) that sees Ethan on his biggest mission yet. 

Welcome to the mission, Ms. Atwell

Now, I should come clean right from the beginning, as I pretty much had this decided by the time I got home from the theater: Dead Reckoning is probably the "weakest" of the previous 4 films (of which my ranking would be Ghost Protocol > Fallout > Rogue Nation), but in no way was I disappointed by it. Saying it's the weakest of that bunch is no backhanded compliment, but rather a testament to just how damn good that three film cycle is. If I were to cite a reason, it would be that Dead Reckoning feels a little sloppy in story compared to its predecessors. Filled with tech buzzwords (i.e. cloud, cybernet, whoozits, and whatzits), I felt like it was constantly trying to explain its AI-based villain when it didn't really need to. In turn, it has a little less heart than the previous entries, even if some "big" things happen (don't worry, none will be spoiled). Pair that with the fact this is Part I and the ending feels weirdly upbeat as opposed to "ZOMG what are they going to do?!?" and you have overall a slightly weaker film. I emphasize "slight" there because Dead Reckoning is still Mission: Impossible which means it still kicks a ton of ass. 

In case you're new to planet earth, Tom Cruise has a death wish, much at the grievance of whatever pour-soul of a company owns his insurance policy. After flying jets last summer, he's now driving cars around the cobblestone roads of Italy and driving motorcycles off cliffs on Day 1 of filming "just in case he dies". It's all pretty preposterous in the best of ways and there are some spectacular moments throughout. Compared directly to Fallout, it's much less action (but let's be fair...only John Wick 4 probably has more action than that), but that doesn't mean what's here is lesser. My particular high point was the Italy chase, especially once a zippy Fiat 500 is introduced, but the finale is a true thrill ride as well. A large reason for that is the stunt work, much of it by Cruise himself, and the talent behind the camera. The special effects are spot-on 95% of the time, and thanks to the planning and choreography of each action element, this series remains a pinnacle of action example. 

In addition to McQuarrie's continued flourishes and ownership of the direction and camera, and Cruise's undeniable star power and ability to become a hero (also, insanely talented that Ethan Hunt and Maverick are similar, sure, but very different people), we have a memorable suite of characters. Fan favorites Benji (Pegg), Luther (Rhames), and Ilsa (Ferguson) return, but honestly the film belongs to - if not Tom Cruise - Haylee Atwell as Grace the thief. She's the heart of the movie and a fantastic addition to a franchise that arguably didn't need one, but benefits greatly from her sly, honest, and endearing performance. Pom Klementieff is awesome to see as a unhinged villain, even if her character is woefully underserved a backstory or really any reason for being there (an area where we could have been explaining less about AI...). Esai Morales' Gabriel didn't really do it for me as a villain, but he wasn't bad either...just not memorable. Having just rewatched Fallout, Cavill more than holds his own as a powerful force and in comparison Gabriel just doesn't feel menacing knowing the AI "entity" is the real villain.

[singing] "There he goes...there he goes, again!"

And all the rest you likely already know. These are well made and edited movies - largely because Cruise uses a consistent group of talented people whom he trusts. The cinematography is top-notch which is a blessing in action films, while the editing lets the action breathe. Toss in an utterly fantastic original score (it may be the unsung winner here...) and you've got the makings of a summer blockbuster that's worth paying money to see on the big screen, just like Mr. Cruise wants you to. Don't be put off by my "ranking" of it against some action-classics we've gotten thus far in the series because if you're still in Mission: Impossible by now (news flash: you should be) then Dead Reckoning Part I is a no brainer.

CONS

• Spends a lot of time and tech jargon to explain an AI enemy that makes a lot of sense pretty much from the get go. Feels a tad sloppy
• In turn, loses some heart that made the previous entries a bit more special
• And, it could have been explaining other things like...who is Paris? Why is she so angry?
• Gabriel is fine...but feels like a very disposable villain, and not all that menacing
• Ends strangely upbeat for a Part I

PROS

• Tom Cruise. Nuff' said...dude is Ethan Hunt and a true movie star
• McQuarrie's direction remains solid as ever. It's no surprise that he and Cruise have partnered for three, soon to be four films in this franchise
• Impeccable cast, many of which are old favorites. However, it's Haylee Atwell's Grace that all but steals the show. She was probably the single best part of the film for me
• For action films, the filmmaking is more important than ever and it's still at the top of its game here. Cinematography, editing, and even special effects are killer
• Original score is near-perfect
• Action beats that range from great to some of the best of the year (and that's saying a lot in 2023). The Italy chase was my personal highlight, but there are other sections that get very close
• Entertaining from start to finish. This is a butts-in-seats film that you should see on a big (probably IMAX) screen

Rath's Review Score | 8.5/10