It takes some movie for me to be enraptured despite viewing it in a not-quite-soundproof, popcorn-littered, cramped theater in Cortez, Colorado. But watching Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part One this summer, I have to say it managed to keep me fixed to the screen for the whole 2 hours 43 minutes experience! But backing up… Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One is the seventh and latest installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise. A modern action take on the TV Series, the M:I films have been a big hit for their clever and unexpected directions, seamless action sequences, and dedicated actors. Each movie follows Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt, an Impossible Mission Force (IMF) agent responsible for completing the most unfeasible of missions, and- with the help of his friends of course- saving the world. Dead Reckoning Part One was expected to be the first half of the finale of the series and received much hype upon Cruise’s confirmation of a seventh and eighth movie in 2019. However, director Christopher McQuarrie later claimed that these movies were not the definite end of the decade-long movie series, so there’s more to come!
Filming was scheduled to begin in 2020 but understandably took major setbacks due to the pandemic and a few logistical problems. One of the key features of the past six M:I movies is their wicked stunts- many of them done practically. From climbing the tallest building in the world to learning to hold his breath for 6 minutes for an underwater scene, Tom Cruise doesn’t seem to have a limit, which is extremely time-consuming but also makes for high-quality and thrilling scenes. Dead Reckoning is no exception, with arguably the most dangerous stunts of the franchise. The trailer alone shows how elaborate each stunt was, and one complication regarding the use of a historical bridge on an action sequence required the unplanned creation of the set. The sheer complexity of the film and the COVID-19 pandemic pushed back the film to mid-July of this year, diminishing the dent it made in the movie industry. Mission: Impossible- Dead Reacking Part One was usurped by “Barbenheimer”, both Barbie and Oppenheimer leaving Dead Reckoning in the dust at only 5th in the box office.
Despite being impressed initially by the action scene pack in M:I VII’s trailer, I soon realized that they had given themselves away too much, and I left the theater a little disappointed that there wasn’t much more to what the official trailer had hinted on. I was still awed by the epic fight and chase scenes, but the frequentness and almost off-hand style of the sequences made them less meaningful. This left little room for substantial character development, and the film instead relied on movies of the past to deepen Ethan and his team. Still, the powerful lineup of Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Rebecca Ferguson, and Simon Pegg stayed relatable, alternatively making me tear up and double over with laughter. Hayley Atwell plays Grace, a seemingly common thief, and brings a fresh face to the movie, completing the already powerful group of actors.
One of the appeals of the Mission: Impossible franchise is their interesting adaption of technology. Their original stories allow for the addition of more updated tech for each sequential film, but still keeping with the iconic face masks seen in nearly every movie! Dead Reckoning took this to the next level, with the main antagonist being an AI sentient being, simply referred to as The Entity. This bold move is relevant, due to the recent impact of AI, but has an untasteful echo of robots taking over the world. Moreover, this means physical confrontation is not as intense, compared to past movies where villains like Solomon Lane and Owen Davian make fight scenes so climatic. A lot of pressure was placed on the final two movies to live up to the Mission: Impossible name, especially more recent successes like Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation and Mission: Impossible- Fallout (my personal favorite). Tom Cruise isn’t getting any younger, and as Ethan’s time on the Impossible Mission Force is inevitably drawing near, Dead Reckoning is supposed to be the mission of missions (this time it’s actually impossible!), which is a task in itself. Comparing M:I VII with its predecessors, the plot is certainly lacking and some scenes just seem like fillers, but they’re still redeemed by the odd piece of ingenious cinematography.
Overall, Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part One is a worthwhile, if feel-good movie. Having seen all seven of the M:I movies, this movie began to feel a little repetitive, even the best scenes being reminiscent of past movies. If you don’t want to watch the entire franchise along with this film, I’d urge you to at least view Mission: Impossible- Fallout to see peak-M:I. While not so much of a polished and flawless work as expected, Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part One fulfills its mission of an engaging and unique addition to the series, and I look forward to part two, premiering in June 2024.
