Tom Cruise rides back into action as Ethan Hunt in “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.” (Paramount Pictures/Zuma Press/TNS)
The longevity of the “Mission: Impossible” franchise, now amounting to seven films spanning 27 years, is no coincidence.
With the overwhelming quantity of action movies on the market, it wouldn’t be a surprise to assume the minds behind the franchise had run out of new ways to entertain audiences before reaching their seventh movie. But Tom Cruise, lead actor and a producer of the series, has continued to impress audiences with the cinematic thrill of each and every “Mission: Impossible” film, and “Dead Reckoning Part One” might be the most riveting installment yet.
In the film, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his close allies are on the run from the U.S. government, the Impossible Mission Force — the organization by which he was formerly employed — and a number of powerful mercenaries.
He races to recover two halves of a key with the ability to deactivate a rogue artificial intelligence/virus threatening to cause a level of technological chaos capable of starting World War III.
He soon crosses paths with Grace (Hayley Atwell), a pickpocketer looking to sell the key to the highest bidders, namely Gabriel (Esai Morales) — Hunt’s old enemy who controls the virus — and the White Widow (Vanessa Kirby) — a broker for illegal trading operations from 2018’s “Mission: Impossible – Fallout.”
If “Part One” has a flaw, it might be that there are too many characters for each one to get their moment to shine.
Pom Klementieff portrays a mercenary working for Gabriel, who seems like a direct rip-off of DC’s Harley Quinn due to a lack of original writing, despite Klementieff’s attempt to bring fresh air into the character.
The “villain” — taking form in AI — is a technology that feels all too contemporarily familiar and initially works better as an overarching concept rather than when Gabriel is introduced, who comes off as a bit bland.
Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) — Hunt’s on-again, off-again partner in missions and romance alike — seems more like a device to further the plot than the fully fleshed-out character she was in prior installments. She also draws attention to a troubling theme in not just “Mission: Impossible” movies but the action genre as a whole: romantic interests of the male lead being used for nothing more than character motivation.
If there is a surprisingly nuanced acting performance, it is Vanessa Kirby as the White Widow. She’s a scene-stealer with a presence notably felt despite limited screen time, and Kirby does a phenomenal job not just playing the White Widow but also mimicking another person pretending to be her through the Impossible Mission Force’s facial-swapping technology.
However, audiences don’t go to “Mission: Impossible” for the side characters. They flock to theaters because of Tom Cruise’ portrayal of Ethan Hunt and the breathtaking practical stunts he performs for every movie.
Stunts featured in “Dead Reckoning Part One” somehow found a way to be bigger and better than the previous films’, a prime example being when Cruise drives a motorcycle off a cliff and parachutes onto a train, making the audience feel like they’re diving right alongside him. Because that’s what makes the “Mission: Impossible” movies so beautiful in the digital age: a sense of realness, of feats being accomplished in the real world rather than in front of a green screen, a testament to the lengths movies will go to entertain.
“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” does all the heavy lifting to set up the second part — expected to release in 2024 — to be even bigger while still paying enough care to let “Part One” feel like a movie that’s rewatchable just by itself.
Maybe it’s a cliche to say that “Dead Reckoning Part One” will have you on the edge of your seat, but it’s true. Cliches in movies only persevere because they’ve been doing something right for a long time. And the “Mission: Impossible” franchise sure has.
Rating: 4/5
