Film Review: "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One"

The Mission: Impossible franchise has had an interesting trajectory over the years. Starting in 1996, the films have evolved from a strictly espionage series to an Americanized take on James Bond. Since Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, the series has reinvented itself for modern audiences. Each film has upped the action, story, and spectacle in ways that demand to be seen on the big screen.  Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One takes the franchise up another level. The story follows Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), his team (Ving Rhames, Rebecca Ferguson, and Simon Pegg), and their mission to keep a dangerous Artificial Intelligence system from the wrong hands. 

Plots in Mission Impossible films teeter between being slightly intelligent and majorly convoluted.  The story of Dead Reckoning has eerily relatable similarities to the modern world. Our reliance on A. I and technology in general is an interesting idea for a villain in one of these films. That is because this villain is unlike anything this team has faced before. Going into this seventh outing strictly for the plot could leave viewers disappointed. What the story lacks in plot, it happily compensates with spectacle. 

Dead Reckoning has some of the franchise's most intense and exciting action set pieces. Cruise proves once again why he is one of Hollywood’s consignment actors in today’s industry. His commitment to the action sequences (and the stunts involved in creating them) is thrilling to watch. Add in the banter with the supporting cast, and the film is the definition of “fun popcorn entertainment.” 

This giant blockbuster even flirts with interesting glimmers of character development. Cruise’s megawatt movie star smile shows glimmers of actual fear and uncertainty. This new threat makes Ethan question his ability as an agent. Known as “The Entity,” this villain has a servant named Gabriel (Esai Morales), who has ties to Ethan’s past.  It makes for an interesting and more personal villain for Ethan to face.  While the reasoning behind Ethan and Gabriel’s relationship is vague, The threat of the A.I makes for an interesting dynamic for Ethan’s team.

Ferguson, Pegg, and Rhames understand their place in this large canvas. Pegg and Rhames deliver humorous barbs that never overstay their welcome. With the villain being this mysterious, both actors offer some needed levity. Ferguson as the mysterious Ilsa Faust gets some moments to shine but is arguably the most underused.  These recurring characters leave room for the new additions to make an impression.

Newcomers Pom Klementieff (Guardians of The Galaxy) and Hayley Atwell (Captain America: The First Avenger) deliver scene-stealing performances.  Klementieff’s silent assassin is an imposing force on-screen. The right-hand woman to the mysterious Gabriel conveys a real sense of menace. Atwell is arguably the “breakout” performance in the film. Her character Grace offers a great “outsider perspective” to this world of spycraft. Her performance and character inject the film with an extra layer of needed humor. 

Besides the seriousness of the threat, Dead Reckoning is oftentimes a hilarious film.  While the team is on a life-saving mission, there are moments of great levity. A particular chase sequence around the streets of Rome had me in stitches from laughter. It is the grandiose nature of these moments that make Dead Reckoning a worthy first part. The film’s biggest problem is in its screenplay by Bruce Geller, Erik Jendresen, and Christopher McQuarrie. 

Previous "Mission" films have been action-heavy, with the story being secondary. In Dead Reckoning, there is quite a bit of plot before the action gets going.  These moments remain convoluted in ways that will not work for everyone. Unlike previous entries, the film contains several exposition dumps. These moments hold the film back from reaching the levels of Fallout, Rogue Nation, and especially Ghost Protocol. 

In a world of cinema blockbusters, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One is a welcome reminder of what once was. The film delivers thrilling action sequences, with an immensely likable cast of characters.  Being a “Part One,” some may find the story to feel unnecessarily incomplete. Thankfully, Dead Reckoning offers enough closure for audiences to leave the theater feeling satisfied and eager for more.