Movie Review - Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One

Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Thriller
Runtime: 163 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby, Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny, Esai Morales, Cary Elwes.
 
Description: Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team must track down a dangerous weapon before it falls into the wrong hands.

Review: Master spy Ethan Hunt is back in “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”, already part seven within the franchise. And aside from the second film in this series, which is the odd one out, the Mission: Impossible franchise is very solid and I liked or loved every single one of these films. You can say it’s a fairly consistent series. “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” has so far been my favorite, and after seeing this seventh installment it still is. “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” does not reach the same level, but nevertheless remains a strong sequel, that will most definitely end up on my favorites list at the end of the year.

Tom Cruise wouldn’t be Tom Cruise if he didn’t, yet again, do some crazy stunts. Jumping off a cliff on a motorcycle is a cake walk for Cruise, but him risking his life like that gives the audience an authentic movie experience. “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” contains plenty of practically shot action. And the action is what these movies excel at. That aforementioned stunt is a one to look forward too, but an exciting car chase through the streets of Rome and a derailed train scene are gems as well. That last one was my favorite part.

The seventh film collects successful plot points and elements from previous volumes and merges them together. Every time I watch one of these movies, I feel like I want to be a spy too. Ethan Hunt has such a solid team behind him. But this time they have a smaller role than usual. Which was my only critique. We did get a new great addition though, in the form of Hayley Atwell. She is amazing in this film and I hope (and predict) she will be in the next film as well.

They cleverly added “Part One” to the film title, so people know this film might end on a cliffhanger and with several loose ends. I can’t wait for this story to continue, because all Mission: Impossible film deliver and excel in their action sequences and stunt work.

Rating: 4/ 5