THE FILM
TITLE: Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One
RELEASE DATE: 19 Jun 2023
WATCH DATE: 27 Jan 2024
TYPE: live-action feature film
ACCESS: available for rent on Amazon Prime, or streaming on Paramount+
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THE PEOPLE
DIRECTOR: Christopher McQuarrie
PRODUCER: Tom Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie, Gina Hallas
ACTORS: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Cary Elwes
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THE STORY
RUNTIME: 2h 43m
STORYLINE: Ethan Hunt and the IMF team face a new, mysterious enemy from Ethan’s past, and must chase down a weapon that places the future and safety of the entire world at risk
GENRE/THEMES: action, thriller, secret agents, edge-of-your-seat
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THE CRITIQUE
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS
New stunts. New technology. New locations. New characters. And the same timeless concept of a top-secret agent against the world. Christopher McQuarrie expertly balanced the longer storyline that crosses two films with the demand for action and excitement on screen. The pace of the developing plot felt slow, but the action held the attention consistently. With each new installment, I am pleasantly surprised and entertained by this film series, particularly McQuarrie's work in the last few films (Rogue Nation, Fallout, and now Dead Reckoning). The plot and action sequences are original, yet still feel classic, and we repeatedly see all new things with each film.
Dead Reckoning: Part One saw the return of Vanessa Kirby as the White Widow, a strong scriptwriting & story development choice. Bringing back past characters helped to further establish the world Ethan Hunt lives in, that it's the same world we've seen him in before. (I would love to see Jeremy Renner return as William Brandt in another Mission Impossible film.) After so many films together, Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, and even Vanessa Kirby make an incredibly strong cast. Their chemistry together has become a pillar of the Mission Impossible films.
Stunt work was built up to be the star of this film... but took a supporting role, as it rightfully should. Car chases, fight scenes, the train wreck at the end, and of course the BMX bike jump off the mountain. This was not a film made for the stunts - the stunts supported the film, and you felt that.
This mission's villain is intriguing, and I'm looking forward to learning more about the backstory between him and Ethan in Part 2. We don't get much of an introduction to who he is, which doesn't make you afraid of him until later in the second half you understand what he's capable of. The lack of purpose for the villain felt like a weak point, and we're still not quite as afraid of him as we should be. The audience's fear of the villain ought to match the hero's fear of the villain, and they didn't quite achieve that. He is mysterious and elusive... but perhaps too much so. Again, hoping Part 2 dives deeper into the villain's character.
SPOILER WARNING. Now, about Ilsa Faust. Rebecca Ferguson brought a huge degree of energy to the screen for these films. She very quickly became a core member of the IMF team in my eyes, and subsequently untouchable from death. I was then utterly shocked to see McQuarrie carry through with the foreshadowing of her death hinted at a few moments leading up to the fight scene on the bridge. The director said, "the stakes have to be real" (https://ew.com/movies/impossible-dead-rebecca-ferguson-death/)... and seeing her fight for her life on the bridge couldn't have created higher stakes. For the love of her character, I want to disagree with this filmmaking choice... but for the stakes, I do understand. I have to wonder though, if there would have been another way to set the stakes that didn't remove such a strong character from the series. I'm concerned that, while as much as we love Haley Atwell (Grace), the character they wrote is simply not as strong as Ilsa Faust... the overarching story of Mission Impossible moving forward might suffer from the loss of the chemistry, energy, and presence Ferguson brought to the cast.
Although the creators say Dead Reckoning isn't the last impossible mission we'll see, the two-part story arc and the intensity they bring to the screen give it the thrill of a final installment. That also poses some concern with where they can take the story after this... what could be more intense, more thrilling, more impossible than this?! It's concerning, but it also has potential for real creativity in action storytelling and stunt work moving forward. Again, McQuarrie has succeeded in bringing new content to the screen with each film!
The Oscar nomination for Sound seemed odd at first glance, and rightfully so as the sound in the film didn’t strike me as anything incredibly special. Not in comparison to its fellow nominees for the category. This film has no chance in competition against The Zone of Interest, The Creator, Maestro, and Oppenheimer.
Dead Reckoning Part One is an engaging, thrilling, edge-of-your-seat film, and might be the best Mission Impossible movie yet! A solid four stars for the 7th film, and gripping anticipation for Dead Reckoning Part Two.
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THE RECEPTION
NOMINATIONS
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THE IMPRESSION
IN A SINGLE WORD: thrilling
MOST STRIKING ELEMENT: action, stunts, storyline (haha, I know it’s three)
REWATCH: absolutely yes
RATING: 4 // 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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