Directed By Christopher McQuarrie

Starring – Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Hayley Atwell

The Plot – Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his IMF team embark on their most dangerous mission yet: To track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, and dark forces from Ethan’s past closing in, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan is forced to consider that nothing can matter more than his mission, not even the lives of those he cares about most.

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some adult language and suggestive material.

(3) Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One | Official Trailer (2023 Movie) – Tom Cruise – YouTube

POSITIVES

After seven films full of unforgettable thrills and jaw-dropping chills, the Mission Impossible franchise continues to be the exception to the rule that long-running franchises eventually run out of gas, and with its latest, “Dead Reckoning Part One”, it continues its unorthodox tradition by bringing the heat to pop the kernals of popcorn action thrillers, in the form of death-defying leaps in riveting action set pieces, which it has already cemented icon status as. This is the best action franchise of all time thanks to the dynamic team-up once more of Cruise and McQuarrie, who here up the ante with several attention-garnering sequences sure to have you squirming in your seat from the urgency and vulnerability that McQuarrie documents so emphatically. McQuarrie’s use of completely practical effects and bone-crunching sound deposits are as impressive as ever, crafting an immersive consistency to their entirety that keeps all of the sequences free from a weakest link between them, and each with the kind of impressive documentation for depiction that forces you to respect the craft in control that directors have in attaining such incredible feats. Here, its McQuarrie’s versatility in both a barrage of uniquely claustrophobic camera angles and varying energetic movements that accurately help to articulate the bold intensities of his environments, all with Lorne Balfe’s thunderously commanding score capturing a complexity of emotions, and of course the kind of crisp fight choreography from his actors that make their talents seamlessly generate believability in their usage. None of this more prominent than Cruise, obviously, who at the remarkable age of 61 still physically puts more into a role than any other actor going today. In an age where stuntmen and C.G eviscerate authenticity from physical engagements, Cruise is still doing his own stuntwork, a feat that is all the more impressive when you consider his feats here involve him riding a motorcycle off of a cliff, or battling the perils of gravity aboard a crashing train, to name a couple. In terms of performances, Cruise still garners the resiliency and heart of his fearless protagonist, which does help to supplant depth and humanity to a character who could easily be lost in the shuffle. This is likewise for Cruise’s energetically eclectic ensemble, who with the cherished returns of Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg and Rebecca Ferguson, outline a family element between them that is a delight to continuously indulge upon in the picture perfect tonal balance of comedic levity in between the high stakes drama that consistently captures our imaginations. Even the newest additions to the series hold their own, as Guardians of the Galaxy’s own Pom Klementieff transforms from lovably warm-hearted superhero to viscerally violent assassin, with her own element of resiliency. Klementieff’s Paris isn’t even the prime antagonist in the film, but the commanding rage that intensifies her magnetism helped supplant a screen presence that I simply couldn’t get enough of, and one that definitely shows the range of her capabilities that are anything but typecast. As for the script, there are some problems with heft and overindulgence that I will get to, but I was pleasantly surprised how well McQuarrie and co-writer Erik Jendresen made the two-part format for the film work in spades of satisfaction. Their script here not only sets the stage for a high-stakes confrontation that will inevitably come in an eighth installment for the franchise, but also with the magnitude of the material in globe-trotting journey that it takes audiences along with for the ride, bringing lots of cunning twists and devilish developments in the many directions of the conflict and corresponding storytelling, while also establishing some connective tissue between this and previous installments that McQuarrie has spent nearly a decade properly establising and fleshing out. Finally, I would do a grave disservice if I didn’t credit cinematographer Fraser Taggart, who takes on his most ambitious project to date with an elevated eye for locations and documentation that effortlessly articulate how he was the right man for the job. Taggart previously assisted Rob Hardy for his spellbinding and cerebral work in “Mission Impossible: Fallout”, so his transition here to top dog only feels right, and it’s championed with an alluring use of picture-perfect framing and drone usage that imbeds itself naturally to the consistency of the IMAX cameras that make up a majority of the engagement, all with beautifully rendered photography of Eastern Europe and the Sahara so textured with influence that you feel like you could practically reach out and touch it.

NEGATIVES

While “Dead Reckoning Part One” is a valued addition to such an important franchise, its few mistimed decisions ultimately keep it from reaching the heights of “Ghost Protocol” or “Rogue Nation”, which were practically flawless in their executions. For starts, at 158 minutes, the film is limitless in its entertainment value, but still feels overstuffed with long-winded exposition-heavy scenes of interactions that certainly could’ve condensed their summaries to keep the air of urgency tight in the ever-changing atmospheres. Aside from the dialogue feeling so obviously intentioned to hold the hands of the audience it holds no confidence in, the conflict itself does become cluttered and even a bit convoluted in the evolution of its conflict, with a third act that took slightly a bit longer than I was expecting to eventually materialize. There are also some of those same scenes of interaction between characters that have occasionally drove me nuts throughout the duration of this franchise, where two characters are acting unnaturally cool with one another while obviously bringing out the cuteness in their flirting. This made the dynamic between Cruise and newcomer Hayley Atwell feel a bit rushed and unnatural when compared to what he has shared with Rebecca Ferguson, all while the urgency surrounding them is forced to pause so that they can wag their tails towards one another. This points to my other problem with the script, in that the film has finally reached the Fast and Furious point with its characters, in that there are too many with very little for each of them to do. This is most prominent with Ferguson’s Ilsa, who over the last two films was the primary focus of the narrative, and now takes a backseat to many fresh faces. Among them is lead antagonist Gabriel (Played by Esai Morales), who also feels plagued by the limitations of focus, despite Ethan’s characterization relying so heavily upon him. Gabriel isn’t able to escape the clutches of conventionalism with world-dominating antagonists everywhere because he’s never given proper motivation or time to diversify himself from that outline, and considering his character and conflict comes out of nowhere despite him holding a very personal grudge with Ethan’s own tortured past, he never feels like a compelling equal, and seems sure to join the list of forgettable antagonists in this franchise that can’t measure up to Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s psychology in “Mission Impossible 3”.

OVERALL
“Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One” is an edge of your seat summertime thrill-ride with all of the explosive action one can crave in nearly three hours of carnage candy. The masterful direction of McQuarrie, as well as the commitment to craft of Cruise, helps cement another boldly ambitious chapter to the exceptional franchise, even if its altitude doesn’t fly as high as some superior installments.

My Grade: 8/10 or B+