As the summer blockbuster season continues to roll on, and more tentpole films get flung at the big screen with varying degrees of success, this week sees the return of an old favourite looking to grab some audience attention. The movie on offer is Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Part One, which is the seventh entry in the Mission: Impossible film series.
You’ll no doubt be aware of this film’s arrival, as this picture has made headlines over the past few years, largely to do with the COVID-19 pandemic. You may recall, filming on Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Part One was shut down in 2020, when the pandemic swept its way across Europe, and it became one of the biggest and most notable productions to be put on pause while the world figured out what to do next.
When production resumed, the film began shooting under very tight safety restrictions with lead star Tom Cruise making it very clear everyone involved had to adhere to the rules. This was a huge production, with a mammoth budget of $290 million, and he wouldn’t tolerate anyone overlooking precautions.
Meanwhile, while work continued on this Mission: Impossible sequel, Cruise’s other big picture, Top Gun: Maverick flew into cinemas. Despite constant delays to its release date (also due to the pandemic), the movie wowed critics, was phenomenally successful with audiences, and proved Cruise was still a big draw at the box-office.
Due to the success of Top Gun: Maverick, Cruise was quickly viewed as the “saviour of cinema”. His desire to maintain safety precautions on his sets won him lots of fans, while his ability to get bums on seats in a post-COVID world impressed studio heads.
As such, there are now many eyes focused on Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Part One. This isn’t just any old summer blockbuster, it is one which is largely being marketed around Cruise, and this is being viewed as the film’s trump card.
Will it succeed at the box-office, where others have really struggled this summer? Only time will tell.
What I can tell you, is this film has the potential to do big numbers. Before I talk about the movie itself I need to cover a few all-important details about the cast and plot, but as a little teaser, I’ll let you know it is very good.
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Part One is the first in a two-part story, which sees Cruise reprise the role of IMF agent, Ethan Hunt. The film opens in UK cinemas today (arriving in the US on Wednesday), and will be followed by Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Part Two in June 2024.
Along with Cruise, the movie stars Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Hayley Atwell, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Vanessa Kirby, and Henry Czerny. For this adventure, Hunt is on the trail of a valuable key, while battling an all-powerful artificial intelligence, which could spell doom for the world.
In the film, Ethan is contacted about a new mission, in which he is told to retrieve one half of a mysterious key. The key-half is in the possession of his old friend Ilsa Faust, he is seen as the best person to obtain it, and this should be a simple assignment.
But what Ethan soon discovers, is there is far more to the key than he is initially led to believe. The key is in some way connected to an experimental artificial intelligence known as the Entity, which has the potential to allow a single nation to take over the world.
In order to maintain world security, Ethan seeks out both halves of the key while trying to keep his distance from those who desire it most. Only problem is, even if Ethan obtains the key in full, he doesn’t know how to use it, so he may need to look to an old enemy for answers.
I don’t want to dive any further into the specifics of the plot, as I’m keen not to divulge any major spoilers, however, I think it’s fair to say there isn’t a great deal more going on in the plot than the brief summary I’ve given above. Don’t expect something truly mind-bending or complex in the writing department, because you won’t find it here.
When it comes to Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Part One the script is a little all over the place and it does feel a bit lacking at times. There’s not a great deal of story going on and the film does repeat plot details quite frequently.
This isn’t to say there’s not some good stuff in the mix, because the rogue A.I. at the centre of the story is very interesting, and it certainly gives the film a contemporary edge. What I am simply trying to stress is that I don’t believe Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Part One is ever going to win any awards for the writing, so be advised of this.
But the key thing here is that the script is perfectly workable and it doesn’t detract from this film being thoroughly enjoyable. As with the previous Mission: Impossible movies, Dead Reckoning: Part One is loaded with excellent set-pieces, as well as plenty of thrills and spills, and this makes up for any shortfalls in the story department.
Based on pure entertainment value alone, this film certainly delivers. It offers up over two-and-a-half-hours of action-packed drama, with Cruise on fine form throughout, and it is certainly one of the more impressive blockbusters this summer.
It is widely known that Tom Cruise does most of his own stunts on the Mission: Impossible films and this is something which gives this series an edge over its peers. Too many movies these days rely on greenscreen work and computer-generated effects, and as we are now starting to see, too many are falling flat because they look visually dreadful.
Audiences also know the difference between seeing a stunt performed in camera, with real-life practical effects, and seeing something that has been added in later with a bit of computer wizardry. And because audiences can tell the difference, the former adds suspense and tension, as well as real-life danger, while the latter is often viewed as unimpressive and quite lacklustre.
Because Cruise is very keen on chucking himself off the side of a cliff, or hanging from the side of a plane, everyone knows that what is being shown on screen is something truly impressive. The actor is putting his own health at risk to ensure the stunts look as real as possible, and while I certainly don’t encourage anyone to risk life and limb for their job, what Cruise does in these films certainly adds a great deal more weight.
In the case of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Part One there are three set pieces which really stand out, and this is because a.) Cruise is really doing these stunts and b.) because he sells the heck out of what is on screen. One scene involves a car chase in a Fiat, another involves a motorbike and a cliff edge, while the third revolves around a runaway train.
The latter of these sequences is without doubt the most impressive, and also the one likely to induce sweaty palms or have you biting your nails. Sure, the sequence borders on Final Destination territory at times, with the danger escalating throughout, but it is simply fantastic to watch.
If you’re buying a ticket to a Mission: Impossible movie, then you expect to be entertained by the on-screen action and this scene certainly does that. It is clear that director Christopher McQuarrie knows how to serve up spectacle, and when teamed with Cruise they really out do themselves.
Outside of the stunts, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Part One is visually impressive, with cinematographer Fraser Taggart offering up a luscious looking movie, while the musical score by Lorne Balfe adds to the ever-increasing sense of tension in the film. The cast are also very good, and while at times there is the sense too many characters are in play, everyone delivers what they are asked.
Cruise is clearly the stand-out star, but Hayley Atwell shines as newcomer, Grace. Meanwhile, old favourites Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, and Rebecca Ferguson bring some much welcomed warmth to the screen and this helps to balance out all the techno-babble.
One of the strengths of the Mission: Impossible film series is the way it has slowly built up its recurring cast of players, and it is always great to see the key characters back in the fold. Having Ethan surrounded by his friends helps to increase the stakes, and this in turn adds more depth on screen too.
Summer 2023 has been a bit of a bumpy ride so far, with many of the top titles underperforming at the box office or failing to impress critics (The Little Mermaid, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, etc). I have no idea if Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Part One will buck this trend, but I can say that it does provide a few hours of enjoyment and it is worth the price of a ticket.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Part One isn’t the best film out this summer, nor is it the best first entry in a two-part story – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse holds that title on both accounts – but it is solid stuff. If you’re a fan of the Mission: Impossible films then you shouldn’t be disappointed, and if you just want to get lost in all the action and spy shenanigans then this is for you.
__
Thank you for taking the time to read this review on It’s A Stampede!. For more reviews, check out the recommended reads below.
It's A Stampede! 
Leave a comment