Summary
My God, there’s just nothing Tom Cruise will not do to entertain the masses in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. It’s nearly an impossible mission to save the theatre experience, but Cruise has chosen to accept it for the second summer in a row.
Here is our review of the 2023 film Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, which does not contain spoilers.
My God, there’s just nothing Tom Cruise will not do to entertain the masses. That’s evident with Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.
The franchise’s rebirth, where the first three films were an eclectic mix and match of various directors’ sensibilities, found a match made in heaven with Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie.
This harmonious cinematic union brought the steady hand to the franchise that it desperately needed. McQuarrie’s career has been well-traveled since his Academy Award nomination for his Usual Suspects script. His films are tightly paced. The action is an armrest-grabbing and anxiety-ridden tension build.
These qualities are on full display here in a film that’s full throttle and pushes the envelope in today’s modern action spy film.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One Review and Plot Summary
Tom Cruise is back as Ethan Hunt in what is, once again, their most dangerous mission yet. (Here’s where we cue Jack Nicholson to say, “Is there any other kind?”). Hunt accepts a mission as part of the Impossible Missions Force (IMF) to find a “half” Russian key that threatens humanity before it falls into the wrong hands.
That used to refer to foreign entities, but now it includes influential politicians and the unethical wealthy. This means the return of Kittridge (Henry Czerny), the former IMF director and Hunt’s official antagonist.
Hunt locates one half of the key but is told he must locate and identify the second. However, Hunt informs him he will destroy them against company orders once he finds both.
McQuarrie co-wrote the script with Erik Jendresen, and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is an action-packed extravaganza.
Along with bringing back beloved characters like Benji (Simon Pegg), Luther (Ving Rhames), and my favorite Hunt love interest Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson), the film can be very funny and enjoyable when the epic action stops, giving the film a chance to breathe a bit.
The plot feels falsely convoluted because the script goes out of its way to be deliberately obtuse. For instance, from Hunt’s perspective, destroying their key would solve the problem immediately, preventing it from falling into the wrong hands. Additionally, no one knows what the key does, yet it’s presented as a world threat, which is annoying.
There’s also a major character’s death when confronting the film’s main villain, Gabriel (Esai Morales, who is very good here), who inexplicably leaves something important behind without any apparent reason or explanation. This action is puzzling and made me wonder if it was just a badly edited plot hole, or a significant plot point to be addressed in the follow-up installment.
Yes, it’s slightly more complicated than that.
Is Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One good or bad?
However, despite those flaws, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is a great action film because it’s an absolute blast from start to finish with its epic action set pieces and willingness to push the envelope in the name of its audience. Haley Atwell’s Grace (yes, Ethan has a type) is a fine addition to the cast, and the character settles in nicely by the film’s end.
The action is so spectacular there’s no need to analyze minor plot points that will likely be cleared up in the next installment.
Is Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One worth watching?
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is worth watching simply because it’s extravagant, well-made cinematic comfort food, offering the right balance of thrills, action stunts, and poignant reflection. This is primarily due to the journey we have been on with these characters for nearly thirty years.
It’s nearly an impossible mission to save the theatre experience, but Cruise has chosen to accept it for the second summer in a row.
What did you think of the 2023 Netflix film Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One? Comment below.
