What started as Hollywood’s idea to bring this old, almost forgotten TV show from the 1960s back to the public consciousness (the original series ran from 1966 – 1973) became a franchise almost by accident. You could argue that this franchise has two eras – before 2011, where you had two decent movies and one bad one, and after 2011, where we witnessed the new heights these movies could reach and the stunts Tom Cruise can pull off. And from then on, we’ve got three excellent Mission: Impossible films in a row, where people can argue the tiniest details about why fourth, fifth or sixth are their favourites. And Dead Reckoning Part One isn’t a snooze fest by any means; on the contrary. But, there were some tiny details that made this film just shy of calling this one “excellent”.
Let me make it clear. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is still a great action movie, and I strongly recommend you watch it in the cinema. Before I delve into some minor nitpicks, I want this fact to be understood, this franchise set its standards so high that it is impossible (quite fitting, isn’t it) to deliver all the time. Or at least at that level. But let’s discuss all the brilliant things this movie did right.
Firstly, the cast. Whether it’s returning characters like Vanessa Kirby and Rebecca Ferguson or the newest additions like Hayley Atwell or Pom Klementieff, you won’t go wrong as everyone is on their A+ game. Especially Hayley finally landed a gig in a mainstream blockbuster and proved she could go toe-to-toe with anybody, and when that “anybody” is megastar Tom Cruise, you know it will work out. Her chemistry with him, that back-and-forth throughout this movie, felt like pure magic, and I hope she will get more recognition. Yes, all the regulars like Ving Rhames or Simon Pegg are still great and work perfectly together, but Hayley brought the youth and energy this franchise can always use. Regarding Pom and Vanessa, they both did well with the screen time they got given and Rebecca… I will get to her later.
If we put the Entity (aka the sentient AI) aside for a moment, this movie’s primary antagonist is Esai Morales, who I wasn’t familiar with at all. And looking through his bio, he’s been working since the early 1980s! Yes, mostly in many TV shows, but still, that’s impressive. I thought he nailed his role, where he is ominous, menacing and mysterious enough for you to project anything onto him. Every time he was on the screen, you knew something would go down, and he is more than a formidable opponent for our IMF crew.
The action was, as always, spectacular. Albeit, and this is where my first minor gripe comes in, I wish they would put less of the big stunts in the promotional trailers. I cut down on how many trailers I watch, so I was only familiar with the trailers for this movie from the cinema and the second trailer “gives away” the train crash. I understand that you need to market your action movie by showing action scenes, but I can’t lie; the scenes weren’t as impactful, given I had seen them before. Can you imagine seeing the motorcycle jump without knowing it’s coming? That being said, the Rome car chase was funny and terrific, the aforementioned motorcycle jump was pure insanity, and the train crash was… very reminiscent of The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997). It felt like the director (Christopher McQuarrie) really wanted to replicate that and make it ten times more epic and five times as long. And the length of it was my other tiny issue. For some reason, I never was “in” that scene, so it seemed like forever before they managed to escape, and it wasn’t as thrilling for me as I hoped it would be.
My biggest issue with Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One was how they “handled” the character of Ilsa Faust, aka Rebecca Ferguson. I don’t want to spoil anything; therefore, I will choose my words carefully. I apologise for sounding vague for a second. The film makes a choice at the beginning that pretty much telegraphs what will happen to her in this film. Fine. But then, because of that scene, I didn’t care as much (so the complete opposite of what that scene should have made me feel), and when that something finally happened, it felt off. Her character didn’t feel like the one we got to know over the last two films. I understand why they did it, but… Especially with that scene at the beginning, it just felt “off”.
And I think that can sum up my feelings about this movie. I enjoyed myself tremendously; all the critiques I talked about here are minor, but they stop me from giving the “peak” rating. But again, this franchise has been on such a high for so long that even the tiniest of “slip-ups” can be felt more than usual. Think of it this way – in almost any other action franchise of today (except for the John Wick movies), this would be their best movie, hands down. The quality is here, from the performers to the action, stunts, humour, and the villain; everything gels so perfectly here that I almost feel bad for not marking it higher. And yet, if you asked me which Mission: Impossible I want to put on right now, I would have to think about it for a while because I don’t actually have a clear favourite one, but I would definitely pick from either the Ghost Protocol (2011), Rogue Nation (2015) or Fallout (2018). And those are not just the peak of this series, but some of the best action movies of the last 20 years.
Overall, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is a nearly excellent film worth seeing in the cinema. The action is almost impeccable, the AI villain is curiously more topical than ever, and Hayley Atwell shined in her role. Despite my tiny gripes, I wonder how this movie will play on future viewings, especially when paired with Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two (2024). I can see myself turning around and being in the same boat as many others who consider this film the best one in the Mission: Impossible franchise. I can’t say the same yet, but only time will tell because this is still an enjoyable ride, and quite frankly, you won’t go wrong with watching any Mission: Impossible film past 2011. We are truly spoiled when we can argue about tiny details of which movie is more awesome while acknowledging that they all are superb.
That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!
Until next time,
Luke
