She Says…
As a person who likes Tom Cruise but gets incredibly bored during the type of long car chases and fight scenes that are typical of the action/spy thriller genre, I went into this movie figuring I would at least moderately enjoy it, given the consistently high quality body of work that Cruise has been producing lately as well as the steadily up-ticking trend in my enjoyment of this series as innovations in cinematic technology allow for better special effects and cooler-looking spy gadgets… But I really didn’t expect to enjoy the confusingly punctuated Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One quite as much as I did. I left the seventh installment of this iconic spy series boldly declaring that it was the best action movie I have ever seen (I’m not counting Marvel here), and I wholeheartedly stand by that today after having a chance to descend from the absolute adrenaline rush that seeing MI7 in all of its IMAX glory elicits.
Mission Impossible 7 is cinematic excellence at its best, leveraging a strong cast, smart writing, a timely plot and high stakes – as per usual, the fate of the world is on the line, and only Tom Cruise and his wisecracking tech geek sidekicks and femme fatale frenemies can save it by going rogue on a seemingly impossible mission. Only this time, the enemy is not just a chaos-craving villain with an evil plan for all-out nuclear warfare, but an all-powerful A.I. entity that threatens the integrity of truth and reality itself. Tom Cruise’s dedication to his craft truly shines through here, with expertly acted and choreographed fight and chase scenes, covert operations, disguises and double-crosses that don’t allow for a singular dull moment throughout the entire 2.5 hour run time. I was rapt the entire time, poised wide-eyed on the edge of my seat while wordlessly knocking back fistfuls of buttered AMC popcorn.
One of the finest performances of this movie is delivered by Hayley Atwell, who is perfectly cast as the conniving, underhanded and self-interested but incredibly charming and witty thief “Grace,” who is hard not to like from the get-go. She’s the perfect counterpart to Tom Cruise’s elusive, morally-upstanding, six-time world-saving super secret spy Ethan Hunt, and a great addition to the mix of old pals who tag along for this perfectly paced, highest of high stakes mission.
I’d give this film an 8.8, with points deducted really only due to the weakness of Pom Klementieff’s character and the general weirdness of the villain Gabriel (Esai Morales), who acts as the human embodiment and primary henchman to the sentient, all-knowing algorithmic AI supervillain called, “The Entity”. I found it hard to understand what Gabriel’s motives and end-game were in this situation aside from, I guess, general mass-scale death, destruction, and chaos. Even in spite of some overarching silliness, I loved the eerie present-day relevance of Ethan Hunt facing off with a human-engineered AI god that every major power on earth wants to gain control of in order to rewrite history, gain access to enemy secrets, and shape truth in the manner which best suits them. For an action movie I probably would have written off as outlandishly cheesy a decade ago, Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning is marvelously intelligent, self-aware, and nearly perfectly executed. I can’t wait to see how it all ends in Dead Reckoning Part Two!
He Says…
MAKE ACTION MOVIES GREAT AGAIN. Tom Cruise accepted this mission and delivered. The last true living movie star, his ability to get asses in the seats is unparalleled. Hell, if the actors and actresses joining the writer’s strike were doing ⅛ of what Tom Cruise does in every single film for the last 15 years, I’d be out there picketing right alongside them. This man deserves every dollar and residual that he earns. NOBODY is doing what this man is doing, especially at the age of 61. This man drove a motorcycle at top speed off a makeshift ramp on top of a mountain 7 times, all to get the perfect shot! Who does that? Tom Cruise does.
Seriously, nobody can match the dedication that this guy shows to his craft. He literally puts his life on the line to make the most immersive, cinematic experience possible. He truly cares, and this makes the audience want to care. I hope he continues to make movies for the next 20+ years; he is truly one of a dying breed of old school movie stars who compel audiences to see his movies on the big screen. People are drawn to watching masters of their craft do what they do best; think Jiro slicing up perfect sashimi, Aaron Judge hitting a 500 foot tank job, Joey Chestnut slugging down 70 hot dogs and buns, and Tom Cruise performing jaw dropping action sequences. Of course, we all love seeing the latest installment of Mission Impossible; it’s a fantastic action franchise that has evolved and reinvented itself over the years, while showcasing some of the most impressive scenes and set pieces in the genre. But, we go to these movies, first and foremost, to see Tom Cruise do his thing.
Dead Reckoning Part 1 was my favorite installment in the franchise to date. This movie flowed really well, and the 2.5 hour runtime went by in a flash. Like Erin said, whenever I watch an action movie I invariably end up feeling bored for a segment of it, with car chase scenes and familiar shots that can become monotonous. There was nothing monotonous about this perfectly paced movie, and I was thoroughly engaged throughout the entirety of the film. I thought that the concept of an AI villain that can use predictive algorithms to forecast future events and weigh the mathematical probability of every possible scenario was a cleverer brand of evil incarnate than any Mission Impossible villain we’ve seen thus far. It was delightfully creepy when the “Entity” revealed that it knew Benji (Simon Pegg)’s name and inner fears, and the fact that it could recognize that Ethan Hunt posed the biggest threat to it was a chilling reminder of the power and otherworldly intellect of this invisible foe. The devout-follower of the entity, Gabriel, played by Esai Morales, however, was one of the weak points of the film. The connection between Gabriel to Ethan Hunt’s past felt tenuous at best and forced, and I couldn’t buy into his devotion to the non-human entity. My only other complaint was the handling of Pom Klementieff’s character, Paris. Just a mess in terms of casting and writing; this character never had a chance and was one of the worst parts of the film.
Hayley Atwell’s “Grace” was a needed and exceedingly welcome addition to the franchise. Grace was the clear unsung hero of the film. Atwell was believable as a neophyte MI6 agent who had been thrust into the most important mission of the classic Mission Impossible team’s lives. The juxtaposition of the capable but slightly terrified and reluctant Grace with the always game and unwaveringly confident Ethan Hunt was a joy to watch.
Although expected, it was awesome seeing the gang back together; I audibly clapped when Ving Rhames‘ Luther first came on screen, and, as usual, Simon Pegg‘s Benji added levity and great comedic timing to break up the action. Nothing is more important to Ethan Hunt than his friends, so bringing back his familiar confidantes deepened the emotional stakes. I also thought that this was the funniest movie of the seven Mission Impossibles, and Cruise’s co-stars are a big reason why.
Everyone should go see this movie on the biggest screen possible, as God and Tom Cruise intended. Tom Cruise is on a one man mission to save the movie theater industry, and movie lovers should give him the support needed to do so. The train sequence to close out the film alone is worth the price of admission, but you’ll enjoy nearly every minute of another encapsulating ride with Ethan Hunt and friends. The last remaining Avenger, Tom Cruise will save the movie industry one superbly crafted action movie at a time. Movies and popcorn forever. 🍿
8.7
Our Consensus
🎬 We gave Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) a score of 8.75.
GO SEE IT! (On the Biggest Screen Possible)
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