Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (Review) – epic, exciting and thematically powerful

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One arrives in cinemas nationwide on July 10.

The Mission: Impossible movies are an anomaly when it comes to franchise tradition. While many tend to get weaker with each new film, the Mission: Impossible saga is a rare franchise in which the quality gradually improves. Whether it’s refined character arcs, stronger themes, or just Tom Cruise doing another death-defying stunt for our entertainment, these films are some of the best contemporary blockbusters. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is another adrenaline-fueled rollercoaster ride, but it is also possibly the best of 2023’s numerous Part One films.

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is up against his deadliest foe yet. However, it is not a government or an individual. It is an enhanced A.I. programme referred to as The Entity. Developed by the Russians, the Entity has developed a mind of its own, and now every major power on Earth – including the IMF – wants it for themselves. Hunt recognises the threat The Entity could pose to humanity in the wrong hands. Therefore, he recruits a team to try and find a key that can access The Entity, hoping to destroy it. But others covet The Entity’s power, including a mysterious figure from Hunt’s past named Gabriel (Esai Morales).

Given the ominous rise in A.I. seen in 2023, there is something timely in this film’s choice of antagonist. Yet it also directly ties into the film’s themes and stakes. Director and co-writer Christopher McQuarrie (who also directed Rogue Nation and Fallout) has always understood that what separates Hunt as a protagonist is not just his ability to perform nail-biting stunts; rather, it is his staunch belief in humanity and motivation to save as many people as possible – even at the cost of his own life – that makes him such a uniquely malleable protagonist. Squaring Hunt off against a foe so emotionless and calculating through probability and constantly growing knowledge forces Hunt and his team into a corner where they must abandon their attachments and gut instincts to combat The Entity properly. The result is a powerful commentary on the potential horrors of technology gone too far – one that feels particularly sinister given how eager some are to have A.I. replace people in their jobs.

Esai Morales and Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.

It’s doubly captivating when one considers how important technology is to the Mission: Impossible films. While Hunt is effectively a heroic daredevil, there is still an inherent reliance on gadgets, surveillance and intelligence data to assist their missions. These qualities define the Mission: Impossible films, yet having the antagonist be an unemotional but continually evolving machine with no attachments and a seemingly limitless reach means less room for technology, forcing the protagonists to improvise. It creates genuine tension, and the use of close-ups and long shots portrays how heavily this new force’s threat weighs on the protagonists’ minds.

Narratively, Dead Reckoning Part One strikes the right balance between straightforward end-of-humanity stakes and complex psychological warfare. Each superpower in the world, including the IMF’s director (Henry Czerny, reprising his role from the very first Mission: Impossible), wants to control The Entity, where Hunt intends to destroy it. Not only does it add to the thematic power of the story, but it challenges the characters through their choices and adaptability. It is a personal narrative that constantly throws obstacles at its protagonists, forcing them to confront tough questions and defy the odds at every turn.

This stellar cast delivers character-based thrills and dilemmas in spades. Returning highlights include Rebecca Ferguson’s dauntless Ilsa Faust, Simon Pegg’s forever exasperated Benji Dunn, and Vanessa Kirby’s duplicitous White Widow. The newer additions are just as remarkable. Esai Morales has an incredible presence as Gabriel, a villain who believes The Entity has already written the world’s destiny, as he follows cold hard data like a religious disciple, while Hunt follows his intuition. Meanwhile, Hayley Atwell steals the show as Grace, a thief who gets caught up in the action and whose wit, skills and character arc serves as something of an origin story – one that could be a parallel to Hunt’s own past. Even Pom Klementieff has a small but exhilarating role as an assassin with a surprisingly strong character arc.

Hayley Atwell and Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.

Beyond the strong themes and suspenseful execution of the narrative stakes, this film practically breathes the entertainment factor. After months of CGI-heavy features like Ant-Man and Indiana Jones, there’s something genuinely exhilarating about watching authentic setpieces on screen. The film’s action sequences include a risky parachute jump, a car chase through Rome that easily tops the one seen in this year’s Fast X, and a climactic sequence on a train that becomes increasingly nail-biting as the stakes increase. The pacing is electric, and the intensity is sky-high as the quick edits maintain an unrelenting sense of danger through chilling close-ups and breath-taking wide takes, highlighting the personal character stakes and the immense scale of the action. Of course, all of this is capped off by Tom Cruise, whose determined performance as Hunt is topped only by his awe-inspiring, even slightly insane, commitment to spectacle – proving that an Oscar category for Best Stunts should exist.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is the fastest two-and-a-half hours of the year so far. It is an epic action adventure with titanic stakes, state-of-the-art craftsmanship and an exciting and thematically powerful narrative. It’s the definition of popcorn entertainment, an intense, clever and spectacular blockbuster.