The Mission: Impossible franchise has been chugging along for over 25 years, and that's not even counting the TV show that spawned it in the first place. Since it was first brought to the big screen in 1996, Mission: Impossible has changed in numerous ways, but many of its core elements have stayed the same, namely the star power of Tom Cruise and the promise of electrifying action setpieces.
The latest entry, Dead Reckoning Part One, delivers on those two constants in spades. It trades on what has made every movie before it work so well. The M:I series has pretty much figured out what works to the point that it feels like they are constructed by an algorithm rather than written by a human being. That comparison not only fits with the current discussion about AI's place in the arts, but also with the movie's plot itself.
Along with what makes these movies work so well, Dead Reckoning has also borrowed from the pile of what holds them back. The plot is generally secondary to the action in the Mission: Impossible franchise, which isn't usually a problem, but it feels far more pronounced in this latest entry. Cruise's Ethan Hunt is once again tasked with a mission, one that carries some personal stakes for him but is nonetheless just a quest to get his hands on one half of a McGuffin so that he can use it to find the other half (in this case, the two halves form a key to something).
The villains in Mission: Impossible tend to be mostly forgettable, as they're not really the star of the show. This time around, the big bad is an out-of-control AI that has infiltrated computer systems worldwide. The IMF team, which includes returning members Benji (Simon Pegg) and Luther (Ving Rhames), as well as unofficial member Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson) and newcomer Grace (Hayley Atwell) need to hunt down the key and figure out what it unlocks before the rogue AI acquires it through the use of its human avatar Gabriel (Esai Morales).
The stakes are high, as they always are, with the world hanging in the balance. There is a lot of talk concerning the fact that the rogue AI could turn every country against each other, prompting a full-on nuclear war. However, it's the personal stakes that really matter, as Ethan knows that his team, his friends, are how the AI plans to hurt him the most. There's a fair balance between the two, and it never feels like the smaller story gets lost in the bigger one. Every character gets their moment to shine, even if they're not driving a motorcycle off a cliff. Some of the more extraneous characters, like Shea Wigham and Greg Tarzan Davis's government agents, don't always feel necessary, but it's still fun to watch them do their thing.
That's especially true of series newcomer Pom Klementieff, who plays a delightfully unhinged henchwoman. Similarly, Atwell summons up much of the charm and tenacity that made her Peggy Carter in the MCU so endearing. She and Cruise have an instant chemistry, finding themselves at odds even as they have to work together to stay alive and one step ahead of their mutual enemy. All three actors get to show off their personalities in an extended car chase through Venice that is simultaneously thrilling and hilarious. There are great moments of physical comedy punctuating what could otherwise be a fairly rote action sequence (much like the ones that plagued Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), and Atwell and Cruise play them perfectly.
Returning director Christopher McQuarrie again proves his action bona fides, constructing some truly breathtaking setpieces. It's clear that he and Cruise have a solid working relationship, and that the latter is putting in a significant amount of work to make the stunts and the action look as good as they do. The only place where McQuarrie's direction stumbles is in the moments between the action. Despite the great performances, some of the dialogue can feel stilted, probably because most of it is exposition. There's a bit of a pulpy quality to how people talk to each other in Dead Reckoning, but it doesn't always work.
What also doesn't quite work in Dead Reckoning is something that also held back the recent and otherwise excellent Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. The final words of the title, Part One, give the whole game away. As much great stuff as there is in this movie, it doesn't feel like a whole story. There isn't any real closure on the events of the movie, and viewers are likely to leave feeling a bit unsatisfied with the conclusion. There's at least a tease of what's to come, and it doesn't feel like the movie cut any corners, but the fact that there is a part two of this story leaves the ending feeling too much like a set-up for the next movie.
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning isn't quite perfect. However, with all of its exciting action sequences (including a late sequence that calls all the way back to the first movie), fast pacing, and solid performances, it's ultimately set up to be a summer winner. In an age of frankly underwhelming blockbuster movies, it's still great to see an old-fashioned, crowd-pleasing action thriller with plenty of tension and excitement baked in. As far as summer movies go, this is one mission that audiences should choose to accept.
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One opens in theaters on July 12th.
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One
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- Director
- Christopher McQuarrie