Will there ever be a movie star as effortlessly charismatic and as technically skilled as Tom Cruise? At 61 years old, Cruise retains the boyish charm and confident athleticism that made him famous. And if his latest outing in Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One is any indication, he shows no signs of slowing down. 27 years after his first outing in Mission: Impossible (1996), and Cruise is as entertaining as ever.
Cruise and writer/director Christopher McQuarrie team up for their third outing together, bringing everything we’ve come to expect from the franchise: globe-trotting action, high-stakes physical stunts, and an extremely game cast in Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg. Dead Reckoning Part One sees Cruise’s Ethan Hunt taking on a nefarious and timely villain, a rogue artificial intelligence system known as “the Entity.” In addition to hacking global defense systems and causing digital chaos, the Entity distorts the truth, creating false narratives in the media (sound familiar?). Of course, Cruise can’t punch a computer in the face, so the Entity is embodied by its faithful servant Gabriel (Esai Morales), a retconned phantom from Hunt’s past. He’s joined by stylish assassin Paris (Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Pom Klementieff) who makes for a more engaging villain.
Hunt must find two interlocking keys that give the holder access to the Entity, one of which is in the possession of quick-witted thief Grace (Hayley Atwell). Atwell, best known to Marvel fans as Peggy Carter, makes a cracking addition to the franchise. She’s a smart and dynamic presence who is able to keep Cruise on his toes throughout the film’s nearly 3-hour runtime. She’s also the latest addition to the franchise’s growing roster of kickass women, which includes Rebecca Ferguson’s assassin Ilsa Faust and Vanessa Kirby’s arms dealer the White Widow.
Mission: Impossible is famous for its stunts and set pieces, and Dead Reckoning is no exception. From a tense heist in the Abu Dhabi airport to a Roman car chase to the death-defying motorcycle parachute stunt from the trailers, the film soars in these sequences. And there’s a palpable difference between these practical stunts and the video game-like CGI that plagues most modern action films (the MCU especially).
While Dead Reckoning is a non-stop thrill, it never quite reaches the heights of its predecessor, Fallout. For one, it lacks a charismatic villain like Henry Cavill. And DR often finds itself bogged down in exposition, as multiple characters try to explain the threat of the Entity. The film is also essentially half a story, as it is part one of two (with the follow-up hitting theaters next year).
But these are minor issues in what is a thrilling, relentlessly entertaining movie. The film calls back to the original installment, bringing back Henry Czerny as Kittridge. And M:I fans will pick up multiple references to previous films in the latest chapter. And, as always, the biggest draw is Cruise himself. A consummate actor and a dedicated stuntman, Cruise simply owns every frame of this film. And audiences wouldn’t have it any other way. While the summer blockbuster battle is focused on Barbie vs. Oppenheimer, I can’t imagine having more fun in a theater than watching Dead Reckoning Part One. And yes, you should see it in IMAX.
(featured image: Paramount Pictures/Skydance)
