MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD RECKONING PART ONE REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

The Mission: Impossible films are one of the most successful action based franchises. Since the release of the first film in 1996, the films have continued to impress critics, provide audiences with fast-paced and thrilling action and Tom Cruise performing jaw dropping stunts. Although Dead Reckoning Part One is the seventh film in the franchise, both the films themselves and Cruise himself are showing no signs of slowing down.

Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his IMF (Impossible Mission Force) team, which includes tech expert, Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), long time friend, Luther (Ving Rhames) and Isla Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), embark on their most dangerous mission yet: To track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, and dark forces from Ethan's past closing in, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan is forced to consider that nothing can matter more than his mission -- not even the lives of those he cares about most.

Dead Reckoning is the follow up to Fallout, which was released in 2018 and was widely successful with critics, who praised Cruise’s stunts and the compelling story, and audiences, making over $791 million. Because of this, expectations were high for Dead Reckoning and, fortunately, it doesn’t disappoint as it’s packed full of the trademark fast paced action and a suspenseful story before concluding with a heart racing stunt performed by Cruise that sees him riding a motorcycle off a cliff. The stunt alone is why Dead Reckoning is a must see on the big screen, especially in IMAX. The highlight of the Mission: Impossible films have always been Cruise’s stunts, including the sequence that saw him on the outside of the Burj Khalifa in Ghost Protocol, in Rogue Nation when he clung onto the outside of a plane whilst it was in the air and the helicopter sequence at the end of Fallout. Dead Reckoning is no different and proves that, despite now being in his sixties, Cruise is still willing to perform unbelievable and jaw dropping stunts. The footage of Cruise driving a motorcycle off a cliff was revealed on a chat show in 2021. This was a great way to market the latest film in the Mission: Impossible film as viewers were already eager to watch the stunt on the biggest screen possible. Although the stunt doesn’t take place until the climax, the wait is definitely worth it.  

Aside from the climatic stunt, Dead Reckoning focuses on Hunt on another mission that is seemingly more impossible than the previous as it sees him trying to retrieve a dangerous key, which unlocks the chamber housing the computer of Sevastopol, a Russian submarine which was sunk by its own torpedo in the start of the film. An early version of the Entity infected the system with the task of sabotaging the submarine's stealth capability, but it instead tricked the Sevastopol into destroying itself. This early version is still on the submarine, and whoever can access it can devise the means to either control or destroy the Entity. However, Hunt isn’t the only person after the key and he soon meets thief, Grace (Hayley Atwell), who doesn’t understand the key’s powers. He also comes face to face with the villainous Gabriel (Esai Morales), a powerful terrorist who shares a past with Hunt. Arms dealer, Alanna Mitsopolis (Vanessa Kirby), who is known as the White Widow and previously appeared in Fallout, also shows an interest in the key. The tension builds over the two and a half hour runtime as the key passes from character to character. Although the plot follows a similar path to the previous films, as they all pretty much focus on Hunt trying to stop the villain, that doesn’t prevent the film themselves from being a compelling watch. What’s most surprising about Dead Reckoning is that there’s a twist involving one of the characters that I honestly didn’t see it coming. 

Dead Reckoning sees the return of Hunt along with series favourites Benji, Luther and Isla, and the chemistry between the four characters is just as strong as it has been in the previous films. Newcomer Hayley Atwell leaves a lasting impression as Grace who, unintentionally, becomes involved in the dangerous mission. 

What’s most impressive about Dead Reckoning is that the action sequences and stunts were all practically shot with little to no computer generated imagery. This is especially refreshing as a lot of films rely on special effects and this can result in them looking artificial. This is certainly not the case with the action and stunts in Dead Reckoning. Aside from Cruise riding off the cliff on a motorcycle, the other suspenseful sequence sees him and Atwell in a car chase around Rome. The film then concludes with the pair trying to escape from inside a train which has fallen off a destroyed bridge. Because the actors are actually performing the stunts themselves, it makes the sequence all the more suspenseful. 

Although the film doesn’t exactly conclude on a cliffhanger, the Part One in the title hints that there’s more to come and, although no release date has been confirmed for the eighth film, I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One is packed full of the thrilling action sequences and Tom Cruise performing jaw dropping stunts the franchise is known for.

8/10