PG Score: 8.25/10
Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part One was released in theaters on 7/11/23
I finally know what the IMF stands for and it only took seven films to figure it out. Could they have maybe mentioned in the first couple films? Maybe, but as those are the weaker installments of the franchise, I have only seen them once or twice from start to finish, if at all. Tom Cruise (Minority Report) and company really found their stride and have only kept up the pace leading into the seventh and possibly best film of the franchise, Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part One. Oh, and if you were wondering, IMF means Impossible Mission Force.
Epic Performances
Everything about this film was epic. Tom Cruise has a passion for making movies and it comes across every time on screen. It’s obvious he has a lot of fun and the man always surrounds himself with excellent actors. Making her Mission Impossible debut was the ever-talented Hayley Atwell (Captain America: The First Avenger) and she nailed it. Monopolizing most of the screen time, along with Cruise, Atwell plays a morally gray character who you couldn’t help but love. Each film adds a new character or two, and Atwell was able to keep it fresh and match Cruise move for move. She was involved in some of the heavier stunt elements of the film and came off as a natural.
Rebecca Ferguson (Silo) returned for her third installment and was her charming and deadly self. Finding herself still on the outs with her government, she has found a family with Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and crew. Ferguson has shown to be a badass in the previous films and her performance in this one does nothing to take away from that. Vanessa Kirby (Hobbs and Shaw) returns as the White Widow and had a much larger role this time around. Getting into a bit more of the action in this outing, she seems primed to possibly play a bigger role whenever we do get Part Two.
The other notable debut was Pom Klementieff (Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3) as the deadly assassin, Paris. Ving Rhames (Dawn of the Dead) and Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead) return and don't miss a beat. These characters must be second nature to them by now. In this outing, they were slightly more in the background. These two talented actors sort of function like us movie viewers, as they get to witness a lot of what is going on while being behind the scenes.
Action and Story
Stunts. What can you say about the stunts? Tom Cruise's zest for life and trying new things only enhanced Dead Reckoning. From fights, to car chases, to jumping off cliffs, and surviving runaway trains, the seventh Mission Impossible is nonstop action and fun that makes the time fly by. Edge-of-your-seat entertainment is hard to come by these days, but Christopher McQuarrie (The Way of the Gun) delivers quite possibly the best work of his career and the best Mission Impossible to date. The special effects were top-notch and seamless; everything visually came off as real and believable. No CGI de-aging is needed for this film and it's the better for it. Tom Cruise may be 61, but his youthful exuberance keeps him going.
Story wise, you always know what you are going to get with this franchise. A threat to the world, betrayal, loss, and every once and a while, love. However, even knowing that predictable formula doesn't take away from it as a very enjoyable film.
Mission: Impossible 7 = Movie of the Summer
Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part One might be the front-runner for "movie of the summer." It has a lot of competition, but it will be hard for the films that follow to match the fun and riveting movie-going experience that we got with this film. Sometimes popcorn entertainment is all you need to have a good time, and Dead Reckoning is that and a little bit more. Definitely check this film out in theaters. You might find some new favorite actors along the way.