Why So Blu?

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (Movie Review)

I’ve been told this is my “mission” if I choose to accept it.  Well Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One got me out of movie review retirement so it looks like I accepted it.  It’s been over a year since I reviewed a film with my last being last year’s Batman flick.  And no I’m not going to use any corny John Wick crack like “yeah I’m thinking I’m back.”  I accepted this review outing simply because I am a huge fan of 2018’s Mission: Impossible Fallout.  I’m going to get blasted by what I say next, but I got to be honest with myself.  I wish they would have ended the franchise with the movie Fallout.  Ethan Hunt got everything he wanted in the end and it’s a perfect movie to me, but I digress.

There’s also two sides to every story, right?  Or is it three?  Well whatever there is I am also happy to go on another adventure with Tom Cruise and the gang.  You can say what you want about there films, but no one can say Tom didn’t give it his all and that these are not a heap of fun.  I think we can all agree on that or else you probably wouldn’t still be reading this Dead Reckoning review.  Am I right?  And is it me or does “dead reckoning” sound like a pirate film, mates?  Arr.  Shiver my timbers.  Ha!  I’m just kidding.  Let’s get real!

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is the seventh installment in the long running Mission: Impossible franchise.  Let’s just say this one got hung up a bit by the COVID-19 bug.  Production was halted and new locations had to be scouted as a result, but delays out of the way the day for Dead Reckoning to hit US theaters has finally arrived.  The film is once again directed by Christopher McQuarrie from a screenplay he co-wrote.  In addition to Tom Dead Reckoning stars Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Esai Morales, Vanessa Kirby, Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny and my favorite Rebecca Ferguson.  Lorne Balfe is also back this time out as the film’s score composer.

I found this next fact quite interesting.  Supposedly it’s the first film in the series since Mission: Impossible 2 (circa 2000) not to involve J.J. Abrams in any way.  I don’t know about you, but after those Star Wars sequels that’s a good thing to me.  So stop me if you heard this one before, but here’s the film’s synopsis via Paramount:

“In Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team 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.”

Is it me or does that synopsis just about fit all the other Mission: Impossible films too?  I know you probably want to punch me so I’ll shut up now, but not before telling you how much of a blast I had with Dead Reckoning Part One.  It goes a little something like this.

You definitely get what you pay for with Dead Reckoning.  I imagine you will walk into the theater to have a good time, some laughs and just some usual Mission: Impossible style fun.  I can pretty much guarantee you that is what you will have.  While I have yet to see the Fast X or whatever they call it or the new Transformers movie I think you’d be hard pressed to find another action film that tops Dead Reckoning this year.  In fact, I think you might even find it difficult to find a comedy more funny than this.  Unlike previous incarnations of Mission: Impossible films there were a lot of slow moments, but even they had wit and loads of humor.

Perhaps the major problem I had with Dead Reckoning was despite the huge action spectacle the stakes just didn’t feel as high or emotionally impactful as Fallout did.  Yes there’s a breathtaking train sequence in the film’s third act, but it did not have the emotional punch to the gut that Fallout does every time I revisit it.  Now that’s not to take away from this moment though because wow what an adrenaline rush it is.  I cannot and will not deny that.  It’s just that I did not feel it probably due to the fact that I just could not let myself get attached to Hayley Atwell’s character.  I just couldn’t get invested in her.  That may be my problem, but I digress.  Also, some of the fight scenes felt way overly choreographed, but your mileage may vary there.

Speaking of problems I did mention the stakes.  I won’t go into any details in regards to what the plot all revolves around, but it’s timely with the rise of certain things like ChatGPT for example.  Maybe this would have made a good Terminator film back in the day, but all in all I just had some difficulty identifying with the protagonist of the overall story.  I’ll stop there because to venture any further into this type of discussion may ruin the story for anyone that wants to go into this with a blank slate.

The main selling point here is Tom Cruise.  He doesn’t disappoint at all in the enthusiasm or stunt departments.  Maybe in the overall acting he could have been better, but all is forgiven as this man literally gives his life for us moviegoers to have an amazing experience taking it all in.  So despite some qualms I had with some tender moments here I will never say anything bad about Tom.  He has earned my respect one hundred times over and over.  And while Simon Pegg and Ving Thames are definitely showing their age there’s still that familiar bond you just can’t help but smile when they all three share the screen.

I was surprised by the film’s near three hours long runtime, but because of all the fun you will have with this I bet you’ll never notice it.  This one went surprisingly quick and oh yeah there’s going to be a Dead Reckoning Part Two one day.  You can take that check to the bank and cash it.  So there you have it folks.  Dead Reckoning checks all the boxes for a Mission: Impossible film.  You will walk away satisfied wanting more.  It’s a worthy entry in this overall franchise.  However, I still hold true to my original statement up above.  They should have ended the series with Fallout.  This film I do not deem necessary and any hardcore Fallout fans should be picking up what I’m dropping after seeing this one.

Regardless though.,  Go!  See this one on the big screen.  You owe Tom Cruise that much for all the enthusiasm, love and energy he has given us.  Have fun!  Enjoy!  Until next time…Dead Reckoning Part One ahoy there mates.