Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning - Part One

Wow, I'm gonna get shit for this one, huh? I didn't like this as much as the previous film. Call it just being down with Ethan Hunt's antics, but this one felt like a downgrade in terms of fight scenes and writing. While certainly a return to the early days of espionage, I do feel there are some questionable editing/writing choices here. Join me as we discuss why I choose the unpopular opinion of not liking this movie as much as most!

PLOT: Intriguing and gripping!

The plot in these movies often finds ways to work and make itself both engaging yet stressful for an audience as you're held by the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens next. This movie is no exception. However, there's something to be said about the length of this movie. I'll get into this more in Cons, but the film feels strangely dragged out. It's still gripping and filled with moments of high suspense, but scenes DEFINITELY should have been cut. This movie could've been a clean 2 hours, but nonetheless I was engaged and curious during my first watch.

CHARACTERS: Do I even need to say anything?

Possibly the strongest cast of any Mission Impossible movie. Tom Cruise is of course doing his thing, but Simon Pegg, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Vanessa Kirby, and Esai Morales are all phenomenal in their roles (one of them doing double duty!) and feel believable as people dragged along for the plot. Simon Pegg even gets a chance to finally feel like an important character, being here for most of the plot and constantly providing tension relief for the plot. He's funny, but also acting as an audience surrogate for much of it. He's a delight to watch. Additionally, Atwell's Grace is a clever reflection of young Ethan, except now Ethan's the mentor figure. I adore seeing well-written characters bouncing off each other and this movie is mostly that.

SHOTS: Surprisingly? Eh.

This is where the movie feels weaker in comparison. While there are some good action scenes with well-done shots, the last one had a much stronger cinematographer and a much more well-balanced fight choreography. This one feels weaker and less focused. Granted, that might be the point, but I felt as though this film could've had stronger shots. The color usage also wasn't my favorite, but at the end of the day, I won't complain about seeing Tom Cruise fling himself off a cliff.

SOUND: God.

These movies are so good about usage of music and sound at this point, it should be no surprise though. When you hire Lorne Balfe, you get a badass soundtrack with killer drops and plenty of well-done music that doesn't kill the tension nor overwhelm the situation. The sudden shortness of breath when Ethan drives off the cliff combined with the lack of sound? Chef's kiss, absolutely perfect and shows the suspense of seeing a great stunt.

WRITING: Where I draw the line.

The film feels generic in this category. Sadly, there are such high points in other categories that I was hoping for something new here. But, no, it's just Ethan talking about not giving up his friends (LIKE IN THE LAST ONE!!!!). I would feel bad if they came up with something new or interesting for him, like maybe his friggin' wife that was shown in the last one getting involved. Oh, well. I'll be alone in this category of not liking this film, so we won't dwell.

CONS: Writing and shots.

As I mentioned before, writing and cinematography were both generic for me. Less of the stellar MI: Fallout fights and none of the breathtaking cinematography from Top Gun: Maverick (a film that director Christopher McQuarrie and composer Lorne Balfe both worked on). This feels VERY bizarre in regards to overall Tom Cruise pushing so hard to make this movie and the sequel during COVID-19 and the infamous stunt where he yelled at his crew over safety. Completely valid on his part, but the fact that he went and did that only for the film to fall flat in two categories seems... off. The second part may come out and redeem some of this, so for now I'll leave it alone and move on, but writing and shots were not my favorite. This film was also WAY TOO LONG! Please, Hollywood, more 1h30m to 2hr movies, I can't sit in a theatre holding my pee for that. It drags out the pace of the film to the point of nearly breaking if not for the sudden focus on only three of its primary characters, which is appreciated towards the end. Regardless, please make the next one shorter!

LITTLE THINGS: The infamous stunt...

Yay, I get to talk about the best part of this movie. The cliff stunt, famously marketed and noted by crew as a highly-dangerous event that Tom Cruise did almost entirely himself. Driving off a cliff for the sake of getting the shot where he has wind in his face just because it makes it look real? I do not appreciate Tom Cruise the person, but God I respect Tom Cruise the actor. The man devotes himself to a role and goes out of his way to do dangerous stunts that no one else would at his age. He's still a crazy Scientologist, but devotion to filmmaking is apppreciated.

VERDICT: A flawed yet perfectly fun entry.

I won't make this too long, but I appreciate a fun Mission Impossible movie. Compared to MI5 (the weakest one for me), this film is fun, engaging, and perfectly apt. However, its weak points are there and it's clear that this is meant to be a two-parter. For now, I will be nicer than the 7/10 I was gonna give it and instead boost it to a tentative 8. You're welcome, Dan.

SCORE: 8/10 (Tentative, you better not suck, Part 2.)