Few movie franchises – if any – are doing it quite like Mission: Impossible. Aside from Mission: Impossible 2 (which, to be fair, has its fair share of fans), the series has been well-received by fans and critics alike. Reception really jumped up with the fourth, Ghost Protocol, as the series gave itself a few shots of adrenaline.
That success has largely been on the back of star Tom Cruise, playing IMF agent Ethan Hunt in all six (now seven, with at least an eighth on the way) movies. While there are other franchises nipping at the heels of Mission: Impossible (John Wick being the first that comes to mind), there is nobody doing it like Cruise. He’s one of the few remaining true Movie Stars. Tom Hanks, Harrison Ford, and others are still around of course, but Cruise is in a tier all by himself. Continuing to perform death-defying stunts himself will do that. The guy is a madman, and the movie industry is better off for it.
All that leads to huge expectations for Dead Reckoning Part 1. With Christopher McQuarrie also returning for his third writer-director effort, there was plenty of reason to believe Cruise, McQuarrie, and company would deliver the goods once again. Can they meet, if not exceed, the lofty expectations?
This time around, the titular impossible mission focuses on never-before-seen technology. Technology so powerful, it would effectively provide whoever controls it with a global carte blanche. Whatever plans they might have, be it nuclear war, money-minded, or anything else, they would be virtually unstoppable. So, naturally, Hunt and his team must find the weapon first, before it can fall into the wrong hands.
While this may sound like a standard-issue secret agent action thriller plot, this is actually my biggest issue with Dead Reckoning. Rather than the technology being the catalyst for a villain’s motivation, the technology (dubbed “The Entity”) is the villain. An all-powerful, terrifying villain, sure. But even with the threat being so serious, there’s something inherently less threatening about a villain without a name, face, personality, anything at all.
As the exception that proves the rule, the Terminator series is arguably the best (well, at least if you only consider the first two) and most well-known franchise with a similar setup. But at least with those movies, they have the Terminators, the cyborgs, a physical embodiment of the larger threat. But with Dead Reckoning, there’s no such equivalent. Yes, there are bad guys who are working against Hunt and his team, but the premise has them working for The Entity. To be fair, there is a bit more to it than that, but I’m afraid going into more specific detail would get too close to spoiler territory.
But what’s missing is the personal, emotional motivations for the villain. Even though you are going to disagree with them, at least knowing where they’re coming from adds a more human and relatable aspect to that particular character and the movie as a whole. And if a movie really nails it, the villain may not be entirely wrong in their thinking, but are going about it in just about the worst way possible. That’s what has helped make characters like Magneto so popular and compelling for as long as movies (and books and comic books and…) have been around. It’s too difficult to be fully invested in the complete story when you really only have input from one half of the opposing sides.
The Mission: Impossible movies have been able to get by without incredibly intricate or original stories. They have their twists and surprises, but they’ve always relied more on the characters, stunts, and action. And that’s the same case with Dead Reckoning. But when the setup is as weak as it is here, it makes more work for the rest of the movie, work for which it’s not fully up to the task.
Every MI movie has one or two (if not more) incredible stunt or action set pieces. A signature moment, something that the studio can use and tease in its marketing while still blowing you away when seeing it play out in full on the big screen. Unfortunately, Dead Reckoning does not. Now, that’s not to say the stunts and action are bad. Not by a long shot. But they’re well below the standards we’ve come to expect from the franchise.
In particular, there’s the motorcycle stunt that’s been advertised from the beginning. Is it still awesome? Hell yeah it is. But as the moment for the movie? It’s definitely lacking. The same goes for the rest of the action and stunts. It’s all well-executed and is plenty of fun to watch in the moment. But there’s nothing that will really stick with you once you leave the theater.
Thankfully, though, the characters all came to play. There maybe isn’t as much emotional depth to Cruise’s Hunt as the last couple movies, but he’s as game and committed as always. And that shows, and the movie is better off for it. In this regard, though, there are some hints that Part 2 might go deeper into Hunt’s character. And if Part Two delivers on that potential, it could make for some of the best character work in the franchise. But that’s not this movie.
That’s another big problem with Dead Reckoning; it feels like a part one. Maybe it’s just a weird timing coincidence, but Dead Reckoning now joins Across the Spider-Verse and Fast X as big “part one” blockbusters to come out this year. As much as I love both of those movies, they both – admittedly to varying degrees – left room for improvement in this department.
And Dead Reckoning doesn’t exactly succeed with this part either. Besides some decisions with Cruise’s character, there are other spots where it feels like something is being held back for Part Two. I don’t like that. Yes, it might ultimately make for a stronger sequel, but at what cost to this movie? There’s a smart, creative production team behind this movie. I have no doubt they could have come up with enough good plot and character beats for both movies.
In addition to Cruise, the usual supporting characters as fun as ever. Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames as long-time partners Benji and Luther are back and ever bit as good as you would expect them to be. Vanessa Kirby returns as arms dealer Alanna, aka the White Widow. I would have liked another scene or two with her, but Kirby is electric in every second she’s given. Also back is Rebecca Ferguson as former MI6 agent Ilsa Faust. It’s Rebecca Ferguson doing normal Rebecca Ferguson things, so no complaints here. Henry Czerny also returns, reprising his role from the first Mission: Impossible, as one-time IMF Director Eugene Kittridge (as of this writing, Kittridge’s new role or position hasn’t been officially confirmed anywhere, so I’ll leave that particular detail a mystery). It was fun having him back, as Czerny didn’t miss a beat stepping back into the role.
But it’s newcomer Hayley Atwell as Grace who steals the show. She gets tangled up with The Entity, having to help Hunt throughout the movie. She and Cruise have great chemistry, and Atwell adds some needed levity to the movie (Pegg does the same, but it’s refreshing to have a fresh face). Grace also gets the chance to shine in a couple of the more fun action pieces.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is a good movie, but it’s well below what we’ve grown accustomed to with the series. But it also says something about the strength of the series as a whole that this could be considered a lesser entry. While these movies don’t need a super strong story to be effective, when it’s as weak as it is here, the rest of the movie has to be almost perfect to offset it. And it doesn’t reach that level. But with a stable of good-not-great stunts and action set pieces, along with great characters, there’s still plenty to like. Dead Reckoning Part One is a disappointment relative to expectations, but it’s a good time, and one any fans of the franchise or the action/spy genre in general should be happy with.
Score: 79/100
