Your mission, should you accept it, is to join Tom Cruise on his quest to continue a summer box office dominance that began last year with Top Gun: Maverick's runaway, smash-hit success. This year, his Mission Impossible franchise is out for another spin, marking the seventh outing for the action-espionage genre that has gone from strength to strength over the years. Does Dead Reckoning - Part One continue the series' gravity-defying trajectory, or is this a mission that should be aborted?
Ethan Hunt and the IMF team are thrown into a deadly race across the globe against different forces in order to prevent terrifying AI tech from falling into the wrong hands, with deadly consequences that would put all of mankind at stake. Tom Cruise headlines an impressive cast that includes series regulars Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames and Vanessa Kirby, alongside new additions Hayley Atwell and Pom Klementieff. Christopher McQuarrie returns to write and direct.
A Mission Impossible sequel seeped in paranoia and with its finger so hotly on the pulse, there's a disconcerting urgency that makes Dead Reckoning - Part One a thrillingly successful blockbuster. Riddled with a formidable atmosphere that immediately positions the feature as the most dramatically-weighted entry to date, we find ourselves gripped by the unfolding action in a way that puts its shoulders above its blockbuster competition this summer.
While the possibilities of technology have always driven the Mission Impossible series, it takes on a different role here, reflecting our ever-evolving world. It's fair to say that previous films have positioned the greater share of the danger in the hands who hold the tech, the mastermind exploiting it as a tool for their own gain; but here, in a bid to keep this almost three-decade-old series feeling as fresh as possible, The Entity (the AI experiment that has expanded to potential sentience) is a danger so unpredictable and largely unknown that its uncontrollable nature is the thing we should fear most. It's a smart switch-up that could have fallen flat but remains so compelling by tapping into a terrifying truth: this is a machine we truly do not understand.
As demonstrated by Mission Impossible: Fallout and further proven here, Dead Reckoning - Part One certifies Christopher McQuarrie as one of the most exciting blockbuster directors, perching audiences firmly on the edge of their seats for the entire duration of its surprisingly brisk 163-minute runtime. Complete with stupendous technical feats and an in-camera approach to the special effects that make the breathtaking set pieces feel far more tangible than with CGI, the entire feature is so magnificently orchestrated by McQuarrie and his team, with genuine thought and craft going into every major moment, that it becomes impossible to peel your eyes away from the screen.
From a third-act, train set showstopping sequence, that somehow juggles a dozen moving parts with unbelievable ease, to a certain bridge scene that operates as an emotional culmination and truly sets the table for what is to follow, what would be a piece-de-resistance from any other franchise is just one of a handful here. While the scale of the action beats may not feel quite as grandiose as in previous instalments - the film's production was infamously impacted by its deep-in-the-pandemic shoot, the increased stakes and real-world parallels ensure that the weight of it is never lost.
As suspected, Tom Cruise leads from the front with a well-worn movie star charisma that accredited him long ago as one of Hollywood’s most reliable leading men. His commitment to physical stuntwork is well-known and appreciated by the masses, but such behaviour could easily start to wear thin on audiences if it felt like he was simply chasing the need to shock; but Cruise understands its ridiculousness, embracing a comedic factor that only makes the entire parade wholly more enjoyable. He's parachuting through the air! He's driving a motorbike off a mountain! He can't start a yellow Fiat! It's this ability to poke fun that has ensured audiences stick it alongside him.
It's strong work from both our regular and new Mission cast. Rebecca Ferguson has such a magnificent aura to her that the smallest mannerism and movement carry so much weight, her well-developed chemistry with Cruise making her character all the more fascinating -- so much feels unsaid. The overall team dynamic - with Pegg and with Rhames - is just as important to the series' success as the death-defying stunts and one particular mention of friends confirms that. Hayley Atwell is a superb addition to the series, instantly charming her way into the fold with a playful performance that skates the line between friend and foe. Similarly, Klementieff transforms an individual whose loyalties are called into question with subtle gestures and flourishes that elevate what could have easily become a one-note antagonist.
Mission Impossible is about the small character moments as much as it is about the death-defying stunts, which is what infuses the picture with the dramatic weight that ensures it has resonated with audiences over time, as other franchises have waned in popularity With Dead Reckoning - Part One, the Mission Impossible team have orchestrated a superbly entertaining blockbuster informed by the greatest threats of today for a suitably taut and tense feature that uses its timeliness to thrill. Cruise, McQuarrie and the team continue to set the standard for action filmmaking - of course, we're going to accept the mission every time!