MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE—DEAD RECKONING PART ONE

a film by Christopher McQuarrie released through Paramount Pictures in 2023

Much more care is invested in studio franchises than was the norm in decades past.  But Mission: Impossible —Dead Reckoning Part One must be considered an extreme example. Mission: Impossible (1996) was a thrill ride in its day, but it now feels like a merry-go-round compared to a double-inversion coaster.  And it's not just extraordinary action that matters.  Characters that audiences have grown to love over decades are still developing, sharing, and delighting.  We even find out what every recruit to the IMF has in common, and how the offer to join is extended.

As a bonus, having the slippery Henry Czerny return after an astounding 26 years grounds the film in the reassuring exaggerated reality of the '96 film's spycraft.

Probably no film in history has this much action. And it appears that CGI was only resorted to when massive costs are involved (like the submarine scenes) or actors' safety could be at extreme risk (the disintegrating train).  Despite a deficit of humor, and a little awkwardness in the advancing age discrepancy between Cruise and his latest female co-star, this is a film that works.  Violence is minimized, and the value of human life is constantly affirmed.  The human villain is chilling, and the AI villain feels all-too-real. Who's got the popcorn?
 

★★★★★

Best for ages 12+

FEATURING

TOM CRUISE, HAYLEY ATWELL, SIMON PEGG, VING RHAMES, REBECCA FERGUSON, VANESSA KIRBY, HENRY CZERNY, ESAI MORALES, POM KLEMENTIEFF, AND CARY ELWES

© 2023 Ian C. Bloom