MOVIE REVIEW: Tom Cruise Fights AI This Time in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

(SPOT.ph) No one is doing it quite like Tom Cruise. After the mega-success of Top Gun: Maverick last year both critically and financially, the action star is back in a franchise he’s very comfortable in. The lengthily-titled Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One was famously one of the first big Hollywood blockbuster films to return to filming on location during the pandemic, so this one’s been cooking for a while. The wait, however, is well worth it. Tom Cruise doing amazing Tom Cruise things, thrilling action set-pieces across the globe, and a supporting cast that’s ever so charming and likable, the seventh and latest entry in the Mission: Impossible series is overall a triumph in action and blockbuster filmmaking.

Also read: MOVIE REVIEW: Tom Cruise is Crazy (Good) Again in Long-Awaited Sequel Top Gun: Maverick

Tom Cruise continues to thrill in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One this time with new enemies

Taking place soon after 2018’s Fallout (to refresh your memory, that’s the one where Henry Cavill “reloads” his arms), Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One finds Ethan Hunt (Cruise) on another wild mission that puts his and his team’s lives in imminent danger as they try to save the world from a mostly unseen digital threat. In this mission, Hunt and team take on a sentient artificial intelligence the characters call The Entity, which is threatening to infiltrate the most secure systems all over the globe, and possibly causing massive war across different countries. Hunt and his crew have never taken on anything like the Entity, which is capable of manipulating footage in real time, hacking any and all systems, and more. With the high stakes set, Hunt is tasked on finding a pair of keys that could either control or destroy The Entity.

Directed once again by Christopher McQuarrie, who has worked with Cruise on multiple films as writer and director (including the last two Mission: Impossible films), Dead Reckoning Part One is an epic and exciting entry in the franchise. That said, it’s not really the best of the franchise, and doesn’t quite raise the bar, but if anything, it touches that bar. It delivers exactly what you’d expect from a Tom Cruise-Mission: Impossible film. The breathtaking stunts are there, the fun twists remain, and the talented cast doesn’t go to waste, delivering the goods both in action and comedy. McQuarrie has really mastered how to make these films feel huge in scale while also giving you intense, tight action scenes and mixing it with much-needed levity. It’s a fun mix that mostly works and helps the film breeze through its over two-and-a-half hour runtime.

Of course, the one that really carries this film on his back is Cruise. He’s as good as he’s always been as a physical action star, but during more dramatic scenes that require some emotion, he also brings his best. Alongside that, he’s also asked to bring the funny once in a while. In a long and heart-pumping car chase sequence across Rome, Cruise and new leading lady Hayley Atwell act it out as if they’re in a romantic comedy, and it surprisingly works very well. There’s no denying that Cruise just gets it. We can't forget the fact that he’s also a little unhinged enough to do wild, memorable stunts—and if there’s anything Mission: Impossible is famous for, it’s the stunts.

There are two moments that really stand out in this film where the stunt department is concerned. First is the motorcycle cliff jump heard around the world; the centerpiece of every trailer that is every bit as breathtaking as you’d expect. The knowledge that there’s very minimal CGI used in that stunt definitely helps, too, in the gasp-inducing nature of it. Second is a suspenseful train sequence in the third act that builds and builds in surprising and clever ways, upping the danger as time ticks. It’s a brilliant sequence that, though not new, is a good example of great suspense.

Also read: Here’s Why the OG Top Gun Was Such a Big Deal

Cruise definitely carries, but the film wouldn’t work as well without its supporting cast. Carrying so much charm that it almost overflows out of the screen, series regulars like Simon Pegg who plays Benji and Ving Rhames who plays Luther are always fun and welcome to see. And then we have the women. New to the franchise is the aforementioned Atwell, and she’s a delight as the new leading lady. Playing a Catwoman-like character to Cruise’s Batman, Atwell nails every beat she’s tasked to do. Another newbie is Guardians of the Galaxy series veteran Pom Klementieff playing a mostly silent but wild assassin who makes things difficult for Hunt and his team. Returning to the franchise are Rebecca Ferguson, first introduced as the deadly agent Ilsa Faust in 2015’s Rogue Nation, and Vanessa Kirby, who debuted as the devious arms dealer the White Widow in Fallout. Both are given moments to shine, and are perfect foils in the film.

While the film gives everything you expect in a title like this, it’s a statement that works for better and for worse. Plot and writing has never really been the strong suit of these films, and Dead Reckoning Part One has some issues in keeping its convoluted and quite silly plot together. They find some fun in the use of an AI villain, but it doesn’t really know what the Entity is really all about, even with tons of exposition trying to explain it. Maybe this will be answered in Part Two, but for now, it’s not the clearest nor the most interesting. The human villain that follows the Entity, played by Esai Morales, isn’t all that better, relegated to a basic mustache-twirling psycho speaking in that low, menacing voice as all evil villains are supposed to do. Many twists happen, often so suddenly or without proper pay-off that they don’t feel as earned as it should’ve been. All the positives of the film, though, overcome these little struggles for the most part, still making for a good time at the movies.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is a thrill ride that’s crowd-pleasing and entertaining throughout despite its long runtime, and Cruise and co. do not disappoint. One of the more impressive things about this entry, too, is that the “Part 1” of it all does not take much away from the film. It still very much stands alone. Yes, it sets up Dead Reckoning Part Two but not in a way that Part One feels negligible. The stakes are high, the mission is set, and big moments happen that allow Part One to be its own thing. If anything, it’s just built excitement for what Cruise, McQuarrie, and the rest of the team have up their sleeve for Part Two

Rating: 4 out of 5 Spots.

Watch the trailer:

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One premieres in Philippine theaters July 12. Photos and video credit: Paramount Pictures.