MPAA Rating: PG-13/ Genre: Action-Thriller/Stars: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Esai Morales, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Shea Whigham, Henry Czerny, Pom Klementieff, Frederick Schmidt, Charles Parnell, Cary Elwes, Rob Delaney, Indira Varma, Mark Gatiss, Greg Tarzan Davis, Mariela Garriga/Runtime: 163 minutes

I think it’s safe to say dear reader that, for going on darn near a solid 3 decades now, the Mission: Impossible film franchise is one that has managed to become a dependable and delightful portion of a lot of film lovers’, myself included I must confess, cinematic meal plans if you will. Perhaps it is because ever since that first entry came out all the way back in the “long ago” year of 1996, what franchise star/figurehead Tom Cruise and his various collaborators on each of these films have managed to accomplish for both the realm of cinema to say nothing of the action genre specifically is nothing short of absolutely iconic and ever-lasting for movie lovers around the world. As a result, is it any wonder why so many people viewed the 6th entry in 2018, Mission: Impossible- Fallout, as not only the best entry in the franchise, but also one of the best action films period? Of course, by the same token, it should also come as no surprise to learn that in the aftermath of Fallout’s release, the main question on movie goers’ minds wasn’t when would we be getting the next installment nor was if it would by any good. Rather, it was how good could it be after all the incredible work that had come before it? Well the wait is now officially over dear reader for 5 years, and a global pandemic, later we now have Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One in our lives and I guess it wouldn’t be that much of a shock if I told you that once again Tom Cruise and co. have managed to provide us with yet another cinematic home run in this truly iconic franchise. Yes, it’s not on the level of Fallout and there are some issues here and there. Even with that in mind though, it should still be said that with the aid of jaw-droppingly incredible work both behind and in front of the camera, this entry is still a genuinely great slice of cinema to say nothing of a movie mission that, if given the opportunity, you definitely owe it to yourself to accept.

The plot is as follows: Following a tense and riveting prologue onboard a Russian sub that I shan’t go into much detail about here, Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning P1 gets underway as we see that, in the aftermath of the previous installment, a clean slate of sorts has been provided to our favorite daredevil mission accepter Ethan Hunt and his team. As such, not only are they not on the run, but for awhile they’ve actually been engaged in behaving as a typical undercover agency usually does (imagine that). Of course, we see that soon changes when a figure from this franchise’s past reaches out to Ethan with a mission involving a colleague who has managed to get themselves in some serious trouble. Thus, it should come as no surprise to learn that Ethan soon heads out to the deserts of Namibia in order to stage a rescue. However, despite being successful in doing so, we see that along the way our intrepid hero finds he has fallen smackdab in the middle of an infinitely more dire some situation. A situation that results in our hero being given half of a rather unusual key and shortly thereafter traveling to Abu Dhabi International Airport in order to retrieve the other half. It is while doing so that we see Hunt cross paths with a sneaky and enigmatic woman named Grace. A woman who, among other information, happens to be a world class member of the criminal element who has been given the task of getting her hands on the complete key for….parties unknown. However, when a diabolical and ruthless long-lost enemy from Ethan’s past makes his presence known in this hunt for the key, we see that Hunt must reluctantly team up with Grace in a game of tag against not only the CIA, but also a group of deadly assassins among others. One that, if successful, could see them save the world from a truly dastardly evil, but if caught or killed will see a lot worse happen than just a secretary merely disavowing their actions…..

Now right off, it should be noted that even though Mission: Impossible 1-3 seemed content at constructing a sort of legendary quality to the character of Ethan Hunt, we saw that 4-6, due in large part to all being penned by the same man, managed to go in a different direction courtesy of pulling the curtain aside and revealing more about this one-of-a-kind guy who through all these movies has literally put his life on the line over and over again all for the betterment of mankind. With that in mind, it should be noted that with this slice of cinema we see that returning scribe/helmer Christopher McQuarrie has made the narrative choice to showcase for us a part of Ethan we’ve never seen until now. That being just who he was before being recruited into the IMF. As a result, not only does this movie give us a fresh look into this iconic character that we have followed all this time to say nothing of his choices, but it also presents us with more than a smidgeon of new questions as well that I hope we get an answer to sooner rather than later. Perhaps the key element, from a narrative and thematic perspective, that the work on both sides of the camera really does excel at showcasing here though is that everything we have seen Ethan and his cohorts at the IMF do have never been orders per se, but rather a choice. I mean every mission briefing does have the phrase “your mission, should you choose to accept it” in there at some point. Yet unlike some of the other films where this phrase is uttered and then more or less glossed over, the creative team on this film makes it something that is given an extraordinary amount of emphasis especially when Ethan soon finds someone being presented with the choice he was presented with all those years ago. To be sure, the film takes its time in really putting the pieces in play, but once it’s revealed I can promise you that how the movie chooses to resolve it is definitely satisfying. We also see that, in regards to the action beats in this film, that once more this franchise has managed to deliver and then some. This starts with a wild and crazy car chase through the streets of Rome that will make you never look at a yellow Fiat the same way again and extends to such things as a shootout in the desert that feels like something I played in Splinter Cell or Ghost Recon back in the day to a corridor fight that is incredible yet claustrophobia-inducing all rolled into one. Of course, the big one is obviously the stunt that has Cruise riding a motorcycle off a cliff and then turning it into a base jump in mid-air, but trust me when I say that the only way for it to make the impact on you that it deserves to is for you to see it on the biggest screen possible. A phrase incidentally that I can also say about a stunt that occurs on the train and which sees Ethan plus another character having to do the 500-meter dash in various train cars for….reasons. Indeed not only is this one of the most riveting moments in the franchise as a whole, but I promise you that it will have you hooked from beginning to end in a mix of awe, anticipation, and even a hint of sheer terror to an extent. Suffice it to say that when you also manage to incorporate top-flight work from the cinematography, editing, and musical accompaniment departments respectively it’s clear that the work done behind the camera has managed to do an absolutely incredible job and then some at bringing this film to life.

Of course, it really shouldn’t be that big of a surprise to learn that the work done in front of the camera on this installment is able to be just as phenomenal as the work done by their counterparts behind the camera respectively. This starts, surprise surprise, with Tom Cruise and honestly he does a phenomenal job here reprising the role of Ethan Hunt. Not just in terms of his trademark brand of charisma or even in his dedication to bringing 110% plus tax of his being to the daredevil stunt exploits that I find incredible that he is still able to pull off at 60+ years of age. Rather, it’s also because this entry manages to do, in a way that is oddly similar to what Daniel Craig’s run of 007 movies pulled off quite well, the incredible job of permitting Hunt to be vulnerable in ways we haven’t seen before in an entry in this franchise. A vulnerability that in this entry arises from the fact that, without going into spoilers, Hunt finds himself having to learn the painful lesson that as hard as he may fight there will be times where he cannot save people and he has to be able to take it yet keep on fighting all the same. Suffice it to say that Tom Cruise IS Ethan Hunt and no matter how many times he plays the character after this, I think it can be safely said that this will be one of the definitive characters of this icon’s truly illustrious career. Along with the work done by Cruise, we see that this slice of cinema also does a wonderful job at providing him with a top-tier support cast that all, in their own ways, help to flesh out the story and our hero in ways that help to make them as three-dimensional as they turn out to be. This starts with the returning Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, and Rebecca Ferguson who all manage to be just as terrific as ever in their roles of Luther, Benji, and Ilsa respectively with Luther especially getting some moments in this that are down potent in terms of the sheer emotion of them and which Rhames showcases beautifully in his voice and eyes. With that in mind though, it should be said that the trio also don’t have as big of roles as they did in the last one, but nonetheless they all do a great job with the material they are given. Out of everyone though, I think it’s safe to say that the performance to definitely take notice of here is Hayley Atwell in the role of Grace. Indeed not only is the back and forth she has with Cruise utterly fantastic, but she is absolutely a charming joy to watch in this and I think it’s safe to say that not only is she destined to be an iconic character in this franchise, but this is easily one of the 5-7 best performances Atwell has given in her career to date. Of course, a hero is only as good as the villain they square off against and in that regard I will say that whilst Esai Morales is genuinely ruthless and chilling as the mysterious Gabriel, he’s also operating more as a herald in this rather than as this film’s main bad guy. As for the actual antagonist, well I don’t know if I really want to say much about that except not only is it an unusually timely antagonist for our heroes to be squaring off against, but I am very curious to see how this particular showdown is going to play out. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in wonderful efforts from returning players Henry Czerny and Vanessa Kirby as well as new kids on the mission block like the always delightful Cary Elwes, Pom Klementieff, Shea Whigham, and Greg Tarzan Davis among others this is one group of players that know the sandbox they are playing in and as such do a fantastic job at bringing their A-game in ensuring they bring their respective characters as vividly to life as they should.

All in all and at the end of the day is Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning P1 a perfect slice of cinema? Truthfully no. At the same time though, does that make this a bad cinematic mission that should be turned down at any and all cost? Truthfully, I would definitely not say that either. Indeed it might not be on the level to quite a few people as the prior installment from 2018 and I definitely get that argument, but even so there is no denying that this is still one heck of a slice of cinema dear reader. I mean not only is the work behind the camera absolutely top-tier, right down to some of the most jaw on the ground and eyes in shock at what you are witnessing unfurl before you on screen action beats that I have seen in some time, and the work in front of the camera by the collection of talent both returning and new absolutely fantastic no matter how big or small their amount of screentime in the grand scheme of things may be, but this is also one slice of cinema that (without going into spoilers) does a magnificent job at being both its own chapter more or less in the overall franchise whilst also setting the stage for a genuinely electrifying part 2. More than all of that though dear reader, Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part 1 is a slice of cinema that will be looked back on as one of the definitive movies of the Summer 2023 movie season to say nothing of proof that there are still movies out there that deserve to be experienced on the biggest screen you can possibly find. Thus it might not be a perfect film by any stretch, but be that as it may be Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part 1 is still one cinematic viewing experience that, much like its main protagonist is when it comes to the missions he has been given over the years, you should be willing to accept time and time again. Make of that what thou will. On a scale of 1-5 I give Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part 1 a solid 4 out of 5.