Ethan Hunt and his IMF team must track down a dangerous weapon before it falls into the wrong hands.
Almost every Mission: Impossible film (we don’t talk about the second one) has been highly entertaining. “Dead Reckoning Part One” is no exception. Here, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team must face a sentient AI known as “The Entity.” Gabriel (Esai Morales), a villain Ethan faced before his time in the IMF, returns and is determined to control AI.
The only way to control the AI is to access its source coding, which can only be opened by two halves of a key. These key parts are the McGuffin of this film that everyone is after, including Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson), Gabriel, Grace (Hayley Atwell), Kittridge (Henry Czerny), and the White Widow (Vanessa Kirby).
Grace is a criminal but not a spy. In this scenario, she is a fish out of water and finds that she is in over her head. She mostly follows Ethan’s lead but does try to escape him from time to time. Atwell was compelling in the role, and I am interested in how she fairs in “Part Two.”
Honestly, the AI component of the plot is a bit convoluted. Going after a program that does not have a physical form isn’t the same as going after a person. And while we do have Gabriel and Kittridge, head of the IMF, as foes in this film, they resemble caricatures rather than fleshed-out characters.
There are some elements in “Dead Reckoning Part One” that I found to be weirdly reflective of recent world events, such as how the plot address AI concerns and also involves a submarine accident, even though this script was finished before the emergence of ChatGPT and the implosion of the Titanic submersible. Some familiar faces from “Top Gun: Maverick” also show up in minor roles here that were a treat.
I was slightly disappointed with the lack of screen time for Ethan’s crew, Benji (Simon Pegg), Luther (Ving Rhames), and Ilsa. I think a reason why the last two “Mission: Impossible” films have been so great is in part because the crew is more centralized. Ilsa is a favorite character of mine in the series, and I was a bit upset with how they handled her character. Here’s hoping they have more screen time in “Part Two.”
The action is top-notch, which should come as no surprise. The third act set-piece is crazy and memorable. I am very impressed with how Tom Cruise and director, Christopher McQuarrie, keep outdoing themselves with each film. The third act is honestly the highlight of this film.
Ultimately, I think “Dead Reckoning Part One” introduced too many new characters. However, we still get an entertaining and action-packed film. “Dead Reckoning Part One” is not my favorite Mission film, but it delivers in all the areas it needs to. There’s nothing else left to say, but Tom Cruise does it again.
In Theaters Wednesday, July 12th
