Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Totally Delivers!

If we are judging movie franchises in general, the MI movies have to rate near the top. Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1 is shaming the whole of Hollywood. While the rest of the industry stumbles along a self-destructive course, here is a 61 year old Tom Cruise gifting us with a 7th (and soon to be 8th) tasty helping of MI. Is it just me, or does it seem like Tom Cruise is the only dude in Hollywood that actually knows what we want to watch and is willing to give it to us? And has, in fact, been doing it with Mission Impossible for nearly 30 years!

It Doesn’t Take Scooby Doo to figure out this mystery…

That’s a rhetorical question. Hollywood knows perfectly well what we like. As recently as a decade ago we were still being treated to some awesome movies that pretty much omitted the ‘new age’ messages that they are trying to force-feed us. Maybe they were counting on us to just consume because there was nothing else to consume and we’ve become a nation of folks who just want to be distracted from the shite-storms that swirl all around us every day. Maybe they are so convinced of their self-deity that they no longer want to entertain us, but mold us.

Whatever their reasons, it’s clear that the movie-makers who stick to the mantra of ‘give them what they want’ will be making bank. Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning is totally going reward Paramount. And I think it’s safe to say that Cruise is the most bankable star in the world. Last year, he gave us Top Gun: Maverick. This year, it’s Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1. Next summer, we get Part 2 (I can’t wait!) Three years running that Cruise will be the top grosser in Hollywood by bucking the system. Bravo and kudos, Mr. Cruise. You are the MAN.

Man plus Machine equals Mission…

Enough pontificating…What is there to like about Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning? Plenty. Per it’s formula, the action smacks you in the face from the very start. Only this time it comes in the form of telling the villain’s back-story. Fast-forward to the current-day, where Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise, and if you needed me to tell you that, you can see yourself out…) has been enlisted to find the MacGuffin(s) necessary to thwart the evil ‘machinations’ of the villain.

Along for the ride are the usual second bananas Luthor Stickle (Ving Rhames) and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg). Also returning are Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson) and Alanna Mitsopolis – the White Widow (Vanessa Kirby). Halley Atwell is introduced as Grace, a highly competent and clever master thief who seems to be an equal to Ethan in at least that respect. I’m loving the chemistry of those two that reveals mutual respect but stops short of attraction (which would have been a gross writing mistake).

Nothing New Under the Sun

I’ve kept quiet about the villains of this movie for good reason. While there is pretty much no way for Hollywood to create any new types of villains – its all been done – the bad guys of Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning do manage to put a newish twist on things we’ve seen before. And at all costs, I will not ruin that for you.

Likewise, the action sequences are pretty much as expected. Car chases are car chases. Train crashes are what they are (but even that was made a little bit special). And the scene where Hunt launches himself from the top of a mountain astride a motorcycle? Visual awesomeness made exponentially MORE awesome because Tom Cruise did that stunt himself. Six times. Clearly, Batman wants to be Cruise. Who could blame him? And now I’m adding that to my bucket list.

Are their klinks in this movie? Sure. I thought Luthor and Benji were under-utilized, and that’s a shame. There’s been some chatter that Ving Rhames might have some medical stuff going on. At 64, it’s bound to happen, I guess. The movie did feel a bit overlong. And this movie felt a little light on humor, given that there was so much situational opportunity for it, especially between Cruise and Atwell.

I’m also going to give it a slight knock for being yet another two-parter (what is the frickin’ deal with that trend?) I feel like this movie could have been done in one go. But it gives us at least ONE movie to look forward to next summer. And for that, I am grateful.

I’m giving Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1 4.5 out of 5. You should all choose to accept it.

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