None of Our Lives Can Matter More Than This Mission.
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie
Ethan Hunt and his IMF team embark on their most dangerous mission yet: To track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands.
Tom Cruise continues his mission to save cinema, returning to the franchise where he pushes himself and the Hollywood health and safety laws to their limits.
Beginning an epic two-part mission, Ethan Hunt and the IMF team must save the fate of the world once again, stopping a rogue AI that can counter their every move before it is too late. Pushed back and delayed for literal years due to the pandemic and a little indie film called Top Gun: Maverick, the latest instalment in the Mission: Impossible series was highly anticipated, only exacerbated by the quality of the franchise continuing to rise and the high standards set by Fallout.
Continuing to raise the bar of what is possible in action cinema, it seems the only way to top scaling the Burj Khalifa, hanging onto the outside of a carrier plane or HALO jumping is to ride a motorcycle off a cliff and crash the Orient Express… With action sequences that will leave you cheering, gasping and jumping out of your seat, Dead Reckoning delivers immersive and exhilarating moments by the dozen as a lead example of the transportive power of the cinema experience.
Tom Cruise is back with his unstoppable recurring characters in the IMF Team with Hayley Atwell being a welcome addition as the pocketpicking Grace. As they go up against The Entity, Esai Morales is there to give a face to this all-knowing algorithm bringing Ethan's past out from the shadows. But even with all this talent on screen, Pom Klementieff's Paris steals the show as the silent but deadly assassin set out to stop the team. Her presence is ferociously elegant always hot on the heels of Cruise usually in the most brutal fashion.
'Part One' is quickly becoming Hollywood's hot new trend and a 2023 cinema regular. Going as spoiler-light as possible, this was a much more complete and satisfying experience than most. Leaving the door open and audiences wanting more while still bookending the film and story in a satisfying way, making the previous 3 hours not feel wasted.
I don't know if there is anyone else on the planet that is more of an advocate of the big screen experience than Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie. Their passion and commitment to telling the biggest stories to be watched on the biggest screen with the loudest speakers and the fullest crowds is second to none. Not only was Dead Reckoning a joy to watch but only made better watching in a group, watching friends and strangers flail in their seats and fully immerse in the experience. My heart goes out to those watching this on an airline in 6 months' time.
We need films that push boundaries to keep the industry evolving and get audiences to return to the cinema. Growth and varied cinematic voices are so exciting and it's thrilling to see Mission: Impossible leading that charge. I'll be there on the edge of my seat, popcorn in hand, for whatever insanity comes next.
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