The franchise continues.
Tom Cruise is back as Ethan Hunt, Simon Pegg is back as Benji Dunn, Ving Rhames is back as Luther Stickell, and Rebecca Ferguson is back as Ilsa Faust. Mission: Impossible-Dead Reckoning Part One is the start of a new adventure where the mission goes deeper, the risks become more dangerous, and Cruise is still doing his own stunts. The film starts off seeming like it could be a drag, but that all changes as soon as Cruise comes in and the storyline starts to develop.
In Mission Impossible-Dead Reckoning Part One, Ethan has a new mission, one that is tedious and frustrating, but many lives around the world are at stake. He must collect a key that holds the ability to give someone a lot of power, and has the potential to cause serious destruction, financially and otherwise. Benji and Luther are back to help Ethan with this mission.
The team must contend with the enemy Gabriel (played by Esai Morales), and both Gabriel and the team have to deal with Grace (played by Hayley Atwell), who has a similar background to Ethan, Benji, and Luther. She has a relationship to the key and she stands to earn redemption if the mission is pulled off successfully. And as the team moves forward with the tasks and operations seemingly under control, there are moments where trust is questioned. Could it be that there are both allies and enemies within the IMF?
The technology on display in Mission Impossible-Dead Reckoning Part One is next level, so the team is advanced for success but also has its moments of failure. I was intrigued by the innovations that Benji and Luther exhibit. I was also intrigued by the many layers of suspense—ten times the suspense of the previous films. Cops, criminals, and the IMF having a brawl of multiple vehicles through different countries, disguises with surreal twists, and Cruise riding a motorcycle off a mountain, free-falling then opening a parachute and trying to land and save a train, are all part of the formula.
A film with Cruise doing his insane jumps and stunts makes for a pure Mission Impossible expedition. Seeing Cruise jump off buildings, make it through collisions, and perform many other amazing stunts proves that this franchise is far from over. If the stunts sell, the movie sells. The technological elements and creative advancements also make Mission Impossible-Dead Reckoning Part One mind-blowing on a whole new level.
But could this new mission be too much for Ethan to tolerate? Is the IMF at risk of imploding from within?
Mission Impossible-Dead Reckoning Part One will enthrall its audiences from the very opening, with layers of unexplained events bringing anticipation.
Three and a half out of four stars.
