No assembly RequireD

There is no question that Tom Cruise is a real movie star. He may very well be the last of its kind, but what does movie star even mean anymore when many still claim that cinemas are dying and many still choose to stay home and watch anything on a streaming service. While the argument is valid in some areas it is tough to say that the movie star doesn’t matter anymore when Cruise himself helped reignite that spark with last year’s mega hit “Top Gun: Maverick,” and just like the man himself who never stops running Cruise is back at it again with another reminder that nothing will ever beat big screen theatrical fun. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: DEAD RECKONING-PART ONE may be a mouthful of a title, but that is because it is trying to keep up with its gigantic film. A film made of big action, big stunts and enough spectacle and connect the dots story that remind you that studio movies can in fact be sincere…and quite intelligent too. DEAD RECKONING isn’t just another call to arms to get people to the theater, it is a mockery of the disastrous other choices in theaters this summer that could barely break a penny let alone leave us something memorable. Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie don’t just continue to set the bar, they carry it out so far you practically have to nosedive off a cliff to even come close. The future of filmmaking and major studios continue to show us a bleaker path, but its tough to bet against Tom Cruise who may in fact be the closest thing to a real Ethan Hunt that we have. Someone that puts everyone else before himself for theatrical enjoyment and knows the mission is never truly impossible.

Ethan Hunt (Cruise) will always care about his friends. That is why he is still doing all he can to keep tabs on even his most evasive ones. When we first meet back up with secret agent Hunt he has traveled far out in the South African desert to make sure former MI6 Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) has not met the bounty on her head as well as retrieve a much needed key that every big world agency seems to be after. A key we learn that has been split into two halves that when put together can control an AI mega experimental system known simple as the “Entity.” You’ll hear that name a ton throughout the film (never do the Dead Reckoning drinking game with it) as it is not just an AI system that could control everything a world leader desires, it is one that has gone rogue laying out all the outcomes for itself staying multiple steps ahead of its chasers. This worries not just Ethan but also former IMF director Eugene Kittridge (Henry Czerny returning for the first time since the original film) as well as Director of National Intelligence Denlinger (Cary Elwes). But if that’s not enough once Ethan sets out to find the two separate keys to destroy the Entity he finds himself tangled up in a motley crew of past ghosts all looking to claim possession. DEAD RECKONING is not a whose who of the MI franchise, but rather a reminder that good or bad Ethan can never truly shake off anyone. This comes to fruition more so in the form of a mastermind terrorist named Gabriel (Esai Morales) who has some connection to Ethan’s life before the IMF. While the film being a part one merely teases their history Morales carries enough anger and mischievous charisma that clearly get the sense that these two will not have a fun reunion. Thankfully Ethan is still supported by his team members Luther and Benji (Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg respectively). He also finds himself adding a somewhat new member with big time burglar Grace (Hayley Atwell) who seeks the key merely for a resale to an unknown buyer. While there are many players at hand, not to mention two intelligence agents (Shea Whigham and Greg Tarzan Davis) out for Ethan, the script by McQuarrie and and Erik Jendresen has its fun giving us our usual MI opening antics and credits. Even with a darker tone throughout it never veers off from the lunacy that makes these films so engaging. If anything it allows time for a quick breather before things continue to get dark.

Dark is not just the only way to describe the way things go for Ethan. One can even say downright tragic. Hunt, who has always been twenty steps ahead of his adversaries finds himself not up against mortal enemies, but instead a system that thrives in keeping Ethan alive and unknowing. In fact the notion of A.I. itself can be seen for the reason of bringing back so many characters that also include Vanessa Kirby’s The White Widow and her brother Zola (Frederick Schmidt). Here is a system that thinks in the form of numbers and brings to mind the many franchise films today that want a large cast of “remember them” attitude. But again this isn’t for a cheap ploy but to show Ethan the fear of an all knowing being that can destroy anyone he is acquainted with at any second. DEAD RECKONING may be the first “Impossible” film since the third where you can’t say “they are a main character so they must be safe.” It is both exciting and terrifying to see Ethan battle for the lives of his friends all while being too far away from keeping them safe. An alley way fight scene involving a new adversary named Paris (Pom Klementieff) demonstrates how Ethan doesn’t fight to win, but rather to use himself to keep everyone else safe. Cruise’s performance as Ethan has only gotten better with each iteration. While it may be enjoyable to watch him battle his way there is always a pain in his movements that remind us why he is still out there fighting.

But this is a Mission Impossible film after all and it knows that for all its chaos you still want to see someone do death defying stunts. While the film has never veered into a territory of stunts first story later, it still carries the baton of being one of the only ongoing franchises that wants to do it all. RECKONING thankfully is more than up for the task. Whether it be the stapple Tom Cruise running scenes, or a gripping car chase through Rome, RECKONING keeps things not just fresh but proof that nobody does what they do because they simply cannot. All their stunts carry personality too thanks to the performances of the actors doing their best to be as involved as they physically can. Credit to all stunt performers as well, but there is a real joy in seeing Atwell and Cruise literally be locked hand in hand while trying to drive a tiny Italian sports car. Atwell herself is a wonderful addition to a franchise that often keeps its women in both danger and at risk of every decision Ethan makes. Atwell best known as Peggy Carter in the Marvel Universe may play Grace as more fish out water, but every movement has her own agenda keeping the audience on their toes and Ethan but nervous and enthralled.

DEAD RECKONING owes a lot of its story to its original film since it has the most conspiracy and paranoia atmosphere since Ethan first went on the run. But unlike the original and closer to its recent predecessors it chooses such a wild final act that while cheering may seem like the appropriate response you are instead left speechless. Even if you are keen of watching pre behind the scenes footage and are aware of the major stunts they pulled getting to finally see them in context makes you amazed all over again. It is also wonderfully comical to see such an intense film channel the outrageous energy of Buster Keaton (yes I mean it) in a grand finale that will have you wanting to throw on “The General” right when you get home. Cruise and Buster Keaton may be on two different planets filmmaking wise, but here their worlds collide in a way that shows Cruise and McQuarrie don’t want to settle for comfort, they want to expand as filmmakers all around.

Obviously there is a part two on the horizon and there is an awful lot unsettled here, but DEAD RECKONING PART ONE much like its enemy is a film several steps ahead of its audience It sees the grim future if we continue to allow A.I. scripts and filmmaking to take over. The film even says this was bound to happen and while it may be shocking to Ethan it unfortunately is not to many recurring moviegoers. But that is what makes films like DEAD RECKONING all the more exciting. A never back down attitude that knows destruction of false algorithms is the only outcome. It won’t settle for anything less and as far as summer blockbusters go, neither should we.

A

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: DEAD RECKONING-PART ONE IS NOW PLAYING IN THEATERS EVERYWHERE