Not enough action in your life this summer? Too hot, you say? Well, your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to find a nice air-conditioned theater, grab a big bag of popcorn, and lose yourself in one of the best action-adventure flicks in a long while, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.
Yes, Tom Cruise is back doing (at least some of) his own stunts for the seventh time as the impossible IMF agent, Ethan Hunt, as he out-runs The Flash, out-adventures Indiana Jones, out-drives Dominic Toretto, and out-sings The Little Mermaid. (Okay, so, Cruise doesn’t sing in this movie, but I wouldn’t put it past him for Dead Reckoning Part Two!)
The plot is as timely as today’s headlines as the Impossible Missions Force goes up against a rogue artificial intelligence program set on obtaining a nuclear weapon. It hires several evil-doers (Esai Morales and Pom Klementieff) to do its bidding, and it’s up to Ethan and crew to stop the nefarious plan … and ACTION!
Insane car chases, gun battles, fight sequences, and train wrecks ensue. And there’s also the crazy (well publicized) motorcycle-driving-off-a-cliff stunt that is worth the price of admission on its own. Not to mention a … (no spoilers here.)
The film stars the usual team of IMF agents played by Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg, and Rebecca Ferguson returns as Ethan’s love interest. Welcome newcomer Hayley Atwell (the MCU’s Peggy Carter) is also along for the ride.
The aforementioned Klementieff (the MCU’s Mantis) is incredible as a French assassin who takes great pleasure in performing her duties. The whole ensemble is fantastic and I can’t wait to see them all again in Part Two.
The score by Lorne Balfe is fantastic and I loved how he trickily leads you into the Mission: Impossible theme without you knowing that’s where you are going. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is easily the most fun I’ve had at the movies this year and I’m looking forward to seeing how they top themselves in the sequel … if that’s even possible.
