287. Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning, Part One; movie review

 

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD RECKONG, PART ONE

Cert 12A

163 mins

BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence, threat

Buckle in and take a deep breath... the latest Mission Impossible movie doesn't let up for more than two and a half hours.

I know its a bit corny and Tom Cruise is too old to play Ethan Hunt but I cannot deny that I was transfixed.

However, it is a pity that we have to wait until spring of 2025 for the next instalment.

Mission Impossible follows the lead of James Bond in being much more personal storyline - delving much more into its leading man's psyche.

But it succeeds where Bond fails because its doesn't change his character on dilute the incredible stunts.

Indeed, the the latter are revved up, so we see one of the greatest movie chase scenes through Rome and the much-discussed motorbike flying off a mountain.

In common with Bond, Mission Impossible meets its usual bar in terms of very attractive people in exotic locations.

Buckle in and take a deep breath - the latest Mission Impossible movie doesn't let up for more than two and a half hours.

I know it's a bit corny, and Tom Cruise is too old to play Ethan Hunt, but I cannot deny that I was transfixed.

However, it is a pity that we must wait until spring of 2025 for the next instalment.

Mission Impossible follows the lead of James Bond in having a much more personal storyline - delving deep into its leading man's psyche.

But it succeeds where Bond fails because it doesn't change his character or dilute the incredible stunts.

Indeed, the latter are revved up, so we see a scintillilating chase scene through Rome and the much-discussed motorbike flying off a mountain.

In common with Bond, Mission Impossible meets its usual bar in terms of very attractive people in exotic locations.

But it has moved bang up to date with a plotline surrounding a threat to humanity from Artificial Intelligence.

The film begins powerfully with a Russian high-tech stealth submarine blown up by one of its own missiles.

The event provides the key to AI invading global national security systems.

Those behind the AI attack are invisible, so Ethan Hunt accepts the mission of finding and, ultimately, making the world safe again.

But he also has to face demons from his past and an enemy who seems to be omnipresent.

In 2015, I wrote: "Sadly, time has moved on and, while Mission Impossible is still watchable, it has been overtaken by the likes of the Bourne Identity franchise, and now Bond has surpassed it on every level. 

"Unlike Bond, Mission Impossible has stuck by its leading man. But Tom Cruise is well into his 50s, and his boyish good looks cannot gloss over nearly 20 years. 

"In other words, on all fronts, Mission Impossible is looking its age."

Three years later, I was more positive about the following film, Fall Out and wrote: "Somehow, I didn't notice Tom Cruise's age as much as I did previously."

I am pleased to report that Dead Reckoning, Part One, is fresh and thrilling, while Cruise's age doesn't seem to matter.

Once again, he is joined by Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames as his tech team while Rebecca Ferguson makes up the home team.

Esai Morales is the chief villain alongside Vanessa Kirby, while Haley Atwell plays a high-class thief caught in the middle of the two sides.

But, as decent as they are, they are only support for Cruise and the fantastic special effects and stunts.

Both are great and, much against my expectation, Christopher McQuarrie's film  has left me salivating for its sequel.

Reasons to watch: Non-stop action

Reasons to avoid: A heavy slice of deja vu

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 8.5/10

Did you know? To avoid Covid while filming in the UK, Tom Cruise paid £500,000 for an old cruise ship for the cast and crew to isolate on.

The final word. James Mather (sound editor): "I think it feels like it’s a more personal storyline, the arc feels more tied into Ethan, and his responsibility or his growing awareness of his responsibility to the rest of the crew, the rest of his team. There’s a lot more nuance, and there’s a lot more character-driven drama in this as well as the butt-clenching action." y! entertainment

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