Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1

The first part of the supposed big finale struggles to find its balance

It’s hard to believe, but the Mission: Impossible movies have already clocked seven entries—with an eighth on the way. It’s been fascinating to watch the spy franchise evolve into a sure-fire action blockbuster machine. After extensive COVID delays, the supposed first part of this two-part finale has finally been released.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 (2023) finds our hero, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), facing off against a deadly and all-powerful rogue AI program capable of predicting every move he and his ragtag team of agents can come up with. In order to stop it, Hunt and his crew will have to think outside the box in a mission that seems… impossible.

Christopher McQuarrie returns to direct his third consecutive installment following two deliciously enjoyable entries: Rogue Nation (2015) and Fallout (2018). Those previous films thrived on scaled-down plots, inventive action scenes, and a tongue-in-cheek tone. With Dead Reckoning Part 1, however, McQuarrie throws nearly all those valuable ingredients out the window.

The film opens with a nearly 30-minute exposition dump introducing the rogue AI concept—only to revisit and re-explain it multiple times throughout the runtime. This slows the pacing considerably and delivers such corny, generic spy dialogue that it’s hard not to roll your eyes. Likewise, the excuses for globe-trotting from one exotic location to another become increasingly laughable. The layers of double and triple-crossing reach such absurdity that they lose all credibility. Story-wise, it’s only the chemistry between Cruise and his two leading ladies—Rebecca Ferguson as returning rogue agent Ilsa, and Hayley Atwell as professional thief Grace—that inject any spark or intrigue into the narrative.

Thankfully, Dead Reckoning Part 1 is saved by the franchise’s greatest strength: its action. McQuarrie continues to design creative and thrilling set pieces that force Ethan to think on his feet, all staged with a steady camera and smooth choreography. Like the John Wick films, Mission: Impossible has become a reliable source of quality, adrenaline-pumping action. But where Wick keeps its plotting minimal to highlight its strengths, Dead Reckoning Part 1 seems unaware of its own excess.

The result is a film bloated by redundant exposition and overextended action sequences. McQuarrie would have been wise to prioritize one over the other to avoid the nearly three-hour runtime. And as a “Part 1,” the film suffers from its inherently incomplete structure—ending on a cliffhanger that feels more appropriate for TV than for cinema.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 continues the franchise’s impressive run of gritty, high-octane action. But its inexplicable pivot to self-seriousness, coupled with a plot that feels like a lazy throwback to a 1980s techno-thriller, drags down the momentum and tests the viewer’s patience. Here’s hoping McQuarrie and Cruise return to the leaner, livelier tone of their earlier collaborations—and exit the franchise with a bang.

6.8/10