Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning

Thomas Cruise returns in this seventh addition to the Mission Impossible franchise and boy does he go all out. It’s the first part to a double feature story and it definitely left me waiting for the second part!! I’ll just say Tom set out to send a message to all female drivers and… I’m not saying I agree or disagree LOOOL

It immediately kicks off with a submarine showcasing its stealth abilities and in a series of bizarre incidents ends up shooting down itself. From there you just know what Ethan’s new mission is going to be and we are pumped for it. The sub holds some form of CPU device which is able to hack into any device (aka Gods Eye from Fast and Furious) and requires a special key to open it and now all spies, agents and countries are after it as they want to control it. It makes for a great espionage tale as there are so many various pieces and characters to this puzzle.

Tom is as expected, excellent. The guy just continues to age well and forever stays active with I think more than 4x times the sprinting scenes in this movie, he loves it lol. The growth and expansion of Ethan Hunt has been a privilege to witness and be a part of. Long may it continue. Returning cast members and MI legends Ving Thames and Simon Pegg return as Luther and Benji and of course provide that comedic element of who is the smartest. I say Luther! We have a brilliant and cold Bond-esque villain brought to us by Esai Morales. His depiction of this cultist enthusiast is cold and chilling. The exact feelings you get when he appears on screen. Now the stars of the film for me were the ladies. There was a real “girl power” feeling to this entry. New addition Hayley Atwell was just a shining gem and the perfect choice to add to this franchise. I don’t know if it’s just the English aura or what but she was elegant, beautiful and hella crafty. I do think she had better chemistry with Tom. Rebecca Ferguson returns as the stone-cold British agent just hell bent on completing missions this time round posing as the eye patch wearing female Nick Fury, she’s excellent. Pom Klementieff is the silent assassin with very little words but a good source of the action here. Everyone’s favourite broker returns and she just continues where she left off with her witty, sinister stance. Vanessa Kirby is really good, really establishing herself in the action space.

MI productions are always out of this world and over the top, just the way we love it. You know Tom always has some Galactico stunt he also needs to tick of his list and this time around its riding off a mountain and parachuting down to a moving train. As crazy as that sounds and how good the scene was it actually wasn’t the best thing about this film. There are too many choose from. There are quite a few scenes of where the characters are walking at a fast pace which provide some vivid intense scenes. The cinematography is crisp and the locations definitely help with that. The audio is something that warrants the IMAX treatment. From the car and train engines, the bullets from the guns all the way to the sound of tear of the face masks, top quality. The VFX are near perfect and this time around quite minimal despite the various gadgets on display. There is an epic car chase scene that takes place in Venice and its one of the best I’ve seen in one of the cutest minis. The hand-to-hand combat is always outstanding and this time it’s taken to another level. Notable mentions are the narrow alley fight and bridge fight. There are set pieces that are reminiscent of Uncharted in which Nathan Drake would be proud.

To an extent it does get tiring seeing Ethan rebel against his own employers just to do the right thing and save the world, when is everyone going to actually trust him?

With all the enemies Ethan has gathered his story was always going to end him right here against the only adversary that could possibly match him, an AI. It’s a story that has elements of cultism which ties right into the alleged rumours with his association with scientology. The story has a 4D chess approach where 4 parties are battling to find this key. There are so many twists, turns and double agents that you can’t afford to blink or you will miss it. It does a great job of connecting all characters and plots whether via political, romantic or person route. Rebecca and Hayley’s characters take centre stage and provide some excellent dialogue and motives. As always you have to second guess every person in front of you because the unmasking champions are always at work LOL.

MI: Dead Reckoning delivers more of the same and gives us extra. It’s a must watch movie and potential film of the year. It’s the most characters we have ever seen ensembled and it works, very well. With this new villain we know little about but features deep within Ethan’s past I’m sure we will find out more in the next part. With its huge cinematic pieces and well driven story which connects future and past it makes for a wicked journey where we can’t wait to see where it ends.

What’s your prediction for the next part? Who is Gabriel? Why does he rattle Ethan so much? Do you think some folk will come back from the dead? React and comment below…