Mission Impossible is one of those rare action franchises that’s still going strong and actually improving with every movie since the beginning with 1996’s Mission Impossible almost 30 years ago now. Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One is the seventh movie in the franchise, but it still manages to be thrilling and one of the best in the franchise to date. Tom Cruise and Co. essentially repeats what he did with 2022’s brilliant Top Gun Maverick, delivering yet another summer blockbuster action movie that’s worth going to the cinemas for.

Your Mission, Should You Choose To Accept It

Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames in Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.

Tom Cruise reprises his role as Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One, along with several returning faces (Simon Pegg’s Benji, Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust, etc.) and new ones as well (Hayley Atwell’s Grace, etc.). Just like Top Gun Maverick before it, Cruise proves how nostalgia can be applied in a way that has substance and feels meaningful. There are callbacks and references to the very first Mission Impossible movie, with Henry Czerny reprising his role as Eugene Kittridge. Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One feels fresh and thrilling it is, despite being the seventh film of the franchise and just the first half of a two-parter.

The best way to experience Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One is without any spoilers, so I won’t repeat what some other reviewers have chosen to do by revealing plot points that were not revealed by the official synopsis or trailers. What I can say is that the stakes are the highest that they’ve ever been in the franchise, both in terms of actual danger and the emotional challenges facing the characters. The enemy in Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One is something new and unique; something that Ethan Hunt has never faced before and one that is terrifyingly timely considering the current era that we’re living in. It’s an enemy that’s perfectly apt for these modern times, and that’s what makes it feel like a menacing threat to the protagonists. That’s all I can say without spoilers.

Tom Cruise and Vanessa Kirby in Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.

But of course, the best thing about Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One is the action. Tom Cruise has been defining what big cinematic summer blockbuster-worthy action should be like with his past Mission Impossible movies and the recent Top Gun Maverick. Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One continues that, with some of the best bombastic action we’ve ever seen. The reason is that movie doesn’t rely on CGI like most other big-budget films and uses mostly practical stunts/VFX for the movie’s action scenes and setpieces. That’s also why recent action-heavy movies like Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny still felt boring due to their over-reliance on CGI and ridiculous physics but the action in Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One actually feels intense and thrilling due to how realistic and grounded it is, as well as making it worth watching on the big screen.

Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One is the longest movie in the franchise in terms of duration; at a whopping 2 hours and 43 minutes long. However, it doesn’t feel that way at all. Sure, there are a few slow scenes for necessary exposition and plot development, but the movie’s pacing is brisk and before you know it, it ends. What’s praise-worthy is also that it’s not just all balls-to-the-walls action in this one, as we get a lot of classic spy and espionage elements involving disguises and deception. In addition, despite being only Part One and ending on a cliffhanger, Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One feels like a complete movie as a whole, offering a surprisingly satisfying package despite not offering a proper conclusion.

Rebecca Ferguson in Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.

Hunt, Ethan Hunt

Tom Cruise and Hayley Atwell in Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.

To put it in the simplest terms possible, Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One is a movie that’s literally begging to be seen on the biggest cinema screens possible, especially if you’re into thrilling action scenes that make you on the edge of your seat. The franchise has cemented itself to be one of the best action franchises around and if the quality of this movie is any indication, Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part Two (which is set to premiere in June 2024) seems like it will be an epic cinematic swansong that will be the highlight of Tom Cruise’s long and legendary career.

FINAL SCORE: 80/100

We attended an early screener of Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One courtesy of United International Pictures Malaysia. Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One is slated to premiere in Malaysian cinemas on 11 July 2023.