**Spoiler Alert** THIS IS THE KIND OF FILM THAT MOVIE THEATERS EXIST FOR
This public service announcement to all Action Movie fans: Mission Impossible, Dead Reckoning: Part 1 is an action-adventure Masterpiece.
Every once in a while, a movie comes along that is so exhilarating it makes your hands clammy like riding a rollercoaster, your pulse quickens, and you never want it to end. Yes, folks, this is the kind of film that movie theaters exist for. Go and see it on the biggest screen you can find!
With superb suspense and enticing twists from the very first scene, Director Christopher McQuarrie is just so good at his craft that, together with his one-of-a-kind Maverick Tom Cruise, has created an exquisitely entertaining movie with an unrelenting pace reminiscent of films like the ‘Bourne Ultimatum’ and ‘James Bond Spectre’.
In the final act, I realized the movie could end soon, and it made me sad! That’s how good this was, especially considering it has a run time of 163 minutes!
What I enjoyed:
– The opening sequence onboard a Russian submarine was exceptional in intensity and performance.
– The villainous threat our heroes are trying to prevent may not have seemed real 5 years ago. Still, it is absolutely current and terrifyingly possible today with all the talk swirling about AI and it’s inherent dangers. This was beautifully and believably woven into the story!
– The onscreen chemistry between Cruise and Hayley Atwell’s character was palpable, and
– When comedy is used, it resulted in genuine laughter that gave the audience a much-needed breather, albeit brief.
My favorite scene, though, was the train sequence in the final act, where Director McQuarrie makes sure the audience is undeniably aware (first via close-up, then zooming out into a wide-angle stunt scene) that it is non-other than Cruise himself on a motorbike as we watch him speed off the edge of a Mountain cliff, dive into the clouds, swoosh downward passed jagged rocks, release his parachute, and land on said moving train.
Just when you think you’ve seen it all and quite possibly yawning while watching just another “summer blockbuster”, Mission Impossible, Dead Reckoning: Part 1 displays mind-blowing originality, taking us way past the bounds of our perceived cinematography limitations.
Congrats to the filmmakers on a resounding victory this Summer! 5 Stars well earned, and I’m sure I join a chorus of the reviewing press in my excitement for part 2.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️