Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One [2023] – Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell

Dead Reckoning is basically a movie about Tom Cruise running around with over-the-top stunts that severely under-delivers on its promise.

With a terrific cast and some beautifully shot stunts, Dead Reckoning stays true to the mission of the franchise: Make Tom Cruise Great Again. Plus, it’s not as good as any of the franchise’s predecessors. Not the current iteration, not the previous iteration, which is sad.

In fact, I was excited to know that Hayley Atwell is joining the cast. However, once again, the movie is about Cruise’s character running from point A to point B. Physically running. Not driving or diving. With a runtime of around 2h 43m. You easily get more than a full hour watching Cruise running around. Who needs a story, or a good stunt, when you have an older actor trying his best to outdo his crazy stunts from the previous movie?

Sadly, for all its efforts to topple James Bond by mirroring the stunts that came out some 40 years ago, Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One ultimately is but a shadow of something much more interesting and worthy of a Friday night viewing.

Am I excited for Part 2? Certainly not. Would audience enjoy this movie? Mostly yes. It’s a recycled action movie that is lacking any moral of emotional compass.

Should You Watch It?

This franchise needs a break. We’ve gotten used to the extravagent stunts. But similar to the Fast movies, it’s getting really tiresome and missing any substance, even the basic entertainment.

Where Can I Watch It?

You can stream Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One exclusively on Paramount+.