Nearly three decades and seven movies later, the Mission: Impossible series has, improbably, aged like a fine wine. Each film has outdone the last — Brian DePalma’s sexy and intriguing opener gave way to John Woo’s bombastic and electrifying M:I-2. J.J. Abrams’ Mission: Impossible 3 gave the franchise its greatest villain and laid the foundation for an emotional Ethan Hunt story that is threaded through the Christopher McQuarrie era that began after Brad Bird’s Ghost Protocol. McQuarrie, who went on to direct one of the greatest action movies of all time six movies and 22 years into the franchise, has helped Ethan Hunt outlast two James Bonds, three Batmen, and the entire DCEU. Now, all of this is culminating in what has been touted as an event with a capital E. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is the first in a two-part story that will conclude in 2024 and after numerous setbacks, including COVID-related shutdowns, release date delays, and a leaked on-set rant, it is here in all its glory.

Ethan Hunt’s seventh outing is everything you’d want in a Mission: Impossible movie — breathless set pieces that rival some of the best of the franchise, moments of hysterical absurdity, and a villain that is both eerily prescient and connected deeply to the past. Dead Reckoning Part One isn’t a perfect movie — there’s one big fumble that’s sure to be divisive — but it’s damn near close. As the first part in a two-parter, Dead Reckoning Part One kicks off a larger narrative that, presumably, won’t conclude until the next film, but it paves the way with an intriguing story that feels self-contained: A rogue AI program, dubbed “The Entity” by Ethan (Tom Cruise) and co., looms over the proceedings as various parties search for the key to control it. Control of The Entity will give whoever has it the power to decide the truth, the very idea of right and wrong, as Henry Czerny’s Eugene Kittridge says quite ominously in his grand return to the franchise. The obligatory set-up happens with typical flair: Ethan, tasked with finding the key for the US government, decides to go rogue in an attempt to destroy it and prevent it from falling into anyone’s hands and things go haywire from there.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning’s New Characters Will Be Divisive
Hayley Atwell and Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1. 

Dead Reckoning Part One introduces a slew of new characters, many of whom will be seen again when Part Two rolls around. Essai Morales’ Gabriel serves as a disciple of sorts for The Entity, its walking, talking proxy. Gabriel also has a connection to Ethan’s past, an excusable retcon shoehorned in that adds an extra layer to their adversarial relationship. Pom Klementieff appears as Paris, Gabriel’s tenacious henchwoman who rather unfortunately falls into the “Silent Asian” trope that has plagued shows like The Umbrella Academy and The Boys in recent years. It’s a shame since she’s given a standout fight with Cruise during a particularly tragic sequence that propels Dead Reckoning Part One to its stellar finish.

The film’s most notable addition, though, is Hayley Atwell as the mysterious Grace. Partnered with Ethan for much of the film, Grace is a bit of a cipher — maybe the franchise is saving some characterization for Part Two, but she ends up feeling one-note in the film, especially compared to Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa, one of Mission: Impossible’s standout characters. Fortunately, that proves to be less of a problem than it would be in a lesser film. Atwell’s chemistry with Cruise is invigorating, and their escapades lead to some of the franchise’s funniest set pieces in years. Still, Grace’s antics can become grating as Dead Reckoning barrels toward the end of its massive 163-minute runtime.

Mission: Impossible Dead – Reckoning Part 1 Is Excellent But It Makes One BIG Mistake

That massive runtime makes way for some truly awe-inspiring set pieces. The two that bookend the film — one in the desert, another in the Alps — are some of the most thrilling the franchise has ever delivered. Some moments feel like a video game in the best way, capturing what recent movies like Uncharted and Mortal Kombat have merely tried to do. A slickly choreographed car chase through Rome also makes way for some of Cruise’s funniest physical comedy in years. All of this is derailed by one major development that threatens to undermine the momentum established.

To get into details would be to reveal a major spoiler and that won’t be happening in this review. The moment is meant to serve as an emotional crux for the film, though, one that propels Ethan, Grace, and the team into the final stretch. It works and McQuarrie and co. deliver a top-notch sequence that sits among the best finales of the franchise. It also ties into the themes of the film — an old world fighting against a frightening new superpower, a collision of truth and fiction, a derailment of everything that has, up until now, worked so handily in Ethan Hunt’s favor. Still, the fumble in question lingers over the rest of the film, a resounding and befuddling “Why?” that could go down as one of its few low points.

How Dead Reckoning Compares To Other Mission: Impossible Films

There are a few other weak points in an otherwise sturdy film. The script falls victim to some clunky dialogue — Ving Rhames’ Luther openly states the use of the MacGuffin and the larger stakes at hand no less than three times, almost as if he’s speaking straight to the camera, a move that makes you wish the movie would trust its audience more. Its runtime also feels bloated as the film reaches its climax. The fact that Fallout was so economical in its pacing doesn’t do Dead Reckoning Part One any favors, but these are all minor qualms.

The film once again proves why Cruise has been credited as a big factor in bringing the movies back, first with Top Gun: Maverick’s incredible run last summer and now, with a Mission: Impossible film that shows off some of Cruise’s most feral Ethan Hunt behavior yet (including, but not limited to, jumping off the edge of a cliff on a motorbike, flipping multiple cars while handcuffed to a runaway woman, and trading blows in an alleyway the width of his shoulders). All the set pieces have been teased in one way or another leading up to the film’s release, but even that doesn’t matter; remember, this is a franchise bold enough to essentially spoil the entire of Fallout in its opening credits montage set to the Mission: Impossible theme. Each and every moment is more thrilling than the last, and it even has a conclusive ending that, while leaving some threads dangling for the second part, won’t be as gasp-inducing or as frustrating as other recent halfway points in two-parters.

Is Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 Good?
Hayley Atwell and Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1. 

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One may very well be the summer blockbuster. While other high-profile films populate a packed calendar, the action epic is a cut above the rest. That it comes out in the same month as Barbie and Oppenheimer, the 2023 Box Office Battle Royale, proves just how confident Cruise and Paramount are in the picture, and they should be. McQuarrie’s camera vacillates between jittery anxiety and sweeping elegance. The cast, including returnees Ferguson, Rhames, Simon Pegg, and Vanessa Kirby are all integral to the story in a way that adds to the sense of finality that is to come full circle next year. In a summer with too many offerings to choose from (as evidenced by the lackluster returns some movies are seeing), there may be a clear frontrunner already, and we should all be thankful to Ethan Hunt for running ahead of the pack.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One releases in theaters on July 12. The film is 163 minutes long and rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some language and suggestive material.

Key Release Dates Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two