Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning- Part 1

This weekend, Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning- Part 1 releases in theaters. Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning- Part 1 follows Ethan Hunt and his team as he must race against the nations of the world to retrieve a key that can control a new powerful entity. Mission Impossible is one of the most consistent franchises out there with each entry being top-tier and somehow being better than the previous film. This movie was also my most anticipated film of this year so I was beyond excited to see it.

This movie did not disappoint. It achieved everything I was expecting and more. As with all of the Mission Impossible films, the stunts in this movie are amazing. Tom Cruise really likes to put his life on the line for our entertainment. The movie manages to deliver amazing practical action sequences that are just so thrilling and look very good. Instead of using CGI, the movie has Tom Cruise literally fly off the side of a mountain and parachute down into the valley. Everything just looks so much better when it is real. With so many blockbusters using CGI these days, it is just so refreshing to see practical effects and action. The story itself is very well done. Right off the gate, it establishes what the goal is and introduces the item that the heroes are after. The movie stays focused on this mission without deviating from the main plot. The villain was also very well done and felt very relevant to things we are seeing today. The cast is also a lot of fun. The returning characters of Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, and Rebecca Ferguson are always good. Hayley Atwell and Pom Klementieff are solid additions to the story. Hayley Atwell plays so well with Tom Cruise and the two have excellent chemistry together. Pom is also very fun. She gets some good action sequences and plays a fun henchman. The movie also delivers a lot of emotion and thrilling moments. We see Ethan suffer some real consequences as well as feel the very high stakes of the mission. The story keeps you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. Even though it is almost 3 hours long, it does not feel the length as we just fly through the runtime. Finally, while this is part 1 of a story, the movie itself is a complete story. It has a natural story arc and ends the movie with the mission being resolved. The object of the movie is to tell us who gets this key, and by the end, we have an answer. While there is more to tell, you won't feel cheated by feeling like it is just one half of a story.

Overall, this is an outstanding movie. It is not just one of the best Mission Impossible movies, but it is also one of the best action movies ever. I cannot wait to see part 2.

Score: 9.5/10 Grade: A Recommendation: This is a must-see film.