Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 Review: An Underwhelming Start For Tom Cruise's Two-Part Blockbuster Event

Tom Cruise and Hayley Atwell in mission: impossible - dead reckoning part one

In the post-trilogy era of the Mission: Impossible franchise, the films have found tremendous success by simply doing specific special things with skill and flair. The plots are straightforward and mostly forgettable, and the characters and dramatic performances aren’t made to be particularly complex, but the blockbusters blow minds with astonishing set pieces, well-established stakes, charismatic stars, and spectacular cinematography. In reflection, elements from the movies feel interchangeable between them, but they each have had an awesome, captivating power on the big screen.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1

(Image credit: Paramount Pictures and Skydance)

Release Date: July 12, 2023
Directed By: Christopher McQuarrie
Written By: Christopher McQuarrie and Erik Jendresen
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, and  Henry Czerny
Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some language and suggestive material
Runtime: minutes