Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning (#7) movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning (#7)

This action-packed thriller hits theaters on July 12, 2023

RATING: PG-13

LENGTH: 2 hours 43 minutes (It’s so action packed that it feels MUCH shorter!)

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: A+

IN A NUTSHELL:

In the newest Mission Impossible film, Ethan Hunt and his team have to find two halves of a mysterious key that threatens the entire world. What’s worse is that they don’t know what the key opens, only that it’s dangerous and could destroy the world as we know it.

The film was directed by Christopher McQuarrie who also wrote it with Bruce Geller and Erik Jendresen.

Can you believe it has been 27 years since the original film was released in 1996? Time sure flies when you’re having fun! Tom Cruise also flies in this film!

This exciting movie is the perfect illustration of “Summer Blockbuster”! After the first scene and before the rolling credits at the beginning, my husband looked at me enthusiastically and said, “I love it already!”

THINGS I LIKED:

Tom Cruise guarantees movie magic. He’s absolutely incredible in this. When is he going to start aging? He does his own stunts, and those stunts are mindboggling. Rumor has it that he was super vigilant about Covid, often berating people who weren’t following the Covid-19 distancing requirements. When 12 people on the set tested positive for Covid, Tom Cruise paid $641,700 for a cruise ship for the cast and crew to stay on during the quarantine period. The film’s release date changed 4 times due to Covid delays and to allow Top Gun: Maverick to come out first. Because of all the delays, the budget skyrocketed to $290 million, the most expensive Mission Impossible movie and the most expensive film Tom Cruise has ever been in.
Hayley Atwell is a terrific addition to the cast. She and Tom Cruise have immediate chemistry and work really well together.
The rest of the fantastic cast includes Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny, Shea Whigham, Cary Elwes, and more. They were all terrific.
With Mission Impossible, you know the opening scene is going to be action-packed and entertaining.
I don’t know why but everyone loves watching Tom Cruise run. He does a lot of it in this movie. I also love when the camera zooms in and we can see his jaw muscles working when he clenches his teeth.
BMW has quite the product placement in this movie with cars and motorcycles.
Lots of humor.
If you love cyphers, riddles, and mysteries, you’ll get a kick out of the adventures in the film.
This new addition to the Mission Impossible franchise includes some of the standard favorites like car chase scenes, switching faces with a mask, crazy action sequences, and amusing banter.
We get to travel to cool places like Abu Dabi, Rome, Austria, and Venice.
Interesting and creative camera angles.
The topic of Artificial Intelligence is extremely timely! Instead of just a nuclear warhead that threatens to kill millions, AI is both exciting and frightening in terms of what it could mean to the world today and in the future.
The set pieces are amazing.
I thought that Mission Impossible: Fallout was the best yet. This one comes in second place.
For an action movie, this has a lot of emotional heft.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

There are a lot of exposition scenes where characters have to explain a lot to help us understand what’s going on.
There isn’t as much resolution in the end because this is only Part 1. Nooo!! We have to wait for the next movie!! It’s very helpful to know ahead of time that this is part 1 of 2.
A few little details don’t make sense. No worries. Just don’t worry about them and you’ll have fun.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Some profanity
We see dead bodies floating in water under ice.
Lots of fighting with guns, knives, and hand-to-hand combat
We see people die.
We see silhouetted naked bodies in the dark during a party.

THEMES:

The greater good
Artificial Intelligence
Power and control
Truth
Friendship

FUNNY LINES:

“Why do we always end up in these situations? – Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg)
“You can’t blame a girl for trying to make a dishonest living.” – Grace (Hayley Atwell)
“I’m going to need a few more details.” – Grace (Hayley Atwell) “They tend to get in the way.” – Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg)

INTERESTING LINES:

“We are, at this moment, the state of the art of war.” – Russian Captain (Marcin Dorocinski)
“Our lives are the sum of your choices.” – Eugene Kittridge (Henry Czerny)
“The world is changing. Truth is vanishing.” – The White Widow (Vanessa Kirby)