‘Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One’ review: Sometimes less is more

Michael Clark Staff Reporter

By all means, “Mission: Impossible” is a series that should be terrible by now.

With “Dead Reckoning” marked as the seventh film in the series, you’d expect the 30-year-old franchise to start fluctuating in quality. Against all the odds, the series has maintained a steady altitude of being flawed, but still very good since “Mission: Impossible III.” While “Dead Reckoning” doubles down on the flaws of these films, it also perfectly encapsulates everything that makes the series great.

We all know what we’re here for, and that is the iconic set pieces and stunts that define the “Mission: Impossible” franchise. From thrilling car chases, to sword fights, to climbing out of a train wreck, “Dead Reckoning” does not disappoint in terms of action. At 61 years old, Tom Cruise is currently driving off cliffs, piloting airplanes, and doing everything in his power to die in a freak stunt accident. Meanwhile here I am at 20, struggling to climb more than four flights of stairs.

Unfortunately, a good chunk of the two hour and 45 minute runtime does not feature these brilliant action scenes. There is a lot of exposition here, and none of it feels earned. The story, this time focusing on an evil AI, is incredible by the numbers. Despite this, more time than ever is dedicated to running through contrived plot lines and repetitive scenes just to get to another few minutes of action-packed bliss.

Indeed, it’s finally time to retire the complaints about poor VFX in the film industry because a new Hollywood menace has just arrived: extremely bloated runtimes. If “Dead Reckoning” was about 45 minutes shorter, it would surely be the best in the franchise. “John Wick: Chapter 4” had a similar runtime but used the length to its advantage, keeping the pacing brisk and consistently intensifying until an incredible climax in Paris. If only Ethan Hunt took a few pages out of Mr. Wick’s book. This isn’t to say “Dead Reckoning” is bad. The film is still great fun and easily one of the best in the franchise. It just stings to imagine just how much better it could have been if the runtime wasn’t dedicated to telling us about how threatening the villains are, they should have been showing how threatening they can be. From thrilling peaks to sinking lows, “Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning” is an uneven, but enjoyable romp through some of the best action set pieces you can imagine poorly connected together by clumps of exposition and dialogue. Is it still worth your time? Absolutely! Just get ready for a bathroom break or two, and know you won’t be missing too much if you feel a scene is starting to drag.