In just 5 days time, phoning it in shall be forbidden and any games that are not an A game will be summarily executed. The Cruiser returns to try and save cinema all over again and the word is out. That word, on Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, is a little mixed. Overall it’s good, however, it isn’t the best of the series.
“What is this ‘phone’ you speak of?”
The story and the script apparently stop it from beating Fallout to that honor. Here is a sample of reviews:
“Coming after the series high of 2018’s Fallout, in which McQuarrie found an ideal balance of story, character, and turbocharged spectacle, this aspect of the film, it must be acknowledged, is disappointing.”
David Rooney, THR
“Dead Reckoning sometimes strains to live up to the high standards of earlier installments – especially in presenting this latest global threat as even more terrifying than all the ones that came before. Dead Reckoning’s set pieces do not quite top what has come before in this franchise.”
Tim Grierson, Screen International
“At a moment when nearly every other franchise, from Marvel to Avatar, has embraced the fake look of CG cartoons, Mission: Impossible appears the most practical: So much of what we see really was captured on camera, and that makes all the difference. The action sequences are essentially just slick retreads of familiar stunts.”
Peter Debruge, Variety
“The film’s MVP is Hayley Atwell, whose double-crossing thief is an inspired addition to the team. Atwell takes to the action like a pro, and has a tense dynamic with Cruise that escalates the stakes in entertaining ways. Dead Reckoning Part One struggles to come together. The Cold War-esque dread that McQuarrie attempts to conjure results in 70% of the film becoming an exposition dump.”
Hoai-Tran Bui, Inverse
“Dead Reckoning Part One may not be the best movie in the Mission: Impossible franchise – there’s no topping the raw adrenaline rush of Fallout, and McQuarrie is smart enough not to try – but this extravagantly entertaining Dolby soap opera nails what the Mission: Impossible franchise does best.”
David Ehrlich, IndieWire
“Few films have come into existence that display so much confidence and conviction in what they’re doing and can follow through with their ideas onscreen virtually without regard to budgetary constraints… This is Hollywood action filmmaking at its peak.”
Todd McCarthy, Deadline
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One lands in cinemas on July 12th.
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