Dead Reckoning Part One<\/em> is a capital-M-Movie, an exhilarating experience meant to be seen on a giant screen with thundering sound shaking your seat, surrounded by people who can\u2019t help but collectively gape at what you\u2019re all watching. The devotion to in-camera filming means that everything feels more real than blockbusters filled with CGI-created effects, simply because it is. The sound shudders through your body; you don\u2019t just hear it, but you feel it in your sternum. But that volume isn\u2019t just there for its immersive effect; the benefit of Dead Reckoning Part One <\/em>being so loud is that no one could hear the ridiculous sounds you make while watching it. Whether it was a yelp at a crushing blow or a whoop of delight at an improbably well-executed stunt, it\u2019s hard not to have a vocal reaction to what you\u2019re seeing. (At this time, I would like to apologize to the neighbors at my press screening.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are quiet moments, of course, with the franchise\u2019s signature dialogue-heavy lulls helping to make the movie\u2019s budget a little bit smaller than if it had simply been wall-to-wall chase scenes and fights. Plus, there\u2019s the question of if the average moviegoer\u2019s cardiovascular system could take 2 hours and 43 minutes in the maximum heart rate zone. So Dead Reckoning Part One <\/em>continues the Mission: Impossible<\/em> tradition of being plot heavy and filled with talky, expository bits, while never really requiring much real audience knowledge of the continuity between the films (or even what happened previously in this<\/em> film). That\u2019s not to say these movies aren\u2019t memorable, but what we mostly remember are the restroom brawl of Fallout<\/em> and the Burj Khalifa sequence in Ghost Protocol<\/em> rather than the details of their plots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dead Reckoning Part One<\/em>\u2019s version of the original\u2019s NOC list (or Fallout<\/em>\u2019s plutonium, etc.) is two halves of a cruciform key that does \u2026 something to \u2026 something. Ethan Hunt (Cruise, duh) and his team \u2014 Luther (Ving Rhames), Benji (Simon Pegg), and Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson) \u2014 aren\u2019t entirely sure what it does either, but they\u2019re as intent on getting this movie\u2019s Macguffin as they are keeping it out of the hands of Gabriel (Esai Morales), who is apparently Ethan\u2019s longtime nemesis. Yet what is mostly clear is that these keys are, umm, key to \u201cthe Entity,\u201d an all-powerful A.I. with a particular bent for sowing misinformation. Whoever controls the Entity would dominate every country on Earth, making the possession of keys critical to the fate of the entire world (aka nothing new for Ethan and his crew). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet despite the echoes of the real-world, it\u2019s not the A.I. that interests us most. Even amongst all the giant set pieces, these characters stand out. Ethan\u2019s relentlessness and moral compass drive the series, as does the abiding loyalty between his team members. Even though she\u2019s the newest addition to the team, Ferguson\u2019s Ilsa has forged a deep connection to Ethan, filled with palpable affection. Rhames\u2019 Luther is a comfort amidst the storm for both Ethan and the audience, while Pegg\u2019s Benji provides comic relief (and tech knowledge, I suppose). Seven films in, Henry Czerny reprises his role from the first Mission: Impossible<\/em> movie, warning that this mission will require great personal sacrifice from Ethan, and it\u2019s clear that Ethan\u2019s close relationships with these people are giving him a lot to lose.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to Morales as the film\u2019s primary (human) villain, there are other newcomers to the series, including Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, and Pom Klementieff, who deserves a special shoutout for her character\u2019s look of glee in the midst of a close-quarters fight. Yet amidst all this talent, Hayley Atwell is the true standout in a co-starring role. As master thief Grace, she is deliciously conniving and sly, a match for Hunt\u2019s cunning and ingenuity. Her presence brings a screwball energy, adding even more comedic elements to a series that\u2019s funnier than you probably recall it being. This entry displays a cheeky self-awareness of the franchise\u2019s hallmarks and mythology, delivering both jokes and more of what Mission: Impossible<\/em> fans love. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dead Reckoning Part One<\/em> is a game-changing, gasp-inducing crowd-pleaser that ranks among the top films in the series. The title suggests \u2014 and the movie delivers \u2014 a cliffhanger ending, but what happens next to Ethan and his team isn\u2019t what\u2019s most intriguing about Dead Reckoning Part Two<\/em>. It\u2019s how in the hell McQuarrie and Cruise can possibly top what they\u2019ve done here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” is in theaters today.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/mission-impossible-dead-reckoning2-1024x439.jpg\")
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What\u2019s astonishing is that this was filmed in 2020 and 2021, but it feels tailor made for 2023, where all anyone seems to want to talk about is artificial intelligence thanks to the rise of generative A.I. Of course, A.I. has been either the villain or the Macguffin in cinema for decades, but what\u2019s most prescient is the how this movie focuses not just on the power of artificial intelligence, but on its specific ability to fool humans and sow chaos. As more people are directly engaging with A.I. than ever before thanks to technology like ChatGPT, its tendency to \u201challucinate<\/a>\u201d can cause significant problems. In Dead Reckoning Part One<\/em>, the Entity does this on purpose, which (maybe) isn\u2019t happening in the real world, making it even more sinister (and cinematic). <\/p>\n\n\n\nA-<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n