Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1

In the latest of Tom Cruise's signature franchise, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1 sees Ethan Hunt and his team going up against various forces, including the American government, in finding a rogue AI. Two problems facing this mission is that the AI has gained sentience and manages to hack any digital device and one of the people Ethan is facing against killed someone in his past and is a devout follower of the AI. Director and cowriter, with Erik Jendresen, Christopher McQuarrie returns for his third installment in the series and the two write and he directs a very unique entry. As the main villain of the film is an AI capable of altering live cameras and copy voices in any communication device there's a bit of an allusion to how the writing and direction would have been done using AI, which is apt considering how many heads of Hollywood studios want to use such a thing to make movies and tv cheaper. The writing is great at adding little oddities that feel odd while the direction at some points seems oddly done, almost like the AI from the film is affecting the movie itself. As usual with this series, you get really incredible action scenes, such as Tom Cruise riding a motorcycle from the side of a mountain, a very inventive chase sequence in Rome, and an incredible set piece at the end with a falling train. Without the combination of Eddie Hamilton's superb editing and effective visual and practical effects those scenes wouldn't work as well. Fraser Taggart's cinematography is rather simple, especially compared to the look of the last two films, but does capture a great atmosphere whenever the AI is involved. The music from Lorne Balfe gives us the traditional theme first heard from the 60s show while adding more bombast and flare for a small new spin to it. The cast, both returning and new, all give incredibly strong performances and give their characters a sense of not being stock action figures. Cruise hasn't lost his edge even after 27 years and seven movies, Ving Rhames is always a delight, Simon Pegg always delivers, Hayley Atwell is fantastic, Esai Morales makes for a formidable foe, and Pom Klementieff is terrifying. Even after six movies before it, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1 manages to not only be a good entry in the franchise but also an incredible action movie in its own right. Over all: 100%

2023 top list so far:

1. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

2. Asteroid City

3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

4. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1

5. Elemental

6. Air

7. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

8. Creed III

9. John Wick: Chapter 4

10. Scream VI

11. M3GAN

12. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

13. Cocaine Bear

14. Knock at the Cabin

15. The Flash

16. The Super Mario Bros. Movie

17. Renfield

18. Fast X

19. The Little Mermaid 2023

20. Shazam! Fury of the Gods

21. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

22. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania