Accomplished Or Not-Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1

 I watched the seventh installment of the Mission Impossible movie series, which has the title Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1, as overlong as its runtime. I liked the movie for many reasons, the first and foremost being Cruise, but there were a few dampeners along the way. I would try to list out the elements of the movie that I loved and disliked in that order.

Mission Accomplished

1. Tom Cruise: The man never loses his charm and charisma. He is as good as ever, whether in action scenes, daredevil stunts, or emotional sequences. His age is showing in this one, but like seasoned wine.

2. All the other actors: The movie probably has more characters than there are unwanted Hollywood sequels. (Looking at you, the latest Indiana Jones and Whatever You Are Called.) Instead of making a long list by mentioning each, it would be better to post a single entry for all. Recurring actors were great as usual, but the new additions shined equally or more sometimes.

3. Stunts: Stunts are integral to the MI series. Beginning with the infiltration scene in the first part, where Cruise heroically prevents his sweat drop from ruining his plans to climb the Burj Khalifa the wrong way, or the thrilling Halo jump in Fallout, this movie continues the tradition.

4. Complex plot: The best thing about the MI franchise is its non-aversion to complex plots and themes. (Looking at you, FaFa.) [Not the Malayalam star Fahad Fasil; I meant Vasudaiva Kudumbakam, {all are family} franchise of Hollywood, Fast and Furious]

5. Globe trotting: As is tradition, this movie also covers most of the chartered part of the globe, excluding the African continent. (So much for talks on inclusion.)

6. Relevant antagonist: The movie chooses its antagonist, a faceless, nameless entity named Entity. (Drumbeats!) It poses a unique challenge for Ethan and his team. He has to fight an enemy that is intangible, has access to every digital system, and is able to calculate every possibility of a situation (a la Dr. Strange) and manipulate it to attain the most suitable one. The movie explores the dangers of an AI system gaining sentience.

7. IMF acronym quip: The franchise has been running for two and a half decades, and still no one has figured out the similarity! My arduous wait was finally over when a high-ranking official asked if IMF stood for International Monetary Fund. 

Mission Impossible

1. Thrills: I agree that the movie delivers thrills. There is suspense, great action setpieces, and sufficient intrigue in the plot. But considering the previous sequels, the breakneck, relentless, madcap quality of thrills is missing. The makers also tried to mix in some MCU-style comedy to action scenes that draw the action needlessly.

2. Expositions: When Ethan is not busy riding bikes off clips or running on the top of a train, he either listens to people explain the Entity or explains it to others. All other major characters likewise exchange information whenever they get a chance to open their mouths.

3. Climax: Watch the climax of the Tamil movie Michael Madan Kama Rajan.

4. Plot Structure: We get access to a vital piece of information at the start of the movie. All the other main characters are denied this until the climax. It stinks when the protagonist and antagonist are fighting over finding something that viewers are aware of from the start. If this was kept hidden and we were to know only when the antagonist or protagonist found it out, the plot would have been more enjoyable.

I believe the movie deserves a watch in theatres. Considering the deteriorating quality of tentpole moviemaking across Hollywood, this is possibly the best deal that we can get.