B+ (with potential to become an A if Part Two sticks the landing)
Yes, it’s a 30-minute practical marvel. But watch it closely: The carriages detach one by one, falling away into chaos. By the end, Ethan, Grace, and the key are clinging to one last, dangling carriage over a cliff. That’s Dead Reckoning in a nutshell. The old studio system (the train) is collapsing. Everything—practical effects, star-driven cinema, theatrical windows—is falling into the abyss. Cruise is literally holding on to the last car of “real movie” before streaming and AI consume everything. mission impossible dead reckoning part 1 2023
McQuarrie and Cruise have made a big-budget blockbuster that’s secretly terrified of modernity. Here’s the breakdown: B+ (with potential to become an A if
I have to be honest—the “Part One” hurts it. The film spends a lot of time introducing Grace (Hayley Atwell, excellent) and re-establishing Kittridge, which is fun, but the actual narrative doesn’t resolve. We get a climax (the train), not a conclusion. Unlike Fallout , which is a perfect closed loop, this feels like a 2h40m setup for a punchline we won’t see until 2025 (or later, given delays). Ilsa’s death also feels rushed—more like a plot utility than earned tragedy. That’s Dead Reckoning in a nutshell
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One Isn’t Just a Thriller, It’s a Eulogy for the Analog World
Two halves of a cruciform key. Simple. But the film uses it to critique modern power: In the old days, you needed a physical object to control the world. Now, The Entity is the control. The key isn't power—it’s the off switch for power. That’s a bleak, beautiful irony. The entire IMF team is fighting to restore a world where humans, not code, decide fates.
Does the AI villain feel timely or gimmicky to you? And was Ilsa’s fate earned or wasted?