None of that is to say that Dead Reckoning: Part One is lacking in the franchise’s ability to thrill. A prologue in a submarine succinctly demonstrates the AI threat in a technology-dependent world without the need for the endless monologues that bog down later sequences. Previous Mission: Impossible films have maintained a consistent parceling out of mind-blowing stunts, while this one builds to an unbelievable climax that single-handedly justifies the film’s runtime and is in the running for some of the best scenes in the franchise. Cruise and McQuarrie know how to leave the viewer wanting more. There’s also a geopolitical intelligence to the script that Rogue Nation had but Fallout lacked, where the global powers have decided on a path that will guarantee a decent outcome for themselves but a terrible subjugation for everyone else. Someone could form a political theory out of the gamesmanship on display here, giving the viewer who just wants to see Cruise court his onscreen death something else to chew on.
Dead Reckoning: Part One is no one’s idea of a franchise peak, especially seeing as it’s half of a movie. The franchise isn’t racing towards its conclusion at full speed, because how could it as it approaches its fourth decade and its actors start to draw down their Social Security accounts. There are some baffling choices here, not including the stubborn refusal of a man in his 60’s to stay earthbound. However, the cinematic world is better with Cruise’s force of will, at least as long as it’s directed towards practical stunts and not whatever’s going on at SeaOrg. B-