When Ethan Hunt chooses to accept his latest mission, he quickly comes to realize that there is far greater importance bearing on this assignment than there originally appeared to be. Dead Reckoning sees Christopher McQuarrie returning to the director’s chair for his third consecutive Mission: Impossible film. Production for MI7 began in Venice in February 2020, however, it quickly came to a pause due to the rising COVID-19 pandemic. While production was on and off for many months, another setback occurred when a fire broke out during a motorcycle stunt on set during the summer of 2020. There were no injuries as a result of this incident, however, a fairly large dent was made in the production team’s budget.
As filming continued, more drama surrounding this film made its way to the media. In December 2020, Variety published an article after a leaked video showed Tom Cruise yelling at two crew members for not following proper COVID-19 safety protocols on set. “We are the gold standard. They’re back there in Hollywood making movies right now because of us. Because they believe in us and what we’re doing,” said Cruise.
Ultimately, filming concluded in September 2021, with the crew having shot scenes in locations all across Europe and Asia. Dead Reckoning introduces Hayley Atwell into the MI series, with Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson and more reprising their beloved roles.
This fast-paced action adventure begins onboard the Sevastopol, a Russian submarine that is using dead reckoning navigation to test out new firing systems. However, when the crew’s artificial intelligence goes rogue, the submarine explodes and leaves behind the very powerful link to a cruciform key. Back above the ocean floor in the present day, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is assigned with tracking down one-half of the cruciform key, which is believed to be in the hands of Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) in the Arabian Desert. While Hunt is successful in acquiring the item, he makes it his own personal mission to uncover what power the key truly holds. After speaking with CIA Agent Eugene Kittridge (Henry Czerny), Hunt learns that he needs to track down the other half of the cruciform key in order to gain connection to the powerful AI system known as “the Entity”. The artificial intelligence network seemingly became a mind of its own, attacking major defence systems all around the globe, with no way for anyone to shut it down without both pieces of the key. Now, Hunt’s mission, alongside Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) and Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames), is to track down the second half of the key and put an end to the Entity. However, who he meets along the way, and who returns from his past, prove to pose great difficulty in Hunt’s mission.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One behind-the-scenes footage first premiered in IMAX theatres prior to the showing of Avatar: The Way of Water on December 15, 2022. The anticipation for Dead Reckoning’s release has been running high for two years, as the original release date in 2021 was pushed back countless times due to COVID-19 and production setbacks. A release date for this seventh installment was set for May 27, 2022, however, this date was ultimately given to Cruise’s 2022 blockbuster, Top Gun: Maverick.
Dead Reckoning’s world premiere was held in Rome at the Auditorium della Conciliazione on June 19, 2023. Critics left near-perfect reviews of the film, giving a 96 percent, “Certified Fresh”, rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while viewers have left a 94 percent audience score on the same site since its theatrical release on July 12, 2023. While it was originally projected that the film would bring in between $90-$95 million during its five-day opening weekend, it underperformed with $80 million in sales domestically, with a total profit of around $235 million globally. In comparison to the past three-day opening weekends within the franchise, including Mission: Impossible II and Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Dead Reckoning did not manage to pass their box office earnings. However, with factors such as a post-pandemic release and this summer being a huge year for theatrical releases, including Oppenheimer, Barbie, and Indiana Jones, this film undoubtedly earned its right to sit at the top of the box office for its opening week.
In my opinion, Dead Reckoning was filled with action from the opening scene up until the closing credits. Similarly to other Mission: Impossible films, this movie features breathtaking stunts and incredible cinematography. Like many Tom Cruise films, you can see the difference when real explosions, action scenes and stunts are performed, as opposed to using computer-generated imagery. I enjoy how this franchise continues to bring back characters from past films, and Dead Reckoning is no exception. I find that this delights long-time fans of the franchise by tying the films together, while intriguing new audiences with complex characters who they might want to learn more about. I found Hayley Atwell’s character to be an exceptional addition to the series, with her character adding well-balanced resistance against Cruise’s Ethan Hunt. Additionally, the storyline itself is both easy to understand while leaving many questions and possibilities for the second Dead Reckoning film. Overall, this film is well-written, keeps you on the edge of your seat and has many shocking twists along the way that you may not see coming.
If you are looking for a fresh, action-packed summer watch, look no further than Ethan Hunt’s latest daring mission.
You can catch Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One at your local Cineplex theatre today.
