Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One

[Marwood]

Saw this today and while it could have done with a few bits trimming off, it never felt like a slog like Indiana Jones did (this also has an old guys fighting on top of a train scene but at least Tom Cruise can manage to walk/run rather than shuffling like Harrison Ford does): it got a bit dogged down with talk about what ‘the entity’ is planning and what it could do and I’m not sure this story needs to be told in two parts but it’s the best summer blockbuster I’ve seen so far this year (I’m seeing Barbie next weekend which might be the big game changer 🤣)

[mkb]

I was the opposite. While Dial of Destiny is far too long, I was never actually bored and I still found it great fun. Dead Reckoning on the other hand I grew quite impatient with and time really dragged. The artificial intelligence plotline does not bear any scrutiny and has more holes than a teabag. There is no jeopardy, and therefore no tension -- even in the bomb-ticking-down-to-zero scene -- because, as with any cartoon-style violence, you know pretty much how it will play out. The film is partly redeemed by stunning locations and some good performances, but the near six hours we are looking at for both parts one and two really should have been told in under two hours.

I did enjoy the disclaimer in the end credits that no vehicles had been driven down, nor any damage done, to the Spanish Steps in Rome.

The Barbie teaser trailer that lampoons 2001 A Space Odyssey is probably the best trailer since the original Alien one --- the one with just the letters spelling out A L I E N slowly appearing. I distract myself from the trailers by surfing my phone so as to avoid any spoilers, but this Barbie one grabbed my attention back. If there's as much humour in the actual film, we're in for a treat.

[Jon]

The poor Spanish Steps seems to have been damaged twice, first time in Fast X then Mission Impossible.

[alessia]

I enjoyed this a lot - yes it is perhaps too long but it wasn't boring. I liked that in many of the stunt scenes (where you can clearly see that Tom is doing them all- horse back, running in Venice, on top of a train, in a car, you name it) there is humour and self deprecation. The whole cinema actually laughed out loud at the train wreck part. It is all really ridiculous but so much fun. Highly recommend this one.
Will be away abroad and missing the Barbie release but looking forward to catching up on that one when I'm back! And Oppenheimer.

[rob2bob]

Saw this yesterday.... no spoilers.

Definitely a film that needs tighter editing and would have been more effective for it... could easily have landed in at around the 2 hr mark (given this is only P1); it has a runtime of 2:45.  Not sure we truly needed 28 minutes to pass before the titles rolled!

Certainly a few stand out action sequences, however also a convoluted storyline and (whisper quietly) boring in parts too!

At the moment this ranks below the last 2 MI films for me.  

Will be interesting to see how P2 next year brings this all to a 'satisfying' conclusion.