Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Still hidden in the shadows, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his impossible mission team find themselves called to action as a new Artificial Intelligence super weapon begins to take form and sentience. Traveling from one corner of the globe to the other the proverbial goose chase is afoot, but, fighting this nearly omnipotent super power will come with greater risks and unknown rewards, if any. 
Written by Bruce Geller, Erik Jendresen, and Christopher McQuarrie and Directed by McQuarrie this seventh installment in the franchise brings back familiar faces Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, and Rebecca Ferguson, and, effectively delivers monster set piece after monster set piece of action, spy trickery, and creative wit, to make for the dominant action/adventure flick in theatres currently, and that’s saying something in the face of a certain whip wielding archeologist who returned to the silver screen two weeks ago. In fact, in a quick comparison between the two films both manage to showcase at least two very similar sequences, and, in both instances Cruise and company take the crown for overall execution and effectiveness in cinematics. One thing is clear, say what you will about his offscreen personality; but, Tom Cruise’s “action personality” still knows how to raise the bar and make good action flicks, performing his own stunts, jumping off of cliffs, crashing cars, and flying planes. At 61 years old, one does begin to question when will enough be enough, oh by the way, there’s at least one more in the chamber for this series with Dead Reckoning Part Two slated for a 2024 release. At some point the physical aches of transgressions past will catch up, but for now this two hour and forty three minute adrenaline pumper hits hard. Worthy and demanding of the big screen experience, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is rated PG-13.