By: Joey Briseno & Cade Sullivan

Rating: 4⁄5 stars

‘Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part I’ is the seventh addition to the long-running ‘Mission Impossible’ movie franchise. ‘Dead Reckoning’ is led by a capable cast, a familiar yet engaging plot and a powerful soundtrack. The film is a strong addition to the ‘Mission Impossible’ movie franchise and proves that solely action-centered films can succeed in modern cinema. While we haven’t seen any of the ‘Mission Impossible’ movies before, we were still able to follow along and be fully engaged in the franchise’s seventh entry.

Tom Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt, who once again occupies the starring role. Hunt undergoes an earth-spanning search for an apocalyptic weapon known as “The Entity”, meeting friends and foes along the way. Other characters include Ethan’s partner agent Grace (Hayley Atwell), Ethan’s best friend Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames), Gabriel (Esai Morales) a terrorist who serves as the antagonist of the film, and Paris (Pom Klementieff) a French assassin who works with Gabriel.

The antagonist of the film, Gabriel, is a mysterious figure whose aim is to find the key to “The Entity”. Interestingly, Gabriel also has history with Ethan Hunt, although his actions against the lead are not revealed. “The Entity”, which evolves to become a sentient mind, orders Gabriel to find its key and to eliminate Ethan Hunt. Gabriel is a ruthless terrorist who keeps a calm head and doesn’t let his emotions get the best of him. He seems to have no empathy and no regret for anyone he eliminates, to the extent that Ethan Hunt states that he seems to enjoy suffering. Gabriel survives to the end of the movie and will return in part 2.

‘Dead Reckoning’ is directed by Christopher McQuarrie, who has taken over as the director for Mission Impossible movies since MI4. McQuarrie is known for being one of the most proficient action directors in Hollywood, and this movie does not disappoint. Action is plentiful and well-choreographed and is up to par with the high intensity battles that the franchise is known for. The cinematography is quietly one of the better parts of the film, as the CGI is realistic and the beautiful locations are show off with wide shots.

‘Dead Reckoning’ is a fun spectacle to watch, especially during the globe-trotting action sequences. The villain is interesting and not one dimensional and the characters are, for the most part, fleshed out. Locations look great and the pacing is fast and engaging.

The soundtrack impresses as well, using the right melodies for every situation whether it be a heart-pumping action sequence or a somber, emotional break.

However, there were some things we didn’t like as much. The acting was inconsistent, but this may be the writer’s fault as the dialogue was sometimes wooden and boring. Furthermore, side characters like Luther Stickell were mostly lost in the rush, and some characters were given nothing to do.

‘Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part I’ came out as a strong addition to the renowned ‘Mission Impossible’ franchise showing off a capable cast, interesting plot, and an amazing soundtrack. The movie delivers as a thrilling experience, offering gripping globe-trotting escapades and a calculating antagonist in Gabriel who remains a continuous threat to Ethan Hunt throughout the runtime. However amidst its strengths Dead Reckoning faces some drawbacks.