Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One review: Tom Cruise battles AI this time

It all comes down to how much blind faith you have in Tom Cruise. Even more so after his own recent stunt, in which he rode his bike off a cliff, let go of the handlebars and went into free fall; he then opened his parachute and landed on a speeding train. They believe the 61-year-old immortal movie star accomplished the stunt alone and needed seven takes to get it right.

You certainly can't accuse Cruise of lacking effort.

However, the eighth Mission: Impossible film does try too hard.

Dead Reckoning's 164-minute first act is already far too long, but the filmmakers decide to stoop to the annoying and, frankly, greedy practise of splitting a film in two by filling it with endless conversation. The bulk of it describes the fantastical villain known as "The Entity." Depending on who you ask, it could be anything from a) a "sentient" computer programme to b) a rogue government agent to c) "an enemy that is everywhere and nowhere, has no centre" to d) "the most powerful killing machine" to e) a cosmic star burst watching over everyone to f) you get the idea.

We know what we're dealing with, and have known it ever since Stanley Kubrick gave us 2001, even without the A.I. anxieties swirling around — the film was actually started before the pandemic, so its release timing couldn't have been better.

Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is the other constant focus of Dead Reckoning. Agent No. 1 of the "Impossible Mission Force" (IMF) is addressed at length by multiple people, who use the phrase "incarnation of chaos" to describe him.

In this world of massive industrial and military facilities, which is referenced, the goal at hand is to either destroy or subdue the Entity. It's not surprising that Ethan would take one side or the other.

But before he can get there, he needs to find a key that comes in two pieces and, when placed together, unlocks the Entity's source code, giving the thief control over the Internet and, by extension, the entire globe.

Former British MI6 agent and object of Ethan's affection, Ilsa (Ferguson), is in possession of half of the key. Given that Grace (Atwell) is a thief, pickpocket, counterfeiter, etc., etc., no one can be certain that she is indeed in possession of the other.

Gabriel (Morales), a spectre from Ethan's past who keeps reappearing for all the wrong reasons, is a character we'll hopefully learn more about. Here, he simply snarls and mutters cryptically about his personal arrangement with the Entity. Kirby is seen briefly as White Widow, an armed agent, in this sequel.

Benji (Pegg) and Luther (Rhames) are Ethan's dependable friends who are hard at work on their electronic devices to boost Ethan's reputation.

Ethan probably will, but Cruise probably won't. The actor's face is exhibiting signs of age, but his body is as athletic and agile as ever, thanks to his dedication to running. The closing scene, in which Ethan and Grace desperately try to reach the rear coaches while the train hangs precariously over a deep river gorge and the bogies fall in one by one, is one of the most impressive action sequences in recent memory. Earlier in the film, when Ethan and Grace are being chased around Venice in a mini Fiat while chained together, the writers find clever ways to pack in a lot of action.

If Cruise's age had been acknowledged, perhaps the moviegoers' adoration would have been more than just superficial.

This is typical of Cruise, though. This movie is just the latest example of his long-running myth of the possible.

Christopher McQuarrie directed the first installment of the Mission: Impossible series, titled Dead Reckoning.

Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Esai Morales, Vanessa Kirby, and Pom Klementieff all star in Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning, Part 1.

Two and a half stars out of five for Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning, Part 1.