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Caution: Mild Spoilers ahead.
At this point, I can't talk to the cashier at the supermarket without hearing a mention of AI. Its saving lives by processing medical imaging at scale, and helps make entertaining deep fake parody videos.
Surprise surprise! The big bad in part 6 is Sentient AI, also called "The Entity." Yes, Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 has outsourced the heavy to an AI character, which comes off as a little anemic considering Skynet did it better.
But its Tom Cruise, the lovely Hayley Atwell, and the stunning Rebecca Fergusson at their best, performing sleight of hand, impersonating other people with ease, and making the impossible happen.
The Plot
The first scene does not disappoint, with a Russian Akula class submarine sneaking around in polar waters with tech that makes it invisible to sonar. Things get progressively more exciting with each passing minute with Ethan Hunt rendezvousing with Ilsa Faust in the desert. Cue the title track, and we're off!
As mentioned earlier the US is trying to manage the threat of a sentient AI with less than harmless intentions by evaluating all options. This takes us on a merry chase which does remind me of Eagle Eye where people are made to act against their self-interest with AI calling the shots.
There's a lot of action, lots of laughs and a seemingly elaborate plot that I personally hope pays off in part 2. The stunts of-course are mind-blowing with action sequences on the Orient Express. Simon Pegg has not aged well compared to Ving Rhames or Tom Cruise, but delivers a great performance. You also see a totally different side of Pom Klementieff with her playing an assassin with a tortured past.
I personally enjoyed the dirtbike base jump dive which is probably a slow Tuesday for Tom Cruise.
There are also more car and bike chases than you could hope for and great back and forth between Atwell and Cruise. Henry Czerny' Kitteridge character makes an amazing comeback here for the first time since the first movie came out.
What to Expect in Dead Reckoning Part 2
The end of Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 tees up a very promising climax with a new addition to the Impossible Mission Force. We can probably hope to see a satisfying conclusion to the wild goose chase higher global stakes in the form the real-life threat AI poses to the world as a whole.
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