CBS NEWS' NATHAN DURR REVIEWS 'DEAD RECKONING PART ONE'
"As Ethan's arc comes full circle, so does this franchise, leading back to the 1996 film that started it all," CBS News' Nathan Durr states in the closing paragraph of his review of Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One. "Dead Reckoning purposefully parallels De Palma's franchise starter in the best ways, incorporating stylistic Dutch angles, effectuating the return of the morally ambiguous Agent Eugene Kittridge (Henry Czerny), interspersing tense-ridden sequences that don't require ultra-sophisticated stunts, and an eerily familiar third-act conclusion. Fans of the first film will be delighted to see some tongue-in-cheek references to the original. Thematically, incorporating the past with the present from a filmmaking perspective is a brainy move. Not only does this make for an emotionally rich experience (for the most part) for fans who have been invested in the franchise for decades, but it allows Dead Reckoning a chance to explore some fun and varied thematic elements that help this chapter feel fresh."
Now let's bounce back up to the first two paragraphs of Durr's review:
The Mission: Impossible intellectual property has existed for the better part of 50 years dating back to the original 1966 American espionage television series. A procession of films starting with Brian De Palma's 1996 delineation of the source material enkindled a strong following of action thrill-ride enthusiasts, each awaiting the latest death-defying feat from the ageless wonder himself, Tom Cruise. With each subsequent film, the series has shifted away from De Palma's trademarked directorial techniques such as point-of-view perspectives, split-diopter shots, and cross-cutting to manufacture enough rising tension in the edit. The core fundamentals of the spy espionage sub-genre have largely taken a backseat since then, instead relying on spectacle as the main selling point. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One comes full circle with the series' roots, however, recapturing that classic De Palma tension while upping the ante with a few truly inspiring action set pieces.Atoning for the failures of the past and reconciling with the repercussions are the central themes of this newest rendition. As the film's cinematic qualities are heavily influenced by the past, so is the narrative, attempting to interweave pieces of Ethan Hunt's tempestuous history with a threat that portends the well-being of his fellow Impossible Mission Force crewmates. Dead Reckoning also feels timely, centering the film around a sentient artificial intelligence whose ability to infiltrate secure databases and control information spawns a global race for control. Artificial intelligence, the ability to process human intelligence through technology, has dictated the conversation as we implement various AI-generated applications into our daily lives. As advancements in computer sciences grow, artificial neural networks augment in complexities, making artificial intelligence a useful, but dangerous tool.