Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One Review - 7 Ups & 3 Downs

1. It's A Part One With A Proper Ending

It certainly feels like two-part movies are making something of a comeback as of late, what with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Fast X, Dune, and now the latest Mission: Impossible.

But unlike most of the aforementioned movies, Dead Reckoning Part One doesn't conclude with a sharp, sudden stop primed to leave the audience infuriated by the wait for the concluding chapter.

Indeed, this movie absolutely tees up the narrative direction for Part Two, but actually winds down into a clearly defined conclusion rather than leaving characters stranded on a perilous cliffhanger.

Honestly, it's genuinely surprising that the Part One title actually stuck, given that Paramount could've easily gotten away with just calling this Dead Reckoning and coming up with another moniker for the eighth film.

Considering how frustrating those cliffhangers can be, it's refreshing to see a two-part movie that delivers a first film that's entirely satisfying in of itself, even while setting the stage for the next, apparently final chapter.