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

2. The Plot Will Divide Fans

No spoilers here, but this is without question the most absurd Mission: Impossible movie from a pure storytelling perspective, and some of the choices made by writer-director Christopher McQuarrie and co-scribe Erik Jendresen are sure to leave many fans less-than-happy.

The nature of the movie's villain, terrorist Gabriel (Esai Morales), and in particular the specifics of his plan are absurd enough to verge on goofy, no matter how dead-seriously the movie dares to take it all.

Ultimately some might see the throughline as a step too silly for a series that's always had one foot on the ground in the "realism" stakes, even if some will surely appreciate McQuarrie daring to toy with the franchise's established tone.

It's also fair to say that this movie takes a fairly big swing later on that's definitely going to be polarising, though the success or failure of this specific plot point will ultimately be determined by how Part Two pans out.