4K UHD Review: MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – DEAD RECKONING PART ONE

Home » 4K UHD Review: MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – DEAD RECKONING PART ONE

Nov 05, 2023 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

30 years ago, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) was given a choice between jail, or joining a secret, off-the-books government spy organization known as the Impossible Missions Force. It’s ben a while since the government called upon the services of Hunt and his IMF team, but now CIA Director Kittridge (Henry Czerny) has tasked him with locating his old friend Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), who stole a key that the government is desperate to get its hands up. The two halves of the mysterious cruciform key combine to give access to a powerful and dangerous new weapon called the Entity—an active-learning AI that has become self-aware and extremely dangerous. Any government that controls the Entity would control the world. So Ethan wants to get the key, find the Entity, and kill it before any single person or government could wield this power.

But finding the other half of the key is just the beginning—the fate of the world depends on also finding whatever it unlocks. So Hunt regroups with teammates Luther (Ving Rhames) and Benji (Simon Pegg) and puts together a plan. However, things quickly go awry when Hunt crosses paths with cunning thief Grace (Hayley Atwell), who has been hired to steal the key for an unknown benefactor. Meanwhile, a mysterious chaos-loving man from Hunt’s past, Gabriel (Esai Morales), is also in pursuit of the key, and appears to be working for the Entity itself, which helps him stay two steps ahead of everyone else. In pursuit of Hunt are government agents Briggs (Shea Whigham) & Degas (Greg Tarzan Davis), as well as assassin Paris (Pom Klementieff) who’s working for an old aquaintence of Hunt’s, The White Widow (Vanessa Kirby). Can Hunt and his team locate both halves of the key, fugure out what it unlocks, and destroy the Entity before it falls into the wrong hands!

You would think that this being the seventh film in the Mission: Impossible franchise, that the series would be losing some of its steam. However, this is easily the best and most exciting Mission yet (and one of my favorite films of the year). It takes viewers on an action-packed globetrotting adventure as Ethan Hunt once again goes rogue and tries to save the world. While there are many returning faces for fans of the franchise, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One also brings in some great new characters. Haley Atwel is such a delight as thief Grace. There is a really fun dynamic between Grace and Ethan as they constantly try tto outwit one another. Esai Morales also joins the film as this mysterious almost god-like villain who seems to know what’s going to happen before it does. While there are some references to events and characters from previous films, I think a new viewer can jump right in with this seventh installment and still fully enjoy it.

With each new film in this franchise, star/producer Tom Cruise is constantly pushing the boundaries to new heights (literally), and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One has some of the craziest action sequences yet, including a wild high-speed chase through the streets of Rome, an amazing aerial stunt on a motorcycle, and a tense fight atop a moving train—just to mention a few. The film may be close to 3 hours long, but I never found myself bored or checking the clock. Things move at a very swift pace, from one beautiful location and action set piece to the next. In addition to the action, there’s a lot a lot of humor thrown in to offset some of the more tense moments. Each of the characters is given a chance to grow and explore a bit of a drama arc.

There were several films released in the theater this past summer that were “Part Ones”, however this one was the only one that actually included “Part One” in the title, and oddly it’s the only one that actually feels like a complete movie. While the film doesn’t resolve the overall storyline, it does come to a natural conclusion rather than ending on some big cliffhanger like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Fast X.

Paramount’s 4K disc of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One looks and sounds fantastic—this is pretty much reference material. The picture looks flawless, with beautiful, natural looking tones and colors, and an excellent level of detail throughout. The fast-paced action sequences really pop, and the darker sequences—such as floating in the canals of Rome on lantern-covered gondolas—look stunning. Te Atmos audio track puts the viewer right in the middle of all the action. Whether it’s being surrounded by the blustery winds of a dust storm, hearing helicopters overhead, or the sounds of gunfire filling the room, it is always an immersive experience. Dialogue remains clear throughout, the the film’s score sounds amazing.

The 4K disc is packed in a standard 4K keepcase along with a cardboard slipcover and an insert with instructions on how to redeem a 4K digital copy of the movie. The 4K disc only offers an audio commentary and isolated score track for bonus material. However, the release also includes a Blu-ray bonus disc containing over 30 minutes of entertaining behind-the-scenes featurettes. And the digital copy also offers a few more bonus features—some deleted scenes and an editorial featurette, both with optional commentary.

What’s Included:

Film : (2:43:25)

4K Ultra HD:

2160p / Widescreen 2.39:1
HDR-10 / Dolby Vision
Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English Audio Description, Spanish (Latin America) 5.1 Dolby Digital, French Dolby Atmos, French (Canadian) 5.1 Dolby Digital
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Danish, Spanish (Latin America), French, French (Canadian), Dutch, Norwegian, Finnish, Swedish

Digital:

4K Digital Copy redeemable via Apple TV or Vudu (not Movies Anywhere compatible)
Code subject to expiration, may not be valid after 12/13/2024

Extras :
All bonus material is included on the digital copy, but only a selection can be found on the discs.

Commentary by director Christopher McQuarrie and editor Eddie Hamilton (2:43:25)
Director Christopher McQuarrie and Editor Eddie Hamilton provide an entertaining and informative commentary throughout the film, giving viewers a lot of behind-the-scenes information and stories about the production.
Isolated Score Track (2:43:25)
Watch the film with just the score, in Dolby Digital 5.1 format.

Blu-ray Bonus Feature disc:

Behind The Scenes (31:09)
Take a look at the making of the film in this 6-part behind-the-scenes featurette, broken down by location. Includes interviews with writer/director Christopher McQuarrie, production manager Ben Piltz, production designer Gary Freeman, SFX supervisor Neil Corbould, second unit director/stunt coordinator Wade Eastwood, base jump instructor Miles Daisher, skydive/base/speed flying coordinator Jon Devore, aerial DP Phil Arntz, and stars Simon Pegg (“Benji Dunn”), Esai Morales (“Gabriel”), Greg Tarzan Davis (“Degas”), Tom Cruise (“Ethan Hunt”/producer), Hayley Atwell (“Grace”) & Rebecca Ferguson (“Ilsa Faust”). Subtitles offered in English, Cantonese, Czech, Danish, German, Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Latin America), French, French (Canadian), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Hungarian, Mandarin, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Slovak, Finnish, Swedish, Thai & Turkish.
- Abu Dhabi (3:55)
  Filming in the Abu Dhabi airport, the cooperation of the U.S. military and the use of their aircraft, the dessert sequence, the horse stunts, building the desert town and dust storm, and more.
- Rome (4:12)
  Filming the exciting car chase through the streets of Rome, the camera technology used, handcuffing the actors to one another, and more.
- Venice (4:12)
  Shooting at night at the Doges’ Palace, prepping and training for the two big fight sequences, and more.
- Freefall (9:05)
  An extensive look at Tom Cruise’s training and preparation for the extremely dangerous motorcycle jump off a cliff into a base jump in Norway, and the camera technology utilized to capture all the action (6 times!).
- Speed Flying (4:17)
  A look at the training and preparation Tom Cruise did to race down a mountain, spiraling in a canopy, at high speed, and the special camera system developed to capture the stunt.
- Train (5:32)
  A look at filming the action on top of a real fast-moving train, and getting one chance to capture the crashing locomotive on film.

Digital Copy Only:

Deleted Shots Montage (8:59)
Collection of shots that didn’t make the final cut of the film, with optional commentary by director Christopher McQuarrie and editor Eddie Hamilton.
Editorial Featurette: The Sevastopol (10:10)
A peek behind the curtain at the editorial process, with a look at the film’s opening sequence with side-by-side comparisons showing varying edits, VFX shots, music and lighting. Can be viewed with optional commentary by director Christopher McQuarrie and editor Eddie Hamilton.

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Must Own

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is easily my new favorite installment of this franchise (previously it was probably Mission: Impossible III). It has an interesting storyline, some amazing stunts and action sequences, and a lot of humor. It’s just a wild, fun ride that make the 2 hours and 45 minutes fly by. And despite this being “Part One”, it still feels like you’ve seen a complete movie. Paramount’s 4K disc looks and sounds amazing, and includes some entertaining bonus material. This is a must own for any fan of the franchise, and still highly recommended for anyone wnating to check out a great action film—there’s no need to have seen the previous installments to full enjoy this one.