Well, we are finally back in IMF territory where Ethan Hunt keeps taking a lick but keeps on ticking, just like the Energizer Bunny. Like Nicole Kidman keeps saying at your local AMC multiplex, we come into this theater to see if Tom Cruise and his director of choice for this franchise, Christopher McQuarrie, can top what they did previously in “Mission: Impossible: Fallout” which itself was one of the best action films in recent memory. Better yet, can it be the equal of last year’s exhilarating spectacular, “Top Gun: Maverick,” which Cruise starred in and McQuarrie co-wrote? Whenever these two are presented with a challenge, they always rise to the occasion no matter what the cost. And speaking of cost, “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” is the most expensive installment of this franchise yet, let alone in Cruise’s film career.

“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” begins with what I would like to believe is an ode to “The Hunt for Red October” as we encounter a Russian submarine with stealth capabilities, and its captain believes he is in command of the most lethal weapon on planet Earth. But before he knows it, the submarine is destroyed in a way similar to how the Konovalov went down, and we are introduced to this film’s McGuffin: a key which will give one power over an experimental AI (artificial intelligence) called the Entity. Originally designed to sabotage digital systems, it went rogue like Ethan often does, but in the process, it has infiltrated defense and military systems and intelligence networks. As a result, all the major powers are racing to get control over the Entity before it does the whole planet in.

These days, AI is the perfect villain as it threatens to take over all our lives and the work human beings are supposed to get paid a healthy salary to do. Clearly, audiences need to revisit the first two “Terminator” movies as James Cameron was really onto something. You remember what happened when Skynet became self-aware, right?

As always, it is fun to see in what format Ethan will receive his mission in, should he choose to accept it. In the past, he has gotten it via vinyl record, a pair of cool-looking sunglasses, a disposable camera, and a small videotape. This time, it comes to him in a food delivery bag like the kind Door Dash and Postmates often utilize. The irony, however, is inside it is a micro-cassette recorder, an allusion to the past which Ethan will be forced to confront. And while many “Mission: Impossible” installments are made to stand on their own, this one remembers how its characters, particular Ethan Hunt, have a history which has come to inform where they are now. Peter Gabriel said it best when he wrote how “nothing fades as fast as the future, nothing clings like the past.”

Following the plot of “Dead Reckoning Part One” is a bit hard as, like some of the other sequels, it gets a bit convoluted as so many ideas are brought up to where the plot is a little hard to follow. Then again, we do not go into these movies for logic. We go into them for the action and amazing stunts.

Still, I was reminded of how McQuarrie won an Oscar for writing “The Usual Suspects” and how brilliant that screenplay was while watching “Dead Reckoning Part One.” Like “Usual Suspects,” this film is a puzzle piece filled with characters trying to figure it all out before the timer on that bomb, any bomb, reaches zero. Also, I am not sure I have seen another movie in recent memory with so many actors putting on their best poker faces. As I watched everyone do their emotions hidden and not show any sign of vulnerability, I kept waiting for Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” to start playing on the soundtrack. It doesn’t, but maybe Cruise and McQuarrie are saving it for “Dead Reckoning Part Two.”

But yeah, let’s talk about the stunts. There have been several trailers and featurettes dealing with the key stunts which include a massive train crash and Ethan riding a motorcycle off a cliff, and it made me wonder if Paramount Pictures was giving too much away in advance. But sure enough, they are amazing stunts which thrilled me to no end as Ethan is forced to catch up with a train in the worst way possible, and the payoff is priceless.

As for the train crash, everything leading up to is pulled off ever so skillfully. Clearly, Cruise and McQuarrie have watched the best action films out there and look to one up the stunts which have enthralled us before. While the situations seem similar, the screws have been tightened ever so tightly to where the room for error is miniscule. This is especially the case when the characters are on top of the train, looking to take one another out while also avoiding certain tunnels and structures which could knock them out of the way without much warning.

And wait a minute, I forgot to mention the car chase which precedes these scenes in Paris as Ethan and the ever so clever burglar, Grace (Hayley Atwell), race through the streets of Paris, and it featured a moment where one has to be grateful for the existence of airbags. Unlike your average car chase, this is one which puts you right behind the wheel, and just when you think things are getting better, they do not.

Cruise has always been a better actor than people typically give him credit for, but this film reminds one of what an excellent producer he can be. Along with McQuarrie, he remains determined to give audiences around the world a very good reason to see movies in a theater long before they have a chance to stream them at home. Indeed, the spectacle on display is best experienced on the biggest silver screen in your neighborhood as it will make your cinematic experience all the more invigorating.

When it comes to Cruise’s co-stars, they all deserve a wealth of credit. Simon Pegg has been this franchise’s comic relief for a while now as Benji Dunn, but here he shows how this character has evolved from his meek beginnings in the IMF to where he is not the least bit naïve about how his life compares to this or any other mission. Ving Rhames who, like Cruise, has been in every single “Mission: Impossible” movie since the 1996 original, remains an ever so powerful presence as Luther Stickell, a man who will never give up on Ethan even if someone forces him to. And let us never forget Rebecca Ferguson who once again returns as Ilsa Faust, one of the coolest MI6 agents you could ever hope to see on the silver screen. Ferguson remains an ever so indelible presence in this franchise, and she also shows an inescapable vulnerability which just might prove to be her undoing.

But when it comes to returning characters to the “Mission: Impossible” movie franchise, the most notable one to be found in “Dead Reckoning: Part One” is Eugene Kittridge, played once again by Henry Czerny for the first time since De Palma’s “Mission: Impossible” back in 1996. A Canadian actor, Czerny has proven to be enigmatic presence in films like “Clear and Present Danger,” “The Ice Storm” and “Scream VI” among other works. Here, he proves to have the greatest poker face of them all.

As for the new faces, we have Hayley Atwell prominently on display as Grace. She gives a very strong performance here as she matches Cruise scene for scene, and watching her character evolve throughout helps to give this installment more depth. Kudos also goes to Cary Elwes who is memorable in everything he does, and that includes his role here as Denlinger, Director of National Intelligence. And then there is Pom Klementieff who proves to be a lethal and maniacal presence as the French assassin, Paris.

In terms of villains in the “Mission: Impossible” movie franchise, they have been a mixed bag at times. But for my money, Esai Morales proves to be one of its best as the powerful terrorist, Gabriel. Like Philip Seymour Hoffman’s villain in “Mission: Impossible III,” he is a nemesis who enjoys the suffering and humiliation more than the kill, and he is a seething presence from start to finish to where I could not wait for Ethan to lay waste to him.

I have a hard time ranking the “Mission: Impossible” movies as this franchise has been around for several decades, and I get frustrated a lot with numbers. For me, this installment is not quite as good as “Fallout,” but that was a hard one to beat. Plus, we know there is going to be a direct follow up to this one next summer, and it has me wondering, and quite fearful, about what crazy ass stunts Cruise and McQuarrie will come up with next. Like many, I am convinced Cruise is going to get himself killed in a future sequel, but nothing seems to be stopping him.

“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” is superb entertainment, and I cannot wait to see what comes next.

* * * ½ out of * * * *