Cert – 12, Run-time – 2 hours 3 minutes, Director – Justin Simien

A group of strangers find themselves trapped in a haunted mansion, or else stalked by ghosts, trying to figure out how to free the house of deadly spirits

Up until now it’s seemed that the best way to adapt Disney’s Haunted Mansion theme park ride is to have it star The Muppets. The two major adaptations (2003’s fine-enough Eddie Murphy starrer and this most recent take) have appeared to be responses to other Disney rides-turned-films (the at the time in-production Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl and Jungle Cruise respectively). Going in you wonder, particularly with a 12 rating attached, how well the film will manage to balance spooks and gimmick, and indeed how well you’ll have to know the ride.

Indeed, there may be plenty of nods and references to Disney’s seemingly iconic ghost train but not so in-your-face that they’re clear and alienating to those (like myself) who have never visited. Instead, there are a number of good gags scattered throughout bringing plenty of chuckles. It’s these which ease you in after an opening few minutes which suggest the film won’t know which direction to take the ‘scares’ and how gimmicky it wants to be, even in the moment. However, as the cast comes together there’s plenty to enjoy.

While not an entirely traditional film there’s a familiar ensemble cast in a haunted house vibe to this particular flick. All trying to work out how to free the titular location of deadly ghosts, or else be haunted by them outside the grounds. LaKeith Stanfield leads as Ben, a tour guide brought in by Rosario Dawson’s Gabbie, and her young son Travis (Chase Dillon), for his links to capturing images of ghosts. Soon a team involving a priest (a miscast but still likable Owen Wilson), a questionable medium (Tiffany Haddish, on expectedly good form) and a university professor (Danny DeVito) is assembled, all trying to solve the mystery of the house and it’s changing landscape.

Amongst the laughs there are some solid scares dotted throughout. Keeping the generally family-friendly nature whilst managing to bring in a sense of eeriness and creepiness to certain scenes involving ghoulish action. It adds to the fun of the haunted house style which director Justin Simien seems to be trying to capture, and does so rather well. Even more emotional moments which stand out from the rest of the film manage to just about fit in and not disturb the overall flow of things – one in particular is sold well by Stanfield with an unexpected, complimenting pay off from DeVito.

There may be some slight dips every now and then, largely as the film threatens to just tip over into being too long, but overall there’s an entertaining time to be had here. Largely thanks to an ensemble cast who help to bring about a number of the chuckles throughout whilst avoiding an overall gimmicky feel. This doesn’t feel lazy or forced, it’s a good piece of family entertainment.

Once it settles itself Haunted Mansion makes for a familiar ensemble haunted house movie. With good performances from those involved bringing about a number of chuckles, and some solid spookiness along the way, there’s an entertaining ghost story here.

Cert – 12, Run-time – 2 hours 14 minutes, Director – Neill Blomkamp

Ace driving simulator player Jann (Archie Madekwe) finds himself competing at the Gran Turismo Academy in the hope of becoming a professional race car driver

Although inspired by the video game franchise of the same name, and being based on a true story directly linked to it, Gran Turismo seems to try and distance itself from the hit PlayStation games. Being more focused on telling that true story, perhaps in the hope of not being labelled as a full-on video game adaptation. Aspiring race car driver Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe) insists to both his father (Djimon Hounsou) – who wishes that his eldest son would finally put together a plan for his life and stop wasting time with games – and almost everyone else around him that it’s not a game, it’s a simulator. A simulator which could get him into a career of motor-racing in the real world.

It’s an opportunity which is expanded when he finds himself at the Gran Turismo Academy – a special training course designed to find the best player in the hope of turning them into an actual professional driver. The process is helmed by two opposing figures. While Nissan marketing executive Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom) believes in the project and how it could bring Nissan to a new audience who actually want to drive, meanwhile engineer and trainer Jack Salter (David Harbour) views the scheme is a failure from the very start, surely it can’t work?

Well, jumping from one stage to the next to the next the narrative proves otherwise. It makes for a rather by-the-books feeling as Jann develops and learns the real stakes at play when strapped to a turbo-powered car instead of sat in gaming chair. The elements which construct the film as a whole make for something watchable, but with the amount of familiar bumps and issues which are present within the convention something good is stopped from being really good, despite the occasional promise which is on display.

The promise comes most of all during the race sequences. Those which bring in video game styles and briefly, for a few seconds every now and then, replicate the visual look – not just having a 5th place sign above Jann’s car. Shots such as this are so underused you almost wonder why they’re present in the first place – even the early stages hold intense close-ups on the actual video game so that you can’t properly tell what’s happening in them. As is the case for various shots of what’s seemingly happening inside of the car’s engine at certain times, although in this case such points are likely for those who understand the inner workings of the cars proving, as Jann says, that the title product isn’t a game, it’s a simulator.

Harbour is perhaps the biggest draw as he warms to Madekwe’s well-performed character and tries to urge him on, he certainly gives the best performance in the film. He’s the character we cut back to most in response to what Jann’s doing on the track, where, again, there is some good action amongst the various cuts and breaks here and there. As a whole things move along and provide enough engagement to fill out the 2-hour-and-14-minute run-time, which just about avoids feeling too long. There are bumps of familiarity along the way, and the feeling that the film holds itself back by not being sure as to how much it wants to be linked to the video game which inspires its events, but overall there’s good, if not great, viewing here.

Gran Turismo holds itself back by not knowing how much it wants to be linked to the video game, despite it providing its best elements. There are good performances and some good moments of racing action, however convention and cutaways stop such moments from having room to breath.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 35 minutes, Director – Adele Lim

Asian American Audrey (Ashley Park) is going to China for a work trip, however with her friends alongside her things quickly go off course during a pivotal meeting which extends their stay.

Part of the key of Joy Ride is the fact that the core group aren’t all friends. The four central performances effectively capture the feeling of people who only just know of each other through a mutual friend. The bonds are loose, but they quickly build as it’s clear the character’s have heard, and in some cases briefly met, enough of the more unfamiliar faces in question.

The core link is Audrey, an Asian American lawyer hoping to make partner at her firm. Adopted by a white couple shortly after birth in China, she’s spent almost all of her life in the US. Meanwhile, her best friend Lolo (Sherry Cola) is the daughter of Chinese immigrants, speaks the language and claims to have more of a connection to the culture. Lolo is tagging along with Audrey on a work trip to act as her translator while she tries to secure a deal for her law firm. Nearly 30 she finds herself in a ‘look after your cousin’ situation as loud, K-Pop fan Vanessa (Sabrina Wu) – nicknamed throughout the film as Deadeye – joins them far beyond the flight. While Audrey isn’t initially best pleased with re-meeting Deadeye, it’s far bigger than the rift between Lolo and Audrey’s best friend from college Kat (Stephanie Hsu), the pair have never met and seem to be competing from the second they finally do.

The performances throughout show the growing relationship between all four characters as tentative. Whether because of social anxiety or simply wanting to seem the better friend almost all seem to be putting on some form of thin act, and not just within the group. There are plenty of laughs to be had as the various barriers are broken down and the situation worsens for each figure. After a negotiation goes wrong a meeting with Audrey’s birth mother could save the day, but it’s not going to be easy to find her. While she focuses on work, and her identity constantly playing on her mind, disturbances to the course continue to arise.

Sex and drugs are on the menu in the more explicit sequences of the film, with a good deal to laugh out loud at – some sequences keep the momentum going for quite some time as they show the characters in different locations as part of an increasingly chaotic montage. Where things succeed in regards to this are particularly in the feeling that such gags don’t feel present simply for the sake of being explicit. They’re built up to and work within the narrative, and not entirely used for a shock value either. The narrative as a whole has plenty going on and goes to a number of different places in the short space of 95 minutes. 95 minutes which go by very quickly thanks to the laughs brought about through the interactions and conversations of the group of mutual friends.

There’s an overall enjoyable trip (with a handful of individual trips along the way) here. One which manages to pack plenty of events and locations into its short run-time without feeling too busy. Led by a strong group of leads who create an effective estranged chemistry with each other which pushes the comedy and arguments throughout. There’s a good deal of joy to be found within this particular joyride.

With four lead performances nailing the estranged relationships which bring the central group together Joy Ride brings plenty of laughs within the packed 95 minute run-time.

Cert – 12, Run-time – 1 hour 56 minutes, Director – Ben Wheatley

Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) uncovers both an illegal mining operation at the deepest, deadliest, point of the ocean, and three megalodons.

2018’s The Meg was very much what you expected it to be. A slightly silly summer actioner fitting in with its premise of a long-believed extinct megalodon shark attacking seagoing holidaymakers, with Jason Statham leading the fight against it. Now the sequel, with three times the megalodons, is upon us. Marketed as a much more self-aware film matching the ridiculousness with a grinning sense of humour it turns out that Meg 2 is also exactly what you expected the first film to be.

The tone treads the middle ground between seriousness and silliness, often leaning more towards the former in the first half as Statham’s Jonas Taylor leads an expedition-gone-wrong into The Trench – a layer below the ocean where all kinds of prehistoric creatures reside. It’s a long walk, with jumps back and forth between multiple characters and strands building up to the eventual discovery of an illegal mining operation. A villain is built-up only to be revealed as a quickly disposed of plot point. Everything is simply building up to the second half, and largely the megs making their way to sea level and a new group of tourists trying to enjoy a getaway.

As the action plays out the absurdity of the situation is leaned into. Statham gets some amusing one liners as he carries around metal bars with bombs attached to them in the hoping of defeating the giant sharks. Yet, there are still multiple supporting characters – and a not-quite-villain – to cut to. It causes proceedings to feel busy and overstuffed as the B-movie style action plays out. As a schlocky B-movie Meg 2 works well. Generally fine, if lacking, amusement for the time that it’s on; but certainly something which feels as if it’s largely building up to the main spectacle of Statham riding a jetski across a wave towards a megalodon (undeniably the coolest shot in the film, with a number of others hindered by dodgy CGI).

It’s an action sequence which doesn’t rely on heavy close-ups on characters in bulky costumes, meaning that you can’t entirely see what’s going on in the moment or the scenery which they comment on being so eye-catching. This is a key frustration of the early stages as the plot plods along waiting to properly kick in. However, if I said the film as a whole felt two hours long I’d be lying. Yes, there are plenty of bumps and issues along the way, but it generally goes by well enough in terms of time, and perhaps a lot of this is down to the B-movie tones which are featured throughout, and the style of the third act which sees Jason Statham go from Shark Puncher to Shark Kicker.

Meg 2: The Trench is a busy film with multiple characters who all seem to be there to add seriousness to what should be a slightly sillier film. Luckily, the second half recognises the B-movie nature that should be present and brings enough silliness and schlock to make for an amusing enough sequel.

Cert – PG, Run-time – 1 hour 40 minutes, Director – Jeff Rowe

Looking for acceptance in New York four young mutant turtles (Nicholas Cantu, Brady Noon, Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr.) find it in a group of tougher mutant animals, although they may have darker intentions for their relationship with humans.

Despite having multiple iterations over the years, including a number of seemingly successful TV series, there’s perhaps been a feeling around the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that a number of their core personality traits are very much products of the late 80s and early 90s. It’s likely that this view is down to a general lack of familiarity with the characters beyond ‘the basics’, and having seen a couple of their big-screen appearances. Regardless, the TMNT quartet feel firmly in place in 2023, with their usual love of pizza and the occasional ‘cowabunga’, as they’re allowed to still feel like teenagers while engaging in some modern-day, fresh-feeling – yet not dark and gritty – violence.

A highlight sequence involves a car chase led into by 4-Non Blondes’ What’s Up – after an excellent punchline involving the song, perhaps one of the best gags of the year. The graphic novel style of the animation rushes by with blurs amongst the fast-flowing movement of vehicles and mutant animals. The titular turtles (Nicholas Cantu, Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Brady Noon) thought things were going pretty smoothly as they’d made their way into bulky villain Superfly’s (Ice Cube) gang. For 15 years they’ve been trapped in the sewers, honing their ninja skills with the help of their rat father Splinter (Jackie Chan), Bruce Lee flicks and the occasional instructional VHS, hoping for the day they might be accepted by humans instead of creating fear.

However, there’s hope in aspiring high-school journalist April (Ayo Edebiri) who appears to accept the turtles for who they are, even if some of their actions seem a little strange. Yet, they’re the actions which come across most as teenagers simply joking with each other. There’s a natural sense to a lot of their dialogue, and while it remains to see how well some of it will age, there’s an enjoyable humour to much of it; and, most of all, you actually believe that they’re teenagers (it likely helps that they’re brought to life by a group of likable teenage voice performances). Teenagers who still have the ability to fight off a bad guy with the ability to destroy an entire city.

Things move along with an entertaining style and pace, helped by a sense of threat and darkness from the central villain. Indeed the gang as a whole demonstrate a threat, but for the most part they act as comic relief, particularly when voiced by the likes of Paul Rudd (playing a character who, like Rudd’s real life appearance, seems to have not left the 90s), Natasia Demetriou, Rose Byrne and John Cena. The core source of antagonism is Superfly, with Ice Cube’s performance getting across a lot of the aforementioned darkness. Such feelings help with the tiered stages of the third act battle in the streets of New York. A colourful, finely animated set of events heightened because of the personality of both the characters and the animation.

There’s plenty of well-captured action throughout – one montage in particular of each turtle showing off their skills features an excellent rotating camera shot just to top the whole thing off. The modern style comes through in such action sequences as they move quickly with plenty of entertainment factor. Capturing the equally enjoyable personalities of the central figures, brought to life through likable performances and dialogue. Pizza Hut better get ready, they’re about to get an increase in business.

A fast and enjoyable set of gags and action sequences help to make a finely-animated modern day venture for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as Mutant Mayhem allows them to actually feel like teenagers through both performance and dialogue.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 35 minutes, Directors – Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou

On the second anniversary of her mother’s (Alexandria Steffensen) death, teenager Mia (Sophie Wilde) learns what happens when you communicate with the dead for too long.

The most effective horror within Talk To Me is loud. Not in a cliched quiet, quiet, BANG! sense, but a hammering of occasional noise to add to the uncertainty of the darkening situations. Violent bursts of sparingly used blood and gore mixed with clatters and smashes throw the sudden intensity of the moment towards you as the characters suffer the consequences of communicating with the dead for too long.

90 seconds is the limit given to hold the ceramic hand which allows the person gripping it to speak to a random figure in the supposed afterlife. Otherwise they want to stay. On the second anniversary of her mother’s (Alexandria Steffensen) death, teenager Mia (Sophie Wilde) decides to finally go to one of the parties where this happens. Leaping at the chance to have a turn, despite the spirit which briefly possesses her – although such sequences really show how long 90 seconds can be in a situation like this – taunting her best friend Jade’s (Alexandra Jensen) younger brother Riley (Joe Bird), Mia soon gets a taste for the experience, taking the first chance she can to go through it all again. A montage ensues showing the group taking turns to talk to a new spirit each time, they might be having fun but for the audience the tension rises.

Phones are out recording what’s happening, with twin directing duo Danny and Michael Philippou capturing some of this with their camerawork following certain movements such as doors randomly closing to boost the unsettling feel. There might be a bit of distance between the viewer and the film during the early stages – there’s still a good deal of tension, but it sometimes feels like you’re not fully involved, being a slight distance from the film – but once the stakes are established things pick up from there.

After what’s believed to be an interaction with her mother, Mia and her friends are plunged into a dark world of consequences. It’s here, from around the halfway point onwards, when co-writers Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman, alongside the directing duo, truly have fun with the details of the mythology that they give away surrounding the central hand. The details are light, but enough to not leave too much of a blank canvas. It’s about as much as the characters know, and that’s enough to plunge them into this world. The uncertainty impacts them as the ghosts appear to leak out and plague their everyday lives. Such points may show some of the lesser-explored elements of the film – such as Mia’s relationship with her dad (Marcus Johnson) – but there’s also some good horror sequences here, avoiding jump scares when they could so easily be used.

The horror as a whole is well-constructed and helps to create the aforementioned tension. When working in its loud bursts it’s at its best – with one particular moment of flickering chaos creating real terror – as the sudden bursts really capture just how dark things can get, and just what’s at risk. The uncertainty of the characters is used well, and put onto the audience through the details that are given away surrounding just what’s been gotten into. It all comes together to create a rather effective dark horror which strays away from jump-scares and instead uses the elements that it’s provided itself with to draw out the tension and make its own horror.

Once the stakes of Talk To Me are established it’s easier to properly feel a part of the film, with the tension truly kicking in as the loud bursts of sudden chaos have an even greater effect. Led by an effectively (un)detailed central device.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 3 hours, Director – Christopher Nolan

Whilst being questioned in a closed hearing about his links to communism, J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) reflects on his leadership of the creation of the atomic bomb.

As the atomic bomb is tested for the first time, the uncertainty as to whether it will actually work growing – “the chances are near zero” – Christopher Nolan snaps from a suspenseful drama into a horror film. The scare factor has already been rising for over two hours as the inevitable countdown nears. Ludwig Göransson’s excellent score is a ticking clock not signifying the Nazi threat in the race to build the ultimate weapon of mass destruction, it’s a constantly arriving second closer to doomsday. “This isn’t a new weapon, it’s a new world” Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) is told about just what he’s making.

Yet, he’s propelled to continue. Whether by personal fascination at the science, the want for the US to win World War II or something else he makes sure that he – and his team, as best as he can – sticks to the job. Murphy’s performance is one of an intelligent and ambitious character, one who is becoming increasingly haunted as he becomes more and more aware of the potential of what he’s creating. It’s a stunning performance dominating almost every scene of the film.

Much of the story is told through flashbacks as Oppenheimer is being questioned as part of a closed hearing about his past links to communism. The odds are stacked against him in an unfair trial intercut with black and white footage of Robert Downey Jr’s effectively restrained performance as US Atomic Energy commissioner Lewis Strauss, going through a Senate hearing in the hopes of becoming Secretary of Commerce. The back-and-forth between the two reflects the montage-like editing of a number of sequences throughout the film. There’s a lot to get through and Nolan, while covering plenty of key details within Oppenheimer’s life, makes it clear that he’s not making a complete biopic – the majority of the film is concerned with the increasingly suspenseful creation of the atomic bomb, becoming fidget-inducingly tense as everything is put together ready for the day of detonation.

“You don’t get to commit sin and then have us feel sorry for your consequences” Oppenheimer’s wife, Kitty (Emily Blunt) tells him after finding out about his affair with Florence Pugh’s Jean Tatlock. Throughout Nolan never tries to create sympathy for the titular figure, instead delivering a straight-faced depiction of events of a man increasingly questioning the moral nature of what he’s doing, and indeed what he’s done. While there’s plenty of interest in his perspective the true connection is with the events. The fear, anxiety and tension which they create. Yes, we know the big explosion is coming (and it’s undeniably a strong, cinematic moment with a punching effect of both wonderment and terror) but there’s still a hint of worry that it might go wrong, perhaps it’s an effect of knowing how it will echo to today.

The explosion has plenty of impact, but it’s helped by the technical aspects of the film. As mentioned Ludwig Göransson’s score is fantastic in working hand-in-hand with the film, meticulously tailored to each moment. It matches the attention to detail in the overall sound design drawing you directly into the world, and as things progress into Oppenheimer’s worry and regret – having already been plagued from his university days with visions of the atomic world burning and splitting. When paired with the production design, and Hoyte van Hoytema’s cinematography, there’s a strong visual nature to the film pushing the atmospheric style which keeps you engaged in the rising dramas – particularly in the shift of the final 40 minutes as the post-bomb events play out.

It may take some time to get used to the new focus which has been glimpsed in bits and pieces prior to this, however it’s not long until the grip of the not-quite-courtroom drama has you fully engaged again. Again, Nolan hasn’t made a direct biopic here, but a film of fear and consequences, and his best to date. A tense, scary and consistently engaging portrait of a man haunted by the events of his life. None more so than becoming death, destroyer of worlds. And how do you reverse that when what you’ve fathered grows and spreads?

The atmospheric design of Oppenheimer is fuel for fear and tension as a two-hour-plus ticking clock counts down to the punch of the atomic bombs detonation. Cillian Murphy is stunning in the increasingly haunted lead role, pushing the grip of the latter consequences and developments in Christopher Nolan’s best film to date.

Cert – 12, Run-time – 1 hour 54 minutes, Director – Greta Gerwig

When her body begins to change, Barbie (Margot Robbie) must travel to the real world, with Ken (Ryan Gosling) beside her, to find the child who owns her – however, the real world is very different to Barbieland.

As Greta Gerwig guides us through the life-size playset houses of Barbieland, assisted by Helen Mirren’s narration, the world is made up of just as much smiles as it is bright pink. It’s hard not to grow a big, stupid grin of your own with each new exclamation of “hi Barbie!” as a new Barbie with a new job appears on screen. It’s a world where “all problems of feminism and equal rights have been solved”, all thanks to Barbie. For Barbie every day is a great day.

That is until the perfect, stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) develops anxiety, cellulite and starts to worry about death. With fears that she’s becoming the new Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon) she must travel to the real world to find the child who owns her and heal the rift between the two worlds. Alongside her, in case any expertise on ‘beach’ is needed, is Ken (Ryan Gosling). Ken “only has a great day if Barbie looks at him” and is desperate to get her attention – Gosling is fantastic as perhaps the best himbo since Chris Hemsworth in 2016’s Ghostbusters – however the vastly different surroundings of the real world quickly catch the pair off guard.

Gerwig, and co-writer Noah Baumbach, have coated the film with plenty of satire and self-awareness to make for a rather surprising set of narrative events and developments. Particularly by the end there’s a rather bold and ambitious $145 million studio summer feature here. One with plenty of silliness and laughs along the way – early on the Ken’s (largely Gosling and Simu Liu) battle for Barbie’s attention by claiming they’re going to ‘beach’ the other off.

Yet, amongst the laughs the more serious points that Gerwig and Baumbach have to make, cleverly brought up and expanded upon with the same sense of fun, still manage to land well. Both thanks to the positioning and nature of the film and how it works with its themes and elements, but also down to the performances. Whilst clearly having a great deal of fun making this the cast put in strong performances – especially Robbie and Gosling who are both excellent in the lead roles as their character’s worlds and mindsets rapidly change.

This might mean that the laughs die down, alongside characters such as Will Ferrell’s Mattel CEO and other executives being somewhat sidelined, in the build-up to the third act but the film regains its footing. It briefly does this almost for the sake of the events of the third act where the brightly-coloured satire is still played with throughout. It’s hard not to be caught up within the joy of Barbieland, contrasted by the anxiety and crises of the title character as it turns out that maybe Barbie hasn’t had the effect on the world that all the Barbies believe they’ve had. Gerwig’s fingerprints are across the screenplay and film, with plenty of ambition, particularly in the direction of the closing stages. From the 2001 inspired opening she brings a self-awareness to the film heightening the comedy and allowing for more impactful drama.

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling give two of the best performances of the year at the centre of a very self-aware Barbie movie. It might slow down just before the kick of the third act, but there’s plenty of laugh-out-loud humour to push the themes of this entertaining, brightly-coloured satire.

Cert – 12, Run-time – 2 hours 43 minutes, Director – Christopher McQuarrie

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and the IMF team find themselves in a race between multiple hostile groups all searching for a key to a potentially world-dominating AI power.

The Mission: Impossible franchise, particularly under Christopher McQuarrie who returns for his third instalment, has already proved that it can do chase scenes. There are plenty on display within Dead Reckoning Part One. Whether an extended car and bike chase through the streets of Rome or fast-paced walking through an airport there’s plenty to be caught in the tense grasp of. What this seventh outing for Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and the IMF team displays is the ability to make an effective almost three-hour chase, or rather race.

Multiple hostile groups are all looking for a key which could give them access to an AI power which could allow them to control the world. Our core focus is on Hunt and co. – once again Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg and Rebecca Ferguson, this time with the addition of Hayley Atwell’s international criminal and ace pickpocket Grace – going from location to location in the hope of capturing the key, and finding out what it unlocks, in order to keep it safe from the wrong hands. Every now and then we cut to the likes of Esai Morales’ Gabriel, who appears to already have the power of technology on his side, and the excellent pairing of Shea Whigham and Greg Tarzan Davis’ agency workers Briggs and Degas – both of whom have very different methods of working.

The cuts to the other parties are often brief and occur at the same moment as unfolding action, not to show another perspective of the same thing, but to add to the tension that someone may be ahead in the race. The glimpses of such figures are effective and help to draw you in to another layer of tension amongst the various high-stakes action sequences which unfold, without feeling as if they begin to dominate the narrative or get distracted away from the main action. McQuarrie and co-writer Erik Jendresen, alongside editor Eddie Hamilton, know where the focus should be; and that’s on our central group of IMF agents, everyone else is an uncertain threat and the way they’re worked into the story certainly shows this.

While with so many figures it may take a bit of time for the film to properly get started, truly kicking in with the first major set-piece after the opening credits. Where the tension is truly built up is in the matter of consequences and stakes, put in place against Lorne Balfe’s rising score to truly enhance the suspense. It’s an effective point which grows the narrative tension over that of just the action and makes the most of your engagement, particularly as a bridge between one set-piece or revelation to the next scene, or rather chase and fight sequence/s.

There’s plenty going on in each instance to keep the overall flow consistent and engaging. Everything revolves around and remembers that central narrative, particularly when involving multiple parties at once. There’s an even mixture made up from the characters, especially during the likes of chase scenes and the nerves and uncertainty of a key set of events on a train – made up of multiple well-strung-together events and stages. All helped by a good dose of masks and gadgets – the former of which is particularly fun to see appear multiple times throughout the film. Dead Reckoning has plenty of fun, small details here and there, and they simply add to the intrigue of how the central race-to-the-key plays out – especially when not all motives are full known or clear.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One knows that the main interest and tension lies within Ethan Hunt and the IMF team. Knowing how to inject other parties into the story with plenty of rising suspense and strong action set-pieces. It might take some time to get going, but once it does, strap in.