The Couch Critic
The Couch Critic is your laid-back guide to movies and TV shows that deserve your attention—or maybe don’t. Nathan dives deep into storytelling, character development, and cinematic style with a sharp eye and a wry sense of humor. Whether it’s a blockbuster hit, a hidden gem, or a cult classic, Nathan’s relatable approach ensures every episode feels like a cozy chat with a friend who just happens to love film. Perfect for casual watchers and cinephiles alike, The Couch Critic brings thoughtful critique without the fluff. Grab your favorite snack, settle in, and let Nathan guide you through the world of screen entertainment.
The Couch Critic
Mission Impossible Explored: A Natey and Katy Review Session
Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to give this episode a listen.
Tune in as we (Natey and Katy) meticulously dissect the seventh film in the heart-stopping Mission Impossible series. We'll journey through the plot's labyrinth, examine the characters with a fine-tooth comb and stack this latest installment against its precursors. Natey, not one to shy away from an honest critique, ranks this movie as the third-to-last in the franchise, while Katy divulges her own unique journey of discovering the series.
Our conversation whirls around the villainous introduction, the bold decision to kill off a fan-favorite character, and how the film's execution left us with mixed sentiments. Katy, in particular, praises the film's score and acting—despite her critiques on the film's length. We also take a detour to discuss our upcoming 100th episode and the film we've picked to dissect for this landmark occasion. If you're a die-hard fan or just passing by, strap in for an engaging overview of Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1.
One's a movie buff, one watches movies, just enough Together. Fun will be had by all. This is Nadie and Katie at the Movies.
Speaker 2:Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new episode of Nadie and Katie at the Movies. I am your host, nathan aka Nadie, of course, and with me, as always, is my good good, good, good friend Katie.
Speaker 1:Hi, katie, how are you?
Speaker 3:I'm doing well, except I don't always join you. I guess because I did not go on the episode from last week.
Speaker 2:Make up your mind. Do you either want me to make fun of you for not showing up or do you not want me to make fun of you for not showing up? So today we're going to be reviewing Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1. In my quick reaction review after I posted it, of course, I noticed that I said that the movie was called Dead Awakening, and I said that a bunch of times. That's not what this movie is called. This movie is called Dead Reckoning Part 1. It is the seventh movie in the Mission Impossible franchise and before we get into it, I got to talk about our synopsis.
Speaker 2:Ethan Hunt and the IMF team track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, ethan is forced to consider that nothing can matter more than the mission, not even the lives of those he cares about most. This movie stars Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt, haley Atwell as Grace Ving Reims as Luther, simon Pegg as Benji, rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa and Henry Zerny as Kittridge Katie. Before we get started, I must know have you seen every single Mission Impossible movie before this one?
Speaker 3:That is a great question. So there's a few things I didn't know before going into this movie. One was I did not know this was a part one of two. But another thing was I have not watched all the Mission Impossible movies but I did go out of my way the night before I saw it. I watched the first one Just so I could kind of have a comparison. If I don't have time to watch six movies, I can at least watch where it all began and maybe what got everyone excited. And I really enjoyed that movie. So that gave me a little hint into some of the characters and just the whole concept. I'll tell you what's funny, nathan. Most of the things I already knew about Mission Impossible was just from spoofs like things where it's kind of you know that song is used in a lot of movies. Charlie's Angels Incorporate some of the kind of antics from there. Some of the phrases are used. That's not all I knew.
Speaker 2:Well, it's kind of cool that you watched the first one, because this movie actually brings back a character that we have not seen since the first one, and that is the character of Kittridge, played by Henry Zerny. He was kind of like you weren't sure if he was a good guy or a bad guy, and in this movie it's kind of the same you don't know if he's a good guy or a bad guy. So I thought that was kind of cool that they brought him back for this movie itself. But, just like with the other movies that we've watched that have had previous entries in the franchise itself, I did take it upon myself to watch every single Mission Impossible movie in order, and so I did my own ranking system, as I've done before, and so I'm just going to go ahead and tell you where I put this movie in my ranking before we dive into our likes and dislikes. So, from best to least, best, I'd say that, because there has never been a Mission Impossible movie that I did not like. So I'm just going to preface with that before I tell you my ranking. So number one is Mission Impossible 3. One thing I thought was cool when I watched all of them is that you can really tell when they change directors.
Speaker 2:So Mission Impossible 3, I believe, was directed by JJ Abrams. That was the one that they introduced Simon Pegg as Benji N. So after that was Rogue Nation, because I loved Rebecca Ferguson's character she's also in this one as well and then after that one is Fallout, then goes Protocol, then Dead Reckoning Part 1, then Mission Impossible. The first one and finally on my list is Mission Impossible 2, because that film is kind of its own thing, and I guess the first one is as well, but it doesn't really tie into anything. It introduces a character that you never see again, and so it was also directed by John Woo, who is Fast and the Furious fame, and that was very much a Fast and the Furious type movie. So that is my ranking. So you see that Dead Reckoning Part 1 is actually third to last. Now, that is not to say that I did not like this movie, but before I tell you my likes and dislikes, katie, would you like to go into what you liked and disliked about Mission Impossible? Dead Reckoning Part 1.
Speaker 3:I really, really liked this movie. It's not like action is more my husband style movie, but I really love a lot of things about it. I love the classic song, but also just the score in general was great. I thought that the acting was all fantastic. Every single character I felt like was played well and was developed enough for me to like. Of course, my favorite was Agent Carter, who is my favorite Marvel hero. She is the lead role, Grace, and I thought she did an incredible job. Of course she's sexy but also kicks butt but also kind of plays a little damsel in distress. She somehow is doing it all.
Speaker 3:It kept me on my toes without being confusing. I liked that there was double crossing. I liked that there was lots of different bad guys. I mean, you truly had to. You couldn't miss a minute during this movie, but it wasn't because it was so confusing. I think it's just because you might miss a small little part. Speaking of, I had to go to the bathroom and I literally almost peed. I was contemplating going pee in a cup because I did not want to miss it. That's how much I wanted to not miss it. I sprinted to the bathroom. Thoughts on on the characters in terms of the additions of the new bad guys and the new Leading role. I felt like agent Carter, what's your name? Grace had a really good chemistry with Ethan, and it's kind of where maybe Indiana Jones was lacking in terms of like there's banter, but they're also still some chemistry.
Speaker 2:I think Rebecca Ferguson's character, ilsa, had a lot, a little bit more chemistry with Ethan. Then Grace did and it kind of goes into what Haley Atwell Said in interviews because people were rumoring that her and Tom Cruise were having a romance or whatever and she said that's like Gross, because he's like my uncle and so she doesn't see him as a romantic person in real life and that kind of relayed in the film as well. I didn't really see. I mean I'm not saying there they has to be a romantic Connection, but based on what they did in the movie itself, which I'll get into when I get to my dislikes. I don't know if that's what they're going for in the future of these movies. That's neither here nor there. So I did enjoy the the new characters. I love Haley Atwell I was very excited that she was in this movie just because of agent Carter and and other things that she's been in that we mentioned.
Speaker 2:I didn't really notice anyone else brand new, except the main bad guy, which I did not mention the actor's name, and I apologize for that. I thought he was good, I, but I did find it kind of confusing that they were trying to make him someone from Ethan's past because he had never been in anything else he was, he had never been mentioned before. It kind of reminded me of Indiana Jones with Antonio Banderas and his character. But they kind of explained it later on in the movie that it was before Ethan had even joined the IMF team, like before he became an agent or and all that stuff. But still I was kind of like I I don't feel threatened by this bad guy because I I don't. They're trying to make a connection that to me, has never been there.
Speaker 3:I agree, nathan. I feel like I had seen the first one, so I knew that it was not from the first movie, but I do think it was cool because that's probably the only real big glimpse you get into what his life was like before or what led him into this life. But yeah, I mean they want you to Fall in love with this girl, you know, or you make it seem like this is big deal. In the first one I just watched, he has like what seems like maybe several different sort of love interests and they all die and it just I think that kind of goes into my negatives, which would be it seems like it's so cookie cutter that you're just like, oh, another damsel in distress that died, another one of the women he loved in distress, and it's got kind of that James Bond vibe.
Speaker 2:It's funny that you say that, because I guess we're diving right into our dislikes too. I said before I loved Rebecca Ferguson's character is also when they first introduced her into rogue nation, that's. That's the number one reason I put rogue nation as number two on my list of Best to least best movies. I just really liked her character. I think it was because it wasn't your typical love interest. She could defend herself. She was a BA. She didn't quote unquote need a man to protect her, like she was usually the one who was protecting Ethan, and so I really liked her character.
Speaker 2:And so when they had her back for the, for the next movie fallout, I was really excited about that.
Speaker 2:And so when I was like, yeah, she's gonna be in this one and then spoiler, or they frickin kill her off. And my wife who went to go see this with me she said she called that when they were on that bridge together and there everything but that romantic moment, and then like Literally the next day she friggin dies and I'm not gonna lie, I was I was kind of upset that they killed her off, because then I was thinking, man, are they gonna try to make Haley Atwell the new love interest? And if they do that, are they going to just ultimately kill her off? But then I also thought, based on what Tom Cruise has said About the eighth movie possibly being his last one in the franchise, does that mean they're going to try to hand it over to Haley Atwell to continue these movies? It's possible not saying I would hate it, katie, do you think that's a possibility? And if so, do you? Would you like or dislike or be neutral about that?
Speaker 3:It's definitely not an impossible mission, if you get what I mean, but I Feel like she'll die because that's the track record is all the women and Tom and Ethan's life die. I Think it was good that someone in the team died. I mean just again, based on my recap and reading the other movies slash the first one watching it I think someone close to him dies every time. So you're just you know someone probably needs to go. I remember that was kind of a silly thing in Guardians of the Galaxy. I was like wanted someone to die and they didn't. I think someone he did need to go and I was okay with her dying Because you know he thought she died several other times. So Maybe they were alluding to it, I don't know.
Speaker 3:I think some we need to know when it's time to stop, and I think eight is plenty for the Mission Impossible series, especially, just like John Wick. When you have it so based on that actor, I think it's really hard to get success from anything else. I think that's Leads a little bit into my biggest dislike, which is I think that because I've only watched Two of these movies, it's not as bad, but I would imagine watching, having watched all Seven. I'd be a little bit bored, like this is just the same thing every time I'm new episode of the exact same situation.
Speaker 2:I will say that I am impressed, based on watching all of them, that Some of the newer ones still were able to be close to the top of my list, and because I think that says a lot about it's not just about Tom Cruise being Ethan Hunt, just like it's, even though it is basically just Keanu Reeves being John Wick and that's like the draw and the action for John Wick is strictly all that you go for. I will say with these films that the storylines, even though they're basically the same, they do a good job at finding some kind of twist with them. Like Philip Seymour Hoffman, who was a fantastic actor may he rest in peace he played a villain. Henry Cavill was in Mission Apostle fallout. People knew him as Superman, but he played a villain and that movie did a really good job. So they do a good job at bringing either actors to, to drag people to the theater to go see them in a different role, or Slightly different storyline. Like with this one, it was all about AI, which I thought was kind of funny, because everyone's feelings about artificial intelligence nowadays and that's why the actors are going on strike and the writers are going on strike now because of AI, and that was basically the main villain of this movie was an AI system who was being led by this guy again that you've never heard of but has some kind of connection, and so it makes you think is that guy real or is he just being a figment of artificial intelligence? I don't know, and that kind of gets to.
Speaker 2:Another dislike for me is the plot was kind. You said it wasn't confusing. To me it kind of was and I thought it's. It's starting to go a little beyond Realism, as before these other ones were kind of based on realism. It's kind of going Kingdom of the crystal skull, not today extreme. Okay. I guess the next step is they're gonna go to space, which actually Tom Cruise has said that they're gonna film things in in space. So it's kind of Teetering towards the fast and the furious ridiculousness of villain and that kind of stuff.
Speaker 2:But again, that being said, I still enjoyed this film. I still enjoyed the action. That's one of my biggest likes. I did think it was a tad bit long because, just like with John Wick, the action can only get you so far until you're like Okay, it's just another action scene, even though I will say towards the end, the most epic part was the train scene, with Haley Atwell and Tom Cruise Trying to not fall off this train. Even though there was one part was kind of like oh my gosh, you've got to be kidding me that it's still. It's still going on. But at the same time I enjoyed it.
Speaker 3:So Tomato, tomato yeah, tomato, tomato, I really did love the action. I would agree with you. I only had two critiques because I really enjoyed this movie. One was that it's kind of copy, copy and paste, but the other one is that length that you mentioned. The first movie, which is what I watched last, the last night before I went, was an hour and fifty minutes. This was two hours and fifty minutes and I'm in general, I'm just not liking these long movies. That being said, it's not huge huge negative cuz again, I was still connected. It's not like it was so long that I lost interest. And I agree with you about the villain. I understand you want a Physical face to look at as a villain. You can't just have the computer as a villain. But he felt like kind of weird. I didn't quite understand his relationship with the AI is like a little slave. So hopefully we'll get some clarity on that in the second movie. I love, I in general really like this movie and I highly recommend people go see it yeah, I really enjoyed it as well.
Speaker 2:Real quickly I gotta go to our little moment of Elizabeth likes and dislikes. My wife did go see this with me and she agreed with both of my likes and dislikes. You really like the action. Tom Cruise is sixty one years old and he's still doing these crazy things. It's insane. And he does want to continue to do these until he's like the age of Harrison Ford, which is eighty one, so Get ready for twenty more years of this stuff and also his kids are. Dislike was also that they killed off Elsa, and that is kind of starting to remind her. Like you said Before, it's kind of like Jack Bauer from twenty four or James Bond. Whenever he gets a girlfriend, that person gets killed off, and so, even though I will say that his wife that he met in mission possible three, she did not kill her off, he put her in safekeeping or whatever. She met another guy got married, so they haven't killed every single person that he's fallen love with.
Speaker 3:It's pretty darn good. But haven't killed, I got you yeah, so what would you rate?
Speaker 2:mission impossible dead reckoning One.
Speaker 3:Nathan, I know we can't backtrack and I don't wish to change my ranking of Indiana Jones from a six, but I did like this movie more than I liked that movie. So if I need to bump that one down, five point five, I'm definitely giving this movie mission impossible. Six out of six Purely based on the entertainment value. The acting there was even a tiny bit of humor kept me on my toes and I didn't have a lot of dislikes. So maybe the only dislike I have is I am bummed to have to wait around for a part two.
Speaker 2:Yeah, especially now with the strike going on. We may have to wait a couple years, just like with fast and furious, have to wait a couple years to find out what happens. But I would give mission impossible dead reckoning part one a five out of six base solely on the fact that they killed one of my favorite characters, they. The plot was kind of confusing. I didn't really. I again, I think they're kind of almost jumping the shark a little bit and it was just like you said. It was a little too long for me and and yeah, that is mission impossible dead reckoning part one. It was a fun film. Go out and see it if you want to. Next up is actually our one hundredth episode. It's crazy 100 episodes of nading Katie at the movies, and it is Is Barbie, the Barbie movie what a way to celebrate.
Speaker 3:That's the perfect movie to celebrate 100 episodes.
Speaker 2:Happy 100th episode with Barbie.
Speaker 3:Finally a movie.
Speaker 2:That's my speed from what I've read, what I've heard about it, we'll see how I feel about it. But Barbie next up, 100th episode. Katie, do you have anything to send us off with for mission impossible? Dead reckoning part one.
Speaker 1:I love you guys. Thanks for listening to Katie at the movies. Feel free to leave us a review so people can find the show. Follow us on all our social media platforms and if there's a movie that you want us to watch, feel free to contact us at nady and Katie at gmailcom. Thanks for listening and have a great day.
