Lots of action violence in excellent spy thriller.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a lot
Characters are in near-constant peril. Shoot-outs, one with mercenaries using automatic weapons and a heroic character using a long-distance sniper gun in self-defense, resulting in a high body count. Other fatalities, including a key character. Lots of heavily choreographed action violence, including intense fight sequences with knives, swords, lead pipes, and hitting heads against a wall. Multiple stabbings. Car accidents. Explosions. Dead bodies with a close-up on faces.
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Ethan Hunt operates in a world of violence and destruction but also works selflessly and sacrifices much to keep world order. He's brave, and he and his team demonstrate integrity, humility, compassion, teamwork, perseverance, and excellent communication skills.
Positive Messages
some
Plenty of the usual spy movie betrayals and killings, but the heroes also know it's important to look out for others' well-being, even if you don't know them -- and even if they don't know you're doing it.
Diverse Representations
some
Several main characters are White, but key characters are also played by Black, Latino, and Asian actors. Higher-ups in the intelligence agency and armed forces are ethnically/racially diverse. Women are portrayed as smart, cunning, and extraordinarily physically capable. That said, Ethan is also clearly the hero, and he does a fair amount of rescuing the female characters -- although, to be fair, many characters come to one another's aid throughout: Women save Ethan, women save other women, men save Ethan, Ethan saves men, and so on.
Parents need to know that Tom Cruise returns as Agent Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning, Part One, the first movie of the two-part seventh installment in the Mission: Impossible franchise. In many ways, it's more family friendly than, say, your average James Bond movie: There's no drinking or smoking, women are more empowered than they are objectified or romanced, and language is limited to "goddammit," "hell," and an unfinished "what the fu--." That said, the action violence and peril are nonstop (though not graphic). Both villains and heroes use guns, people die, and there are intense physical fights with knives, swords, a pipe, and a shovel. The Mission: Impossible movies are known for their astonishing daredevil stunts, which Cruise is famous for doing himself, and those are definitely here -- as is a message about the importance of doing the right thing, even when no one knows you're doing it. Ethan Hunt and his team also demonstrate character strengths like teamwork, perseverance, and courage. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Everything you want from a summer spy thriller action blockbuster
This film was everything you want in a summer spy thriller action film. There are chase scenes and stunts that take your breath away. There are double crosses and mask reveals that are interesting and fun. There are new characters that are intriguing and gritty. There is the old team that you want to spend time with. And there is Tom Cruise holding it all together as only he can. The film is fun, the pacing makes the 2 hours and 45 minutes fly by and you are invested in the characters onscreen. A delightful summer blockbuster film that goes down easy when watched on the big screen.
Great movie but too intense for young teens. Movie starts off with killing and is violent till the end. I would say high school age is a minimum here due to the content.
What's the Story?
In MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE: DEAD RECKONING, PART ONE, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team are tasked with tracking down a powerful skeleton key that's believed to open access to all digitally controlled networks. With intelligence agencies from various world governments -- as well as crime syndicates -- in a race to find and control the key, Ethan encounters dark forces from his past who are working with a new, mysterious entity that threatens the future of humanity.
For parents who want to watch action movies with older tweens and teens, Cruise and longtime collaborator Christopher McQuarrie make it possible with this riveting thriller. Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning, Part One is a perfect example of Cruise Control, and the hands-on star and producer outdoes himself, delivering an edge-of-your-seat actioner that pulls you in immediately and never lets go until the screen goes dark. It's one long, audible gasp. Cruise clearly takes the franchise's name to heart, creating action sequences that seem impossible to pull off -- and yet he does. And "he" really does -- making sure the camera captures his face as he rides his motorcycle off the side of a mountain or climbs up a falling train or drives down the Spanish steps in Rome backward.
That particular car chase scene clearly aims to best both Bullitt and The French Connection -- and it succeeds. In those classics, audiences were entranced by Steve McQueen flying down the enormous hills of San Francisco's main thoroughfares, or Gene Hackman speeding through busy New York City traffic. Taking note, Cruise spins through the cobblestones, narrow passages, and famous landmarks of Rome in a tiny, manual Fiat. It's as exciting as it is hilarious, with the filmmakers ensuring that viewers' eyes don't glaze over during the long scene by keeping the comedy coming. Add to this the gorgeousness of the many international locations -- Arab Emirates, Austrian Alps, Venice -- and a simple story that doesn't require overthinking, and Cruise's spy thriller reminds us: This is why we go to the movies.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning, Part One. How does it compare to the violence in previous M:I movies? Is it what you expect from this type of movie?
How does this Mission: Impossible movie compare to its biggest rival, the James Bond movies, in its depictions of women? Why does that matter?
What is a MacGuffin? How is this idea/device used in Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning, Part One? What other MacGuffins can you identify in other films you've seen?
A villain says "the truth is vanishing." What does this mean, and why is media literacy an essential skill? What role do you think media and tech/AI play in your daily life?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Tara McNamara
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
