Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) review

First half of the final installment of the Tom Cruise-led series (that began back in 1996) has his benevolent mastermind Ethan Hunt accepting a mission to obtain two interlocking parts of a mysterious key that can apparently be used to access a rogue artificial intelligence system called "The Entity" - on his side are technician Benji (Simon Pegg), hacker Luther (Ving Rhames), long-time associate Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson) and new recruit (and professional thief) Grace (Hayley Atwell) while the baddies, supposedly employed by the evil (but unseen) computer program, are Gabriel (Esai Morales) and Paris (Pom Klementieff).  I appreciate actor-producer Cruise's commitment to what he considers "authenticity" - practical effects, dangerous stunt work, physically exhausting fight sequences - not to mention his willingness to verbally reprimand those who violated the COVID-19 guidelines (it is a business, after all), but the story itself doesn't withstand close scrutiny (try to ignore the plot holes) and the deadly serious concern over the "all-consuming power" of AI is a little silly at this point in time (in an interview, the esteemed Noam Chomsky referred to it as "glorified autofill").  Still, this is one franchise - like James Bond - where the globetrotting is actually necessary, and the section in Venice is particularly well-shot although it would have been a real challenge to make Italy's "floating city" appear unattractive.