Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
PG-13/Action/170 Mins
Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie
Written by: Christopher McQuarrie & Erik Jendresen
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Henry Czerny, Angela Bassett, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Pom Klementieff
TOM CRUISE! DEATH-DEFYING STUNTS. HEART RACING, BREATH HOLDING, BUTT-CLENCHING ACTION SEQUENCES! AI IS THE ENEMY (in this film and real life)! This should be all I need to say to get you to watch Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning…
But nevertheless, here is the more in-depth review:
The Final Reckoning is the 8th installment in the decades-spanning Mission: Impossible franchise and it just seemed like this series was getting better with age. Immediately following the cliffhanger of the previous film, Dead Reckoning, Ethan Hunt and the IMF team are still on their most dangerous (and impossible) mission to take down an AI system known as “The Entity” going to hell and back to save the world from this invisible enemy. What Ethan comes to find out is every “choice” he made over the years is coming back to haunt him and has led him to this very moment.
Bringing back Ethan’s past choices and missions gives this film the opportunity to “reward” longtime fans with references and character appearances from previous installments. However, this decision turned out to be a double-edged sword that helped and hurt the film. By doing this, the film is filled with wordy/flashback filled recaps of his previous escapades that muddled the film’s almost 3 hour runtime. It towed the line of fan service and pandering to fans. I understand it’s a way for the series to tie it into a nice bow but at times, it just felt severely heavy-handed. The best example of positive fan service was the inclusion of a small character from the original film who is given more to do alongside their partner who are both highlights of the film. It was a nice bit of closure I didn’t know I needed.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t only the flashbacks that slowed the film’s pacing down, it also had to do with a lot of the first and second act being filled up to the brim with EXPOSITION (dun dun dunnn!). The mission they are accepting is their biggest one ever so it makes sense it’s going to get a little complex and more elaborate. What I didn’t expect was how unfocused it all felt. I found myself losing the plot, and exhausted by all the information overload dumped on the audience. It was all these puzzle pieces laid out in front of us and while it formed a picture, I’m still not entirely sure how it all fit together.
I know this sounds like a mostly negative review but I swear, there’s a good amount of stuff to like…
*sigh* I will say though, I thought Gabriel was a weak human adversary for Ethan. If you aren’t aware of Gabriel, he was the villain in the last movie and has a complicated and extensive past with Hunt. It’s just never really elaborated on in either of the movies. You would think since we get so much flashback exposition, we’d get a bit more backstory behind their past. In result, Gabriel just becomes this one-dimensional “mustache-twirling” bad guy who is the most uninteresting character in the last two films.
Okay, now here are the positive aspects! Essentially what you loved from the previous films is all there. Tom Cruise is fantastic and once again delivers with real anxiety-inducing stunts and is the main reason to buy a ticket. There really is no movie star like Cruise and when he wants to deliver a jaw-dropping action sequence, he always turns it to 11. The IMF team is strong and interesting, Simon Pegg’s Benji and Ving Rhames’ Luther are again the heart and soul of this series, while Greg Tarzan Davis and Pom Klememtieff are great new additions to the interchangeable team. Hayley Atwell’s Grace was the most layered team member in the previous film so I was excited to see even more of her, and they are terrific, yet felt she was underutilized in this entry.
In this debriefing, I’ll close by saying I think the “Mission” was sort of accomplished? It’s entertaining and exhilarating enough but I had a handful of issues with the “plan” that I found ultimately underwhelming when the previous entries (except the second one) are much more focused and stronger. Can’t say I recommend y’all to “Tom Cruise run” to the nearest theater, but it’s still a mission worth accepting, should you choose to accept it…
This review will self-destruct in 10-9-8-7…
Score: 6.5/10
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is out in theaters NOW!
