Hey everybody and welcome to a brand new review! For this one I will be looking at what is my most anticipated movie of not just the Summer, but of the year, which is the eighth and (allegedly) final installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise. Ever since the series started in 1996 it has gone on to become Tom Cruise’s flagship franchise and seen an immense amount of success both financially and critically, with the most recent batch of films especially seeing great acclaim. I myself got onto the hype train when Rogue Nation came out nearly 10 years ago (wow that is hard to believe), and have been a massive fan ever since anticipating every new entry. For me I think they are some of best made action films being done today with astounding stunts and sequences, while also having interesting plots and great characters that I like being around. Now that things to are coming to a close, was this final mission one worth accepting? Let’s jump right in and see if the franchise still has any juice left in it!
Set two months after the events of the last film, we follow Ethan Hunt and his team as they now have the key to the source code for the The Entity, a highly intelligent and malevolent AI that is bent on wiping out humanity. They are now trying to find the location of the code as well as the whereabouts of the Entity’s former liaison, Gabriel, who mow wants control of it himself. After various revelations, Ethan and his crew now must try to outsmart the Entity and figure out the location of the code in order find it and take it down before any horrific consequences occur on a global scale that they have never faced before.
Given that this is the supposed grand finale, one would expect for the stakes to be even higher than ever and that is definitely the case here. What Christopher McQuarrie (who has directed the last three entries) and Erik Jendresen do here is very successfully present the urgency at play that makes this feel like the biggest mission Ethan has faced yet. The stakes are downright apocalyptic with the threat of nuclear war imminent and a underlying sense of dread and suspense that permeates the entire film. I like the way in which McQuarrie explores the feeling it could be to be near the end of the world as we know it, with the various moral dilemmas that come with it and it makes one invested in how Ethan is going to try and stop it given his tendency to always try and save those he holds closest even with the risks involved. I also like the conflict Ethan has in regards to trying to outsmart the Entity and figure out it’s moves in a sort of cat and mouse like dynamic, which was one of my favorite parts of Dead Reckoning. Not only that, but I feel like this has most emotion of the franchise, with various reflections on the character’s lives and relationships that help shape the core of the picture. It all registers really well with some moments really packing a punch, especially if one has been with this series since the beginning.
However even with all of that, the film is still very entertaining and manages to have some very funny moments interspliced through the various scenes of action and conversations. That being said I do think the movie is held back from being up there with the best of the series. The first act is very exposition heavy but in a way where it often feels like the same information is being repeated over and over just with different characters in the fray. It hurts the momentum quite a bit and could’ve been trimmed down to shorten the runtime. There are also ALOT of callbacks and flashbacks to prior entries. Some of them are fine and either show how far things have come and serve a thematic purpose, but then the script goes about describing these events quite a few times which did get a little annoying at times. That being said once the footing is found, the film becomes an exhilarating thrill ride that mostly gets the fan service out of the way early on.
If there’s one thing that is certain with these films, it is that an insane amount of effort is gone into the craftsmanship of them and Final Reckoning is absolutely no different. This and Dead Reckoning are the first to be shot on digital instead of film and I think McQuarrie was able to make that transition work as they both look great. This one is beautifully shot with great use of the various locations that it was filmed on from South Africa to Malta to Norway and they all are enhanced nicely with various effects. There are some really cool uses of lightning especially for the underwater set parts and there are just some truly cool shots that evoke a lot and stick out in the brain. The editing is also effective and is even able to make some of the exposition heavy conversations more engaging than they otherwise would be with a lot of quick cuts being used to emphasize the emotions of the characters. It works and helped keep my attention to the point where I can’t say that the first half, even with its issues, was outright bad.
The quick cutting is also effectively employed in key action sequences throughout the picture and they and I like the way in which we would cut from different scenes that are happening with different characters who are in locations far away from one another. It just added to the intensity and was well handled. Now what makes Mission: Impossible into iconic series it is, are the various insane stunts that Tom Cruise participates in and I’m happy to say that we get some all timers here. Of course, the one that has been presented heavily in the marketing is the insane bi plane stunt where Cruise hangs on to it for dear life. It is a spectacular sequence that is almost vertigo inducing and so impressively choreographed. It’s one of those scenes where I just wonder what it took to film it! Same goes for an incredible underwater set piece involving a submarine that is immensely gripping. It has incredible atmosphere, is claustrophobic, utilizes sound in a way that’s eerie and is just an meticulously crafted stunt where the way the camera moves gives it another level of immersion. Oh and making everything even better is hearing the iconic theme song that has endured in pop culture for so long with Max Aruji and Alfie Godfrey’s rendition of it hitting hard and their score in general providing the necessary oomph.
There are so many things to admire about Mission: Impossible, chief among them is Tom Cruise’s passion and dedication when it comes to these films. No matter what he gives it his all as Ethan Hunt, being able to play so many different characters aspects seamlessly as he can be very charismatic in certain places, but successfully dramatic in others. He also of course just brings an impressive amount of physicality to the role that just puts him on a whole other level of movie stardom. He is able to help sell all of the exposition he is given and succeeds in getting across so much with his facial expressions. Ethan has always been a character I’ve enjoyed especially with his willingness to save those he love no matter what. This film explores that further and even challenges that philosophy in ways that show that his actions can have consequences. It made for compelling stuff and I enjoyed seeing where the film would take him scene to scene. Same goes for the rest of his team as I like who was assembled here. Simon Pegg’s Benji is always a delight, but here he is given a bit more beyond being witty, actually giving the character some emotional nuances that I appreciated. Same goes for Ving Rhames as Luther who has always been one of my favorites of the series, providing Ethan with good emotional support and here he gets some of the best dramatic material. Hayley Atwell also continues to shine as the pit pocketer, Grace, as she and Ethan continue to have a strong dynamic while Pom Klementieff’s former assassin, Paris (who gets some of the best comedic beats often with few words) and Greg Tarzan Davis’s US intelligence agent, Degas get some nice moments to shine as well.
When it comes to the other returning players from the previous installment, they aren’t given as much to do, but still provide solid support. Esai Morales amps up the slimness of Gabriel, hamming it up in a way that worked for me. I liked the idea of him being disavowed by the Entity and going on his own as it makes his pettiness and contempt for Ethan all the larger and it is entertaining seeing just how much he hates Hunt and mocks him. We honestly could’ve used more of him as I think there is more of that dynamic that could’ve been explored. Meanwhile on the side of the law, Henry Czerny continues to also have fun as the world weary and cynical CIA director, Kittridge, questioning Hunt’s methods always, while Shea Whigham’s intelligence agent, Briggs, is given some revelations that tied into the themes of correcting the mistakes of the past that I thought worked better than I thought considering the eye rolling concept of the reveal. Angela Basset is also a welcome return as Erika Sloane, who is now President of the U.S. as she provides great emotional heft as a leader trying to deal with the potential end of the world.
My favorite returning player though was easily Rolf Saxon as William Donloe, the CIA analyst from the first film who faced the repercussions of Ethan’s heist (or as my dad exclaimed, “guy with coffee”). He made for a surprisingly welcome addition with Saxon giving a great performance and I like how his presence ties into Ethan’s arc of making peace with his past actions. Also thought Lucy Tulugarjuk as his wife, Tapeesa, was wonderful as well with them having a nicely portrayed relationship. We also get quite a few recognizable faces playing various military personal such as Hannah Waddingham, Holt McCallany (always love seeing him pop up), Janet McTeer, Kathy O’Brien and Nick Offerman among others which was neat to see and they play their roles well. The stand out in this regard though was Tramell Tillman as the submarine captain, Jack Bledsoe, who provides a great amount of snark and spunk which made every scene with him light up (bound to be an audience favorite).
Overall, I found Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning to be a worthy entry in the series that works as a satisfying series finale. It doesn’t quite get to the level of the very best the franchise has to offer due to an uneven first act with some repetitive exposition and flashbacks and certain characters that could’ve been utilized more, but it improves as it goes along, the stakes are well established, the emotion is earned, the craft is impressive, the action amazes, the characters are good company, and the performances deliver. I can see this one being polarizing among fans as it may not be what everyone expected/wanted, but for me I was satisfied where things ended off and at it’s best, it reminded me why I love these films as much as I do. It’s probably my second least favorite of all of the movies (ahead of only 2), but that really says more about how consistently great they have been. As someone who is a die hard fan, if this is truly the end of the road, I am so glad these films exist as they really have shaped my love of film as well as provided some of the greatest movie going experiences I’ve ever had. Thanks to everyone who has worked on these films and I am glad to accepted this mission… one last time (please make this be the end so that these last two sentences remain poignant).
Rating: A-
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