The mission seems to be over for Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), as Mission Impossible- The Final Reckoning arrives in theatres, advertised as the final outing for this long-running franchise. Following on from 2023’s Dead Reckoning, The Final Reckoning sees the rogue AI known as the Entity rising to a higher form of power as it takes over each Earth superpower one by one, and the only one who can be trusted to save the day is Ethan Hunt and his IMF allies. Released in 1996 and based on a television series of the same name from 1966, the original Mission Impossible created a unique brand for itself in the spy genre, and became a juggernaut of the genre, crossing over 4.5 billion at the global box office across its 8 films. Bringing this franchise to an ambitious end comes with a couple of clear pitfalls, but The Final Reckoning comes out as a strong end to the long-running spy franchise.
Clocking in at nearly 3 hours in length, the film’s first hour comes as its weakest. The film’s opening act comes with many of the same problems that plagued the opening of its predecessor, an overreliance on exposition. Opening with a staple of the franchise, a video being relied to our franchise lead, as the President (Angela Bassett), conveys the mission for the film, but this one is even more expositional. The opening serves as the film’s chance to convey the entire plot of the previous film in case the audience member missed its events, and also the entire narrative events for the franchise. As stated previously, this is a common aspect of this franchise, but it over-compensates heavily through its visual exposition.
Each time the film relays information from a prior film, the film also conveys this information visually by flashing the character, moment or item on screen through archival footage. This is clearly done to keep people up to date with the information outside of this sole film, but the editing choice comes to worrying heights when it done so frequently, flashing the same footage more than once, and once editing in a flashback to footage from this very film to remind the audience what happened mere moments ago. This editing choice leaves the film once it enters its second act, only returning once again for a sentimental call-back to the franchise.
Once the film hits into its second act, the fast-paced action and engaging character-work the franchise is known for comes to ahead, and that’s where the stunts the franchise is known for becomes involved. The submarine escape sequence and the plane battle with antagonist Gabriel (Esai Morales) are two thrilling sequences that can stand toe-to-toe with some of the most thrilling moments from the franchise’s past. They convey the commitment Tom Cruise has to this franchise, delivering some of the most jaw-dropping cinematic moments and all on a practical level.
Tension is key to a film contained in the spy genre, and the ticking time-clock element of the film, with the entity slowly taking over each countries’ nuclear arsenal is a compelling tension-builder. The stakes have always been high in this franchise, but this is end of the world stakes, and director Christopher McQuarrie knows how to mine the most drama out of these stakes. The movie is unlike the typical summer blockbuster, its sombre and dramatic, with the tone being more reminiscent to Cold War era war films than anything else released this year.
Larger stakes comes with a massive improvement in scope and cast. Returning franchise mainstays like Benji (Simon Pegg), Grace (Hayley Atwell) and Luther (Ving Rhames) are given enough to do in this entry, spending most of their screentime together as a team in a secondary plot, given most of the heavy-lifting comedy-wise.
The new characters introduced here are where the bigger cast becomes more of a mixed bag, Hunt spends most of the middle act travelling between locations, meeting new characters for a short sequence. Hannah Waddingham is an example of this, appearing in one scene where she doesn’t leave much of a splash, but then Severance star Tramell Tillman steals every sequence he is in. Various new characters also make up the new team surrounding Hunt, namely Paris (Pom Klementieff) and Theo (Greg Tarzan Davis), who have very little to do in the hustle and bustle surrounding the narrative.
The film wins its sentimental conclusion, coming out with an overpowering final action sequence, paired with tension-filled character beats, marking a strong end to a winning franchise. Through various twists and turns, the movie connects itself to the very beginning of the franchise, creating a complete package out of this once-episodic franchise.
Rhys Reviews 