‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ features some of the best on-screen action I’ve ever seen — but it has problems
“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” is nearly upon us, and I just had the chance to attend an early screening of what could well be one of the biggest movies of the summer.
Picking up not long after the events of “Dead Reckoning”, the sequel finds the world on the brink of total collapse. The almighty A.I. known as “The Entity,” which has been busy infesting the world, is spreading misinformation and paranoia like wildfire.
Having acquired the cruciform key that should unlock the secret to The Entity’s defeat last time around, the fate of the world once again rests in Ethan Hunt’s (Tom Cruise) and his team’s capable hands as they race to destroy this digital “anti-god” before it’s too late.
“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” then, is Hunt’s biggest-ever mission. It’s also reportedly one of the most expensive movies ever made — but is it worth watching? Here’s my take on the explosive action-thriller ahead of its theatrical release on May 23 (May 21 in the UK).
Exposition: Impossible
I figure it’s best to get my gripes out of the way as soon as possible, so here goes: “The Final Reckoning” might be the worst of all the “Mission: Impossible” movies when it comes to on-the-nose dialogue.
The franchise has always had a habit of laying everything bare in detail, but the number of times you get the explained or get told just how impossible this particular impossible mission actually is (or how Ethan’s the only man capable enough for the the job) is really egregious and, frankly, a little condescending
At points, it almost feels like Tom Cruise and co. are worried you aren’t able to pay attention. That repetition (and the plethora of callbacks and flashbacks to past adventures) also hurt the pacing somewhat, dragging out what is already a very lengthy watch that little bit further.
“The Final Reckoning” at least manages to wrap up the franchise’s zeitgeisty rogue A.I. story in a satisfying way. It’s just, tonally, way more downbeat than you might typically expect of a “Mission: Impossible” caper.
That does help sell you on the literal end-of-the-world, bigger-than-ever stakes and makes the team’s inevitable successes that more cathartic, but it’s just at odds with what “Mission: Impossible” has felt like up to this point.
All-time action
So, okay, “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” isn’t perfect — but it is an absolutely astonishing action thriller. Frankly, it says a lot to me that I came away from my showing so amped up. Despite its flaws, you cannot deny that “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” is an utter cinematic treat.
Performance-wise, you’re getting commitment all around. Cruise feels like he’s pushing himself more than ever to deliver best-in-class action, and you’re getting that same level of focus from everyone else in the frame. Special mention should especially go to “Mission: Impossible” newcomer Trammel Tillman, who genuinely steals every single scene he’s in.
For the first hour, it feels like you’re getting less action than you’d expect from a “Mission: Impossible” movie. But once it gets going, “The Final Reckoning” truly soars, delivering all the thrills, chases, brawls, and big setpiece moments that “Mission: Impossible” fans could hope for.
Hunt’s battle with Gabrile (Esai Morales) and The Entity has been the team’s grandest, most desperate mission yet, and as they attempt to wrap it up, we’re treated to easily some of the best action setpieces in the franchise, bar none.
I do not know how the team manages to preserve the sense of peril and raw tension across such broad sequences and this gargantuan runtime, but they do so brilliantly.
If you’ve seen the trailer, you’re doubtless waiting to see Hunt hanging from that prop plane. That frantic chase is truly breathtaking stuff and every bit as exciting as you can imagine (especially in IMAX). It’s easy to see where that mammoth budget went.
What’s truly mind-blowing is that it wasn’t even my favorite sequence from the film: that honor goes to a claustrophobic, uber-tense solo deep-sea dive inside a submarine.
“The Final Reckoning” knows that it’s these kinds of audacious stunts that get people talking, and I’m sure some of the set pieces here will be just as buzzworthy; it’s awe-inspiring stuff.
It’s a cliche phrase, but if there’s any movie worth trotting out the well-worn “see it on the biggest screen possible” line, it’s this. You’ll wince, you’ll squirm in your seat, and you’ll be blown away, guaranteed.
Verdict: ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ nails big screen spectacle
I watched every “Mission: Impossible” movie in the run-up to my showing, and while I don’t think “The Final Reckoning” is the best in the franchise — that’s still 2018’s “Fallout” — but the best-in-class thrills present make this eighth movie absurdly good fun.
The surprisingly dour tone exists at odds with the playful, comedic spirit, and the repetitive exposition does grate, but the highs are simply too high to ignore; it’s the epitome of edge-of-your-seat cinema.
And, if the rumors are true, and this is indeed Ethan Hunt’s final hurrah, it feels like a fitting send-off for Cruise’s hero.
To echo the IMF: your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to go see “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” as soon as possible.
