After nearly 30 years of Mission: Impossible, Tom Cruise gives everything he’s got to Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. I would expect nothing less from the last movie star and the architect behind the direction of the franchise, who, more than anything, wants to give us a good show. While the film is a pure Tom Cruise production, it pays tribute to the people who have been just as instrumental in its success: the fans. By and for movie lovers, The Final Reckoning is a project that will get you cheering, even when the jokes are corny.
The pressure and expectations surrounding The Final Reckoning are at an all-time high, and even a seasoned team like Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie aren’t immune. Every Mission: Impossible is packed, but The Final Reckoning bursts at the seams, trying to cram in every possible tug on our heartstrings. A nostalgic victory lap for Cruise that might be his most ambitious star vehicle yet, The Final Reckoning is sometimes too ambitious in its globe-trotting adventure, flagging a little at the start. However, once we get to the meat of the plot, there’s no stopping the film.
Mission: Impossible typically sees our hero, Ethan Hunt, go off on his own at some point in the story. However, The Final Reckoning emphasizes just how significant Hunt’s solo choices and actions have been. The inherent tension of Ethan’s inability to sacrifice the few for the many is interrogated throughout the film, making for the thematic tension that punctuates the unforgettable set pieces. Though we don’t come to the franchise movies for moralizing, The Final Reckoning keeps its message short and sweet, transporting us to a world where the good guys just might win in the end.
The Final Reckoning Balances Fan Service With A Genuinely Exciting Story
The Film Pays Tribute To The Early Installments While Staying True To The Franchise’s Current Tone
With a surprisingly high number of callbacks to the first few films, The Final Reckoning never pretends to be anything other than a sentimental tribute to the franchise. The emotional throughline brings Ethan face-to-face with mistakes and characters from his past, but even in the wake of insurmountable obstacles, he’s a true hero. We’ve seen Ethan tested many times over, taking physical risks that are genuinely shocking, so The Final Reckoning had the difficult job of showing us something we’ve never seen before from Ethan or his team.
Fortunately, The Final Reckoning chose a better path, weaving many of our favorite stunts seen in the films and taking them one step further. It’s a clever way to avoid growing stale and effectively recall the iconic moments that have made Mission: Impossible so popular. While I could wax poetic about Cruise’s stunt work all day, he’s far from the only person in the project. Hayley Atwell is a worthy companion for Hunt as Grace, along with familiar faces like Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames. Even newcomers like Tramell Tillman and Hannah Waddingham remind us who Ethan is fighting for.
ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Reckoning, possibly the best installment of the franchise other than Ghost Protocol, was a tough act to follow, and it’s undeniable that The Final Reckoning suffers from a dip in tension. The penultimate film has the luxury of being steeped in mystery and intrigue, whereas the conclusion has to land the plane, as it were. Additionally, there was a build-up of the Enтιтy’s power and reach, only for the AI to be pretty absent from the story. Where it was infiltrating every corner of ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Reckoning, its threats are more theoretical than tangible in The Final Reckoning.
Who are we to argue that the world could ever stop needing Ethan Hunt?
The Final Reckoning‘s enormous set-piece, the sunken Russian sub that we’ve been building to since the first moments of ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Reckoning, doesn’t disappoint. It’s a steady, tense, and uninterrupted testament to Mission: Impossible‘s legacy as the greatest action franchise of its time. We already knew that Cruise would go out with a bang, but this sequence delivered, making up for some of the narrative flaws. In a movie like The Final Reckoning, it doesn’t take much convincing for me to forgive some lazy plotting, as my reward is the kind of filmmaking few are brave enough to attempt.
However, the desire to hit that emotional note and ensure we never forget, even for a second, that this might be the last time we’ll see Ethan Hunt on the big screen gets in the film’s way. Though Cruise and McQuarrie have been careful not to confirm that this will be the last Mission: Impossible, it drips with nostalgia and ties up the loose ends of the past films, while still leaving the door open. Who are we to argue that the world could ever stop needing Ethan Hunt?
The Final Reckoning Isn’t Mission: Impossible’s Best Installment, But It Is Its Most Emotional
You Might Find Yourself Moved By The Final Reckoning Amid The Thrilling Action Sequences
The Final Reckoning is the kind of funny that I appreciate in an action movie. It’s not too tongue-in-cheek, and Cruise never wastes time winking at the audience. It’s wholly sincere, laughing with the viewer, and letting us know that the filmmakers are in on the joke without undermining the story. At the drop of a hat, The Final Reckoning drops us back into the heat of the action, using the perfectly crafted music, effects, and immersive style. If the job of the movies is to expose us to a world outside our own, the movie doesn’t struggle on this front.
It’s been interesting to watch Mission: Impossible so vividly reflect the world’s issues over the years, evolving with the new threats that take shape and keep us up at night. Watching The Final Reckoning isn’t just exciting, it’s also enormously comforting. It lets us believe — for nearly three hours — that there’s an Ethan Hunt somewhere looking out for us who will do the right thing. The Final Reckoning elevates its escapism through the use of great filmmaking and committed performances, which lesser franchises forget to include.
When the inevitable rankings of every Mission: Impossible movie start rolling out, I’m not sure where the film will end up. It’s the culmination of decades of work and represents a part of Hollywood that’s fading, but it makes a strong argument against letting it disappear. No matter how you feel about the series, I would encourage everyone to go to the theater, sit back, and have fun. You don’t have to have been with the franchise from the beginning to enjoy Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, but there’s no denying that it was made for those of us who were.
