Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning

Cruise and Co. continue to ramp up the spectacle of this beloved action franchise… but at what cost?

After almost 30 years of action, espionage and face masks, the Mission: Impossible film series appears to be coming to a close with Tom Cruise and Christoper McQuarrie’s final installment together, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning. A direct sequel to Dead Reckoning (previously released as a “Part One”), The Final Reckoning takes off just two months after the events of that film. Our favourite IMF team, consisting of Luther (Ving Rhames), Benji (Simon Pegg) and Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), in the possession of the cruciform key (obtained at the end of Dead Reckoning) find themselves in the belly of the Entity’s plan.

Along with newcomer Grace (Hayley Atwell), the team evade the IMF, along with other special force teams, as they attempt to locate Gabriel (Esai Morales) as the self-claimed master of the evil AI. Once they’ve captured Gabriel, the team strive to locate the Entity’s source code (trapped inside a lost submarine) and put an end to its reign as it spreads misinformation amongst nations and coaxes the world towards an all-out nuclear war. Despite the IMF wanting to take control of the Entity’s AI capabilities, Ethan and his team are hellbent on destroying it, at the risk of harming the world as we know it, reliant on the internet and screens.

If that all sounds a little convoluted and dramatic, that’s because it is. While the Mission: Impossible series has continued to raise its stakes ever since that first film in 1996, the series has always pride itself on its ability to maintain a certain charm about it. Whether that be through the comedic failings of gadgets in Brad Bird’s Ghost Protocol, or in the light-hearted banter between Ethan and his team, which can be found throughout almost every film, the series has always remained “fun” at its core. That’s a word that gets thrown around a lot these days and is usual an easy out of any formal criticisms (“oh, come on, just have fun with it!”), but that element of these films has unfortunately felt lost across these final two entries.

Of course, the aforementioned banter and witty character traits found across the cast of the series remains intact in The Final Reckoning, however the overstuffed plotting and apocalyptic stakes that were setup in Dead Reckoning unfortunately lead into a final entry that honestly feels as though it has lost a bit of the heart the series is so well known for. While Simon Pegg does bring his usual Benji charm to the film and Ving Rhames’ Luther gets his cheer-worthy Phineas Phreak moments, there is an element here that feels like it gets lost in the film’s overly dramatic plot. There is also a lack of connection to Haley Atwell’s Grace who, despite fitting well within the team, has felt like a quick and shallow replacement for Rebecca Furguson’s fan favourite, Ilsa.

Teetering on the edge of becoming truly self-serious, the film is thankfully saved by Tom Cruise and his insane commitment to this series. While it feels as though McQuarrie has exhausted the series for all it is worth over the last four films, Cruise’s continued daring as he pushes the boundaries of what movie stars have achieved on the big screen isn’t without its merit. Whether he’s crawling across a biplane mid-flight, skydiving from an exceptionally high altitude or just simply running full sprint across London Bridge, Cruise has essentially cemented himself as the last, classic movie star working today. Channelling his inner Buster Keaton, Cruise feels as though he (along with the films incredible crew) are bringing into The Final Reckoning everything that has brought this artform to where it is today. The culmination of this is a sequence midway through the film as Ethan Hunt makes his play to obtain the Entity’s source code, a sequence so thrilling that it will have the audience holding their breath as if they too are on this mission.

With all the praise that audiences have lauded Cruise with across these films for his incredible stunt work (and rightfully so), it would be wrong not to mention the rest of the crew that actually make these films possible. Yes, Cruise really is hanging off of a biplane, but he wouldn’t be doing so without the incredible work from the film’s stunt and safety department. Yes, McQuarrie is directing this grand scale blockbuster to entertain audiences, but he wouldn’t be able to without the stunning work from the crew of riggers, camera operators and pilots. And that’s only naming a few of the many hands that go into making these things for audiences. So, please, stay through the credits and appreciate those who made The Final Reckoning possible.

Cruise and Co. really have thrown it all into The Final Reckoning, which really does feel like one final hurrah. But even with the trappings of an exhausting plot, lengthy final run time and droning first hour, the film somehow pulls through. In an age currently facing its own battles with AI, along with the over saturation of the internet and expensive films that lead to the questioning of what the budget actually went into, The Final Reckoning does serve as a sort of reminder of what the blockbuster film should look and feel like. Despite its self-aggrandizing message of getting off the internet and back into reality, there is still weight to how Cruise and McQuarrie have sent this series off and it truly is a mission worth seeing on the big screen… should you choose to accept it… one last time… pending more sequels.

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning is in Australian cinemas now!