Mission: impossible - The Final Reckoning review: Nothing more than a subpar action thriller that relies mainly on Tom Cruise's large fan base
Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) wakes up, takes on an impossible task, works day and night with other IMF spies who have become friends, is betrayed by someone he trusts, and puts his own life, the lives of his friends, and even the lives of others in danger, but somehow make the impossible possible at the last second and saves the lives of innocents from evil people. For nearly 30 years, the action-packed spy film series 'Mission: Impossible' has repeated the cycle of placing his and everyone else's lives in jeopardy in order to complete his mission. He has lost loved ones in completing impossible missions for the past 30 years, but he has also made new friends and allies who are willing to support him whenever and wherever he needs them.
'Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning' appears to be the final installment in this action-packed franchise, as well as Ethan Hunt's farewell to his supporters and lovers of the film series. However, this eighth film, which is most likely Tom Cruise's final film in one of the most popular action franchises, is nothing more than a lacklustre, subpar action thriller that relies solely on Tom Cruise's massive fan base he has amassed over the last four decades and people who are only interested in watching some insane stunts.
"The key is only the beginning. Wherever it leads, whatever it takes to get there you will have to do it on your own. Should you fail in your mission, the Entity wins, Gabriel wins, and the world will pay the ultimate price. Should any members of your team gets caught or killed, their sacrifice will have been in vain. The world doesn't know it, but they are counting on you"- was the dialogue from final monologue before end credits of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) rolls, and this is exactly the basic plot of 'Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning'.
After escaping from Ethan, the rogue AI—an all-seeing, all-knowing digital entity known as "The Entity"—has already infiltrated international systems, manipulated cyberspace to control global defense intelligence and financial networks, converted allies into adversaries, and is currently trying to annihilate humankind as a whole. Of course, the only person who can prevent "The Entity" from reaching its ultimate aim is Ethan Hunt. Ethan with his friends Benji (Simon Pegg), Luther (Ving Rhames), Grace (Hayley Atwell), along with new alies Paris (Pom Klementieff), Degas (Greg Davis) must not only acquire the keys and destroy "The Entity," but he must also prevent Gabriel (Esai Morales) from gaining complete control of "The Entity".
In 'The Final Reckoning', Ethan continues the mission to find the Sevastopol Submarine and destroy "The Entity". With a runtime of nearly three hours, 'The Final Reckoning' is the franchise's longest and most bloated film. The film strives for operatic heights, with intercutting views of Ethan searching for the submarine and his buddies Benji, Grace, Paris, and Degas attempting to finish their objective before it's too late. The film features numerous remarkable stunts that defy death, just like the previous films in this series. Tom Cruise performed all of the stunts himself, without the use of body doubles. However, because they eventually begin to resemble rehashed or simply improved copies of his own stunts from earlier films, these stunts don't elicit the same adrenaline rush and anxiety that we felt in former installments of this franchise. Additionally, it appears that the purpose of these stunts is not to advance the plot and depict Ethan Hunt risking his life to save everyone; rather, they are incorporated and staged solely to highlight Tom Cruise's commitment and dedication to his films. For instance, there is a whole 20-minutes long sequence where Ethan dives into Bering Sea to find a Sevastopol submarine but you hardly feel any dread, despite seeing him putting his life at risk again and almost failing to stop "The Entity" to achieve its final goal.
In essence, during these stunts, we don't witness Ethan Hunt risking his life, we simply witness Tom Cruise showcasing his abilities while performing death-defying acrobatics.
In the first hour of its 2 hour 51 minute runtime, Ethan and his friends wander from one country and city to another, leaving us perplexed as to what is exactly going on there. Probably director Christopher McQuarrie was teaching us geography lessons that we had missed or didn't pay attention to in school. Because, except from two locations where the majority of the story takes place, the remaining locations have no significance in this film.
Also, the sequences in which the president of the United States, general officers of the military, and other advisors communicate with one another are written in such an out-dated and outlandish manner that they appear to be rip-off of 1980s B-action films. Also I'm quite surprised that except for one short scene in the train, there are hardly any actual hand-to-hand combat scenes in the film. These scenarios fail to escalate the situation and are completely unsatisfactory. The antagonist Gabriel's character had some depth in the last film, but in this film, he starts becoming more and more cringey as the story progresses. But despite the limitations of role, Esai Morales does a respectable job.
One good thing about this movie is how well the actors get along. Tom Cruise has undoubtedly made an effort to give it his all, particularly during those stunts that defy death. During a few brief but significant emotional moments, he also displays his acting abilities. Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg, and Pom Klementieff all do commendable work in their respective roles. Additionally, whenever we see them all together in a scene their remarkable chemistry gives us the impression that they have been friends for years. Another aspect of this movie that I adored was Fraser Taggart's cinematography. Since the majority of the outdoor sequences were filmed in actual locations, it's clear how much effort the cinematographer and other technicians must have put in. Although there are some sheer theatrics, the visuals do a fantastic job of serving as a compass for viewers given the film's geographical vastness.
Overall, despite the actors' and technical departments' best efforts, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning is nothing more than a subpar action thriller that relies mainly on Tom Cruise's large fan base.
Cast: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Henry Czerny, Angela Bassett
Writers: Christopher McQuarrie, Erik Jendresen
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
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