Our lives are the sum of our choices. Tom Cruise is Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.
Chuck says:
Throughout “Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning,” Ethan Hunt is reminded that the result of every decision he has made has led him to the dire situation he finds himself in. Sitting through the 8th installment of the franchise, one can’t help but draw the same correlation regarding the series’ star Tom Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie. In presenting more and more complex stunts and contributing to the bloat of the modern action film, they’ve painted themselves into a corner where delivering a film that can top the previous ones is a daunting task. All they’re creative choices and outsized ambition has led them to this.
For the most part, “Reckoning” delivers as it should – the plot is wrapped up as neatly as it can be, and the stunts are so hair-raising you end up questioning Cruise’s sanity one more. However, it does fall victim to the franchise’s collective ambition, running for too long in an effort to deliver on promises that are impossible to keep.
If this is the final episode in the series – of course, the door is left open for more- it is a fitting summation of Hunt’s adventures. The opening 45 minutes plays like a greatest hits record for the series, flashbacks highlighting the most spectacular set pieces while reminding us of the vast cast of characters at play. This proves valuable as a reminder of all that’s occurred in the previous episode, as key plot points from the 2023 feature prove critical here.
That being said, is “Final’s” plot all that important? Has it ever been? At its core, the intent of these films is to dazzle, and they have succeeded in high fashion throughout. Though seemingly complex on the surface, they’ve all followed the same outline – there’s a McGuffin and Hunt and his team must find it, or the world will end. It’s to screenwriter Erik Jendresen and McQuarrie’s credit that they try to inject real world concerns amidst all the derring-do and this time is no exception. In the end, they make a passionate plea for us to free ourselves from the shackles of technology and once again engage in more meaningful human interaction.
This time out, the object everyone is after is a key that will unlock the location of the source code for The Entity. This A.I. program has become sentient and has grown to the point that it is controlling all of cyberspace. That would include the means to manipulate the world’s nuclear arsenals. Hunt has the key and must use it to retrieve the drive holding the source code which is in a Russian sub at the bottom of the Bering Sea. He has three days to get it done or else…
The remnants of the usual crew are on board to help. Tech wiz Luther (Ving Rhames) is on his deathbed but still able come up with a program to erase and contain the source code. Fellow computer pro Benji (Simon Pegg) also returns to fret and sweat, as does expert pickpocket Grace (Hayley Atwell) and rogue assassin Paris (Pom Klementieff). Agents Briggs and Degas (Shea Whigham and Greg Tarzan Davis) continue their pursuit of this fragmented branch of the IMF, while President Erika Sloane (Angela Bassett) is forced to reckon with the possibility of nuclear Armageddon if the team fails.
“Final’s” structure differs from its predecessors in that it doesn’t contain as many action scenes. The number of exposition dumps in the movie are staggering, as characters regularly remind the viewer of all that’s happened and what needs to be done to solve the next problem. And while this is a courtesy to the viewer to allow them to make sure they know what’s going on, the frequency with which it happens here borders on parody. I found myself growing restless during the first half as it is bogged down by too much talk and too much travel. At times, it seems Hunt and his crew spend more time in the air, at sea or on dogsleds than actually saving the world.
That being said, the set pieces are spectacular once we get to them, Cruise and McQuarrie adhering to the high standards they’ve set for themselves. Among the highlights is a sequence that finds Hunt trapped in the Russian sub as it slowly rolls off an undersea plateau, torpedoes falling around him, the hull quickly filling with water. And, of course, the biplane duel that’s been front and center in the film’s ad campaign, Hunt and bad guy Gabriel (Esai Morales) defying physics and logic as they fall through the sky. More than any other stunt in the franchise, you really see Cruise put through his paces with this one.
Like so many modern action films, “Final” is far too long. While other “Missions” have rivaled its running time, they’ve never flirted with overstaying their welcome. That’s not the case here; the film is in dire need of tightening, especially during the final act, the notion that only 25 minutes are left before doomsday occurs becoming a joke as the action goes on and on and on. (The fact that Jendresen and McQuarrie don’t give us the background regarding Hunt and Gabriel’s past is particularly nettlesome in light of so much time being spent on other extraneous matters.)
Still and all, “Final” is worth seeing, especially in the theater. Cruise has always taken pride in delivering movies that can only be truly appreciated on the big screen and this is no exception. And while other films may attempt to impress with complex car chases, massive explosions and seemingly never-ending fights, what’s always separated the “Impossible” films from the others is their humor and intelligence. As much as the spectacular stunts, the clever twists and the knowing wink all involved have employed have made this franchise memorable. But, in the end, it’s the characters that have given it heart and they will be sorely missed.
3 Stars
