Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (UK / USA / 12A / 170 mins)
In short: Mission: Accomplished
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie. Starring Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Esai Morales, Angela Bassett.
The Plot: Ethan (Tom Cruise) has gone rogue. Holding the key to the equally rogue artificial intelligence known as The Entity, he trusts no government with it given the disastrous potential that could result. He would rather destroy The Entity as it entwines itself deeper into human-built systems. President Sloane (Angela Bassett) gives him one chance: three days to find its source code in the downed Russian submarine. Gabriel (Esai Morales) is intent on getting control of The Entity for himself though in his final reckoning…
The Verdict: All roads have lead to this: for Ethan Hunt and his IMF team; for actor/producer/stuntman Tom Cruise and his longtime collaborator and director Christopher McQuarrie (AKA McQ); for audiences who have been thrilled by the Mission: Impossible franchise for almost three decades. Born from a suave 1960s TV spy show, it’s become one of Hollywood’s most durable – and best – franchises. Highly successful action films are often victims of their own success, spawning multiple sequels in the hope of catching former glory, keeping the story ticking over and bringing audiences into the cinema. The Fast & Furious franchise is a good example of that – the more recent entries have been spectacularly mind-numbing. Mission: Impossible has consistently bucked that trend, building layers upon layers of complex plotting and agonising choices for its key characters to make. It’s all the better for it.
When Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning was retitled from Dead Reckoning – Part Two, it gave a sense of both a story and a franchise moving towards its final chapter. Despite his still-youthful looks, Tom Cruise is now pushing into his 63rd year and doing those daredevil stunts for which he is so famous for might be taking its toll. As Dirty Harry once said,l a man’s got to know his limitations. There is a firm sense of closure in The Final Reckoning – it’s an end to the series if that is indeed the case… but the door is left ajar should further entries be possible (a sign of quiet confidence). Nothing is impossible here it seems, as the script by McQ, Bruce Geller and Erik Jendresen moves at a breathless pace in a race against time to stop The Entity from bringing the world to its knees. In a time when artificial intelligence is becoming a conversation piece as it becomes integrated into workplace systems, it’s a cautionary tale of letting the genie out of the bottle – and for this film then literally putting it back in.
The driving core of The Final Reckoning is Hunt hunting down the missing pieces of the puzzle, putting them together, unlocking the mystery and then, in time-honoured IMF tradition, saving the world from destroying itself. The stakes are suitably high here, with Hunt himself part of the puzzle. The centrepiece of the film is Hunt entering dangerous territory as the stricken Russian submarine teeters on the edge of an abyss. This sequence alone is worth the price of admission alone. Cruise and McQ reliably find new ways of showing bravura action sequences like this from a different, even more thrilling angle. Then there’s the signature sequence from the poster – the analogue charm of watching Cruise hang off the edge of a bi-plane, the camera moving in close as the wind and gravity ripples across his face as he holds on for dear life. His commitment to his craft is admirable, along with his steadfast support for the theatrical experience (take that, Ted Sarandos of Netflix). This is a film that simply will not have the same effect on a laptop.
Beyond the unfolding popcorn thrills, there is a very human story at its core. The Mission: Impossible films are at their best when audiences are more invested in the characters, even when some of their motivations are not entirely clear (Pom Klementieff’s Paris is the film’s wild card and gets a great line toward the end). This is a tricky story to pull off – Hunt is fighting an enemy that has no physical form, but that’s neatly balanced out by the character of Gabriel. There are some genuinely emotional moments here which are impactful, while keeping the technobabble to a minimum (it’s enough to know that doomsday approaches). Knowing what the characters have to gain is only worth it if we know what they risk to lose too. The film reinforces that with style, grace and an occasional flash of wit while emphasising the legacy of it all. Ticking clock films often have the edge of predictability, but with so many moving parts here that doesn’t become a distraction.
The Final Reckoning is a case of Mission: Accomplished through and through. A victory lap from Cruise and McQ, a worthy conclusion to a franchise that seems to only get better over time, a possible farewell to these characters… but most of all a great night at the movies which flies by. Find the biggest screen you can and hold onto your popcorn. This is the summer blockbuster to beat.
Rating: 4 / 5
Review by Gareth O’Connor
In short: Mission: Accomplished
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie.
Starring Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Esai Morales, Angela Bassett.