Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning Review

Tom Cruise really is a singular kind of guy. Being the lead in one of the most successful action film franchises of all time for close to thirty years isn’t a common achievement. In this latest, and perhaps final instalment, Cruise is doing things that probably have never been done before on screen. He is hanging from biplanes and scouring through nuclear submarines to prevent weapons of mass destruction from being launched and of course, leaving it ‘till the very last minute to leave you tearing the material of the arm rest out. It’s these kinds of spectacles that have consistently drawn audiences to the screen. In MI: Ghost Protocol, Cruise was ascending the outside of the Burhj Khalifa which seemed like an immeasurable feat. Then in the following film, Rogue Nation, Cruise hung from the side of an ascending carrier jet. He basically kept repeating these sorts of death-defying spills right up through to this: The Final Reckoning. 

And it’s in this Final Reckoning where the final sequence in this film, in which Cruise performs the most preposterous and stunning sequence ever in film history on a biplane, is easily the greatest sequence in any Mission film. The fare and hassle of going to see this near three-hour mammoth of a film is probably worth seeing just for that. 

Aside from the ostentatiousness, it’s certainly messy. There can be a proclivity for the film to delve into overly-explanatory expository in which each character talks to each other about what they’re about to do. No doubt this is to serve as a mouthpiece for confused audience members. But in many ways, if these, at times laborious expository detours, were omitted, the film would be indefinitely challenging to follow. The stakes are higher than ever, yet, I still found myself unsure of why the ‘Entity’, the rogue piece of Artificial Intelligence that seeks to infiltrate the world’s vast array of weaponry, is doing the things it is. And aside from serving as easily the most powerful villain Cruise and his team have come against, the Entity is obviously a useful villain for a subliminal commentary on the future of Artificial Intelligence: what it means for humanity, its dangers and its complexities. 

Unfortunately, the supposed villain working to obtain the power of the Entity - Gabriel, played by Esai Morales - doesn’t really do very much. The villain is much more the Entity itself than Gabriel; the film focuses far more on the threat of the AI than of the bearded Latino. It’s only in the final sequence in which Morales’ character becomes useful again, allowing Cruise to show-off his veteran stunt-work that fans have come to know and adore. Arguably, this is a pattern for the film in general: the storyline seems to be merely a vessel through which Cruise and Director Christopher McQuarrie can exhibit their grandiose production value. Not to say that that’s necessarily a bad thing; for the most part - the film maintains its pacing and its entertainment value fairly well. It’s just that the story feels slightly disregarded for the sake of spectacle at times, that's all.  

If what you’re looking for in The Final Reckoning is Tom Cruise doing what Tom Cruise has always done in this franchise, then you’ll go home feeling satisfied. But don’t expect the film to blow you away as a whole. The film has some stunning sequences and some tantalising stakes but goes light on the humour and heavy on the feeling of impending doom. Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning certainly isn’t one of the strongest in the franchise but is still better than the vast majority of other action-thrillers that are released nowadays. 

6.8/10