Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning – 7.25/10 – Flawed movie that excites
Overall
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is the finale to the popular action spy thriller that began in 1996. Hunt, along with the Impossible Force, returns one last time! I found many moments to be fun, but others fell apart. Dead Reckoning Part One did a decent job building up a sentient AI and the potential consequences, and the sequel concerns stopping the complications from coming to fruition. Typically in most stories, it’s easier to write the buildup and a daunting task to bring it to a satisfying conclusion that matches the anticipation in sheer excitement and joy. The trailer (embedded below) is amazing and gets your blood flowing. Then, you watch the actual movie—a totally different experience. This ran 30 minutes too long, and I think calling it a conclusion is a marketing gimmick because there’s no true closure here. As the eighth Mission Impossible film, this concludes the series. There will probably be spin-offs and more Ethan Hunt in side roles. Cruise makes ludicrous money from this series not to continue. My rating is 7.25/10.
Plot (spoiler-free)
A sentient, sinister AI called the Entity is loose, taking control of systems connected to the internet. It has taken over financial markets and intelligence organizations, and is taking over the nuclear infrastructure of countries around the world. Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team follow close behind with the world’s governments and others in close pursuit to control the AI. Some cultists prefer the end of the world, so they aid the AI in bringing extinction. Ethan’s team must find the Entity’s source code to stop it and the cultists before the entity controls global nuclear arsenals and leaves humanity at its mercy.
Technicals
The Final Reckoning has decent technicals but with flaws. Let’s begin with the pros. Magnificent action scenes, cinematography, acting, visuals, locations, and direction are the standouts. Mission Impossible isn’t what it is without Tom Cruise. In typical Cruise fashion, you get sensational stunts he does himself. It’s mind-blowing considering he was 61 during the filming. Despite the flaws in Cruise’s behavior and questionable views expressed over the years (and Scientology madness), you have to give it up for his performances and dedication to acting. I don’t know many actors who can do insane stunts in their 60s. The locations they use are luscious for photography. Director Christopher McQuarrie has done well for this franchise over the years. As for issues, the pacing is inconsistent. Tighter editing could smooth out the pacing and speed it up in the middle scenes that often drag. Second, certain writing decisions leave more to be desired. Several plotlines seem far-fetched, such as how overpowered the AI entity is in gaining control. For security, I believe most nuclear infrastructure systems are kept isolated and not connected to the internet. Third, the emotional components are lacking. I felt little for the role characters. The villain could use more polish. These are signature components that deviate from the rest of the franchise.
Trivia Tidbits
Tom Cruise became a Guinness World Record holder for doing the most burning parachute jumps by doing the stunt 16 times to get it right. He is also the actor to have the most consecutive $100-million grossing movies from 2012 to 2025 and ongoing (12 movies in a row by my count). The Final Reckoning had the biggest opening weekend in the Mission Impossible franchise. At $300 million, this is the most expensive movie of the franchise, Paramount studios, and Cruise’s film career. Cruise did the biplane scene stunts himself, including hanging upside down from it. I’m uncertain how much of it was CGI, but you can tell they used a green screen for a lot of the extended plane stunt.
Would I recommend this?
If you liked the first part, then you should watch the second for closure. Though the initial movie was better overall, the sequel’s still watchable. It’s not something I will rewatch; other movies from the franchise have more rewatch value. Several quotes stick with me. 1) “Our lives are not defined by any one action. Our lives are the sum of our choices.” 2) “A future reflecting the measure of good within ourselves. And all that is good inside us is measured by the good we do for others. We all share the same fate — the same future. The sum of our infinite choices. One such future is built on kindness, trust, and mutual understanding, should we choose to accept it. Driving without question towards a light we cannot see. Not just for those we hold close, but for those we’ll never meet.” 3) “Of course, they’ll never know it, but we did it. We, who live and die in the shadows.”
*Obtained trivia facts from IMDb’s trivia page and plot/basic history/name information from Wiki
