Film Review: Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning

3 Stars

Without being macabre, can you close your eyes now, and picture the depth and breadth of accolades, debate, and intensity that will come someday when Tom Cruise is not singlehandedly holding up the entire theatrical motion picture industry? After four decades in the risky (show) business, this native of Syracuse has somehow become the face, twinkle, and hope of Hollywood.

And in Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning (his eighth as the central character hero Ethan Hunt), Cruise almost saves a laborious narrative within a narrative that, once dissected, doesn’t add up to much in the second installment featuring a faceless AI villain known as The Entity.

The film is almost shockingly simple, with watered-down, sometimes dialogue-free scenes made to be readily translatable to the widest possible global audiences. Instead of proper character names, people are “mister.” Instead of heartfelt moments of connection, there are just glances. And instead of an action-thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat, even in IMAX there are segments and periods of true boredom in what should otherwise be a triumphant return of the popcorn movie.

As the plot to destroy The Entity before it destroys us unfolds (sound familiar?), rogue M.I. Agent Hunt appears to be the only man brave enough and bold enough to take on the mission, should he choose to accept it. And in a race against time, Hunt will of course outwit, outlast, and outmaneuver all obstacles he faces.

The best part of those obstacles are the absurd and death-defying settings they place him in as Hunt narrowly escapes sunken thermonuclear submarines and vintage bi-planes. Cruise is as famous for his emblematic acting as he is for driving production insurance companies crazy for doing most of his own stunt work (and it’s impressive).

As directed again here by Christopher McQuarrie (screenwriter of The Usual Suspects and helmer of previous M.I. installments), there is a continuing screen-time love affair with Cruise himself. And no one would scoff at that approach, especially after the commercial successes they’ve had together, including Top Gun: Maverick.

Along with the duo, many of the familiar franchise faces return here including actors Ving Rhames, Hayley Atwell, Esai Morales, and Simon Pegg most memorably. And the soundtrack from Max Aruj and Alfie Godfrey returns with those pulsing M.I. feels most of us crave.

If you truly only want some heart-pumping, widescreen “wow,” then it would be unfair of me to say that you won’t enjoy a lot of The Final Reckoning. Those signature segments of chases and heists are exactly why I was there opening weekend too.

But the film also recycles so much of the past M.I. installments through flashbacks and insists on dragging the audience through a maze of outdated AI mumbo-jumbo when all we want is more bang for the buck. As a result, rather than being an exciting ride that accelerates to the ending, The Final Reckoning’s pace and payoff feels uneven.

On the flipside, I had lots of time to think during the indulgent 2 hours 50 minutes and found myself nostalgic for the Mission Impossible world at the height of its wit, surprises, and clever cinematic twists. Now I must ask myself whether in the future, it’s worth it to trust the franchise … one. last. time.

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Now playing in multiple theatrical formats and rated PG-13 for violence (but hardly any sexual chemistry or innuendo), the film is billed as Cruise’s “last” installment of the franchise, which is impossible to believe.

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