‘Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning’ Review: Tom Cruise Delivers but the Convoluted Eighth Entry Takes Its Sweet Time Getting There

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In the movie “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning“, there are two thrilling stunt sequences that are as daring and innovative as any ever featured in the long-running spy series’ nearly three-decade run. For instance, Ethan Hunt, played by Tom Cruise, riskily rides a motorcycle off a 4,000-foot cliff and parachutes the last 500 feet of a ravine. Alternatively, the nail-biting train chaos in the upcoming “Dead Reckoning” from 2023, the first part of this two-part series, showcases similar audacity.

In the latest movie, Ethan explores a submerged Russian submarine, his transitions between flooded and dry chambers causing instability and propelling it towards a steep descent into the ocean. At a later point, he pursues a villain by agilely moving between two old biplanes flying at 10,000 feet. On several occasions, he even hangs from a wing over breathtaking South African vistas.

Tom Cruise’s dedication to executing his own daring stunts and delivering a genuine, in-person adrenaline rush to viewers rather than relying on digital trickery has evolved into increasingly breathtaking feats throughout the eight Mission: Impossible films. This authenticity is one of the main factors contributing to the franchise’s enduring popularity – joined by features like self-destructing mission blueprints, transformative facemasks, nail-biting footchases, and heart-pounding car chases at breakneck speeds.

The main issue is that, following an opening sequence where Ethan and new IMF recruit Grace (played by Hayley Atwell) are apprehended and face torture at the hands of the slick terrorist Gabriel (Esai Morales), there’s quite a wait for about half the film’s nearly three-hour duration before the action and breathtaking locations, which are key to the show, become more prominent. It’s a breath of fresh air when the suave assassin Paris (Pom Klementieff), now working with Ethan and eager to take down Gabriel, her previous employer, grabs a machine gun and begins firing at Russians in the Arctic Circle.

In contrast to Dead Reckoning’s excessive use of awe-inspiring action sequences, such as the iconic car chase in Rome and down the Spanish Steps with Ethan and Grace in a Fiat Bambino, Final Reckoning seems overly focused on lengthy explanations, reviews, and tedious digital jargon. It appears as though you’re stuck in an interminable series of meetings discussing the severity of the situation. At moments, it veers towards self-mockery.

Christopher McQuarrie and his writing partner Erik Jendresen set the stage for a more somber, regretful Ethan Hunt in Part One. The IMF motto, “We live and die in the shadows, for those we care about and those we’ve never known,” is repeated frequently. This film carries an undercurrent of sadness as Ethan grapples with the consequences of his clandestine espionage work. McQuarrie skillfully incorporates scenes from earlier movies, not just for high-thrill action sequences but also to highlight painful past events that echo back to Brian De Palma’s excellent 1996 debut. Throughout the film, there are reminders of the past, serving as a poignant reminder of what has been lost.

The screenplay attempts to portray Ethan as a tragic hero who is destined to save the world but remains unrecognized, sacrificing those he cares about on multiple occasions for the greater good. Tom Cruise delivers this complex role with both deep emotional depth and his signature physical energy. However, despite Cruise’s captivating performance, the film often feels gloomy and dense, lacking the lighthearted humor that was a hallmark of the franchise at its peak.

After that, there’s the troubling issue of “The Entity.” This sentient AI threat was first seen in the novel “Dead Reckoning“. It has the ability to infiltrate financial institutions, law enforcement agencies, and nuclear facilities of powerful nations worldwide, causing chaos. Since Ethan managed to escape capture in Austria at the end of the last film, The Entity has grown more powerful. It has established a fanatical cult, instigated global conflict, and is moving closer to humanity’s destruction.

In this scenario, the United States, now under the leadership of former CIA deputy director Erika Sloane (played by Angela Bassett), who has been elected as president, aims to command and militarize a certain entity. Ethan, believing no one should wield such immense power, plans to annihilate it. This resolve strengthens after he undergoes a brainwashing-like experience from the device itself: “It’s either the Entity’s future or no future at all.” Gabriel, who has failed with the Entity and now finds himself an outcast, intends to harness it for global domination: “The Entity will obey me. It’s just a matter of time,” he asserts, adding a chilling “bwa-ha-ha” cackle.

As a gamer, if you’re playing a game where “the Entity” triggers a drinking round, brace yourself for an intoxicating start in no time. The chilling reality of the threat Artificial Intelligence poses, particularly in terms of privacy invasion and security breaches, is more than just a cinematic trope. The idea of cyber forces distorting truth looms large too. However, rogue AI programs as supervillains lack the thrill factor. What’s truly alarming is that we might see many more films featuring them. Personally, I’d rather face rampaging robots than disgruntled screensavers.

Whenever someone makes a foolish statement such as, “The Entity is trying to make you dislike me,” or “Ma’am President, we’re in the Entity’s world now,” Final Reckoning seems to become more earnest and heavy-handed, which feels out of place for a storyline as complicated and, to be honest, absurd as this one.

Overabundance of humorous dialogue can be distracting. For instance, statements such as “You’re overlooking the bomb! The nuclear bomb!” in tense situations, might make one question if the authors are subtly hinting at something. When Ethan miraculously resolves the crisis and a senior skeptic in Sloane’s administration exclaims, “He did it,” it feels like “That scoundrel” is on the verge of being uttered next. Some might speculate that McQuarrie and Jendresen employed AI to craft these lines.

In the world of gaming, controlling the Entity isn’t a simple task; it’s a multi-step process I embarked on during Dead Reckoning. The initial milestone was snatching the sparkling “cruciform” key in Dead Reckoning, but I can’t help wondering if that was just a red herring. The pivotal next move is to recover the source codes hidden within a device called the Podkova. Unfortunately, this gadget got misplaced when the Sevastopol, a brand-new Russian sub, mysteriously disappeared on its inaugural voyage – all thanks to the Entity’s deceitful moves. Now, it lies dormant beneath the icy cap of the Bering Sea. I alone seem to possess the knack for locating it, which is why Gabriel insists I stay alive and President Sloane trusts me, despite the objections from her defense and intelligence advisors.

In order to prevent a devastating nuclear war that would cost billions of lives across eight nations, the Podkova must be swiftly activated at the right instant. The tension is palpable. However, this activation isn’t straightforward; it also demands a crucial element, which Gabriel managed to pilfer from Luther – Ethan’s loyal hacker partner, portrayed by Ving Rhames. This series regular, like Cruise, has been with the show since its inception. This shared history is poignantly recognized in a touching scene.

As a gamer, I always enjoy bantering with my buddies Luther and Benji (Simon Pegg), but their camaraderie takes a backseat in this game due to Ethan’s constant globe-trotting escapades alone. It’s great to have Atwell back on the team, though her character seems less playful than before as a thief. Now, she’s more serious and less entertaining since joining Ethan’s IMF squad, having to adapt to new roles like defusing bombs on-the-job.

It’s great to have Ron Saxon reprise his role as William Donloe, the CIA analyst puzzled by Ethan’s intrusion into the allegedly impregnable black vault in the initial film. Similarly, Bassett (who has portrayed a U.S. president for the second time this year, following Netflix’s Zero Day) and Henry Czerny as Kittridge, the former IMF chief now leading the CIA. However, many intense meetings at Virginia Emergency Command are populated by highly-skilled actors who are underutilized, such as Janet McTeer, Nick Offerman, Hoyt McCallany. The same can be said for Hannah Waddingham’s character as an aircraft carrier commander.

Tramell Tillman displays a humorous, rough-and-tumble demeanor as the commanding officer of a U.S. rescue submarine, Bledsoe (“If you’re looking for trouble, you’ve found it!”). The submarine serves as the stage for intense one-on-one encounters, such as when a cultist attempting to convert to an Entity tries to attack Ethan, coincidentally during his training session, where he was working out shirtless in athletic boxer briefs. However, it would have been helpful if we understood what these cultists hope to gain by serving the Entity.

I found Klementieff’s casual mutterings in Paris, such as “Who will survive and who will perish?” or “It is destined,” quite amusing. Her reaction – delivered in French with a puzzled, deadpan tone when asked to perform emergency surgery on Benji – was invaluable: “I’ll kill them.”

or

“I’ll end their lives.”

or

“I’ll take their lives.”

All these versions convey the same meaning but are phrased slightly differently for variety and freshness.

Although The Final Reckoning boasts impressive visual effects, skillful cinematography by Fraser Taggart, and an energetic score by Max Aruj and Alfie Godfrey, it unfortunately falls short, delivering a rather uninteresting conclusion. If this turns out to be the final installment of one of Hollywood’s most captivating franchises in recent years—a detail that Cruise and McQuarrie have yet to confirm—it’s a lackluster ending that offers a few bright spots, primarily due to the tireless performance of our leading actor.

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2025-05-14 23:25