TL;DR – Does it nail those moments of spectacle? Absolutely, in ways few can. But it is also filled with a lacklustre antagonist, a meandering narrative, and a desperate need to find some relevance. Look, it is just okay, and that’s fine.  

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning Review –

Well, we have apparently reached the end of an era, though I will believe that when we see the box office earnings. But if this is the end, does it create a satisfying narrative to justify this massive franchise coming to a close? Can it create a level of visual excellence that makes it stand out from those who came before it? Will it make Tom Cruise run the most? These were the questions I had in my mind as I sat down with my popcorn and drink.

So, to set the scene, it has been a few months since Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning [now minus the dangling Part One] and Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team of Luther (Ving Rhames) and Benji (Simon Pegg) have gone to ground with the Crucifix Key. While hiding, the AI Entity has infiltrated most of the world and has artificially created tension among the nations. The Earth is a powder keg waiting to go off, The Entity has created a doomsday cult to forward its means, and Gabriel (Esai Morales) is still out there causing chaos. However, Ethan Hunt has a plan; the only issue is how many of his friends he might have to sacrifice before the end.

These days, when you walk into a Mission: Impossible film, there are certain things you expect to see. The team jet-setting across the world, Tom Cruise having to run places like no one can, Tom Cruise doing some insane stunt that has to make every insurance agency in the world cringe in terror, and significant moments of spectacle as the action crescendos. Well, no matter what else I will say about this film, I can confidently say that all those elements are there, and they nail all of them. What is needed for all of those elements to come together is solid direction from the top, a cast that is trusting of each other, that they are willing to go to the places that you need, and a stunt and production team that works like no other.  

Where it shines the best is in those character moments, where you can feel how well the cast works together. Tom Cruise and Hayley Atwell continue to have this incredible chemistry with each other that feels effortless. Indeed, if there is one thing that Tom Cruise has done consistently in most of his films, it is that he positions himself to support his female cast members and let them shine. Pom Klementieff might be the MVP of the movie because there is no moment where she does not nail her character, bringing the energy that the movie needs. Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames are always a delight. But this also extends to the supporting cast. What an impact Katy O’Brian brings with her time here, and I would watch anything that Tramell Tillman is in now after this.

Also, let’s not skimp on the action, which, while fewer in number than a lot of the other Mission: Impossible films, still packs a punch, pun intended. They liked a lot of cross-editing of sequences in this film, and it did not always work, but there is one particular action scene with a nuclear submarine and an Arctic confrontation that was so fun to watch unfold. The tension is there, the stunt excellence is there, and the two scenes in tandem worked well together because both sides needed the other to succeed or else. On that front, I will say that some of the action scenes drag on a touch too long and lose some of their impact, and there is one moment where there is no sense of suspension of disbelief strong enough to ignore that Ethan would have straight up died there.         

However, while the cast is fun and the action is there, and maybe for you that is enough, and I am happy for you. But for me, I still need a strong narrative to go with it, and this is where the film flounders. Unfortunately, much like Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, The Final Reckoning suffers from one of the weakest antagonists in action cinema. The Entity, and look forward to that phrase being said a thousand times during the film, is just such a dull enemy. It squarks light at you, and we see countries turn red on a map, that’s it. Maybe if its human acolytes were interesting, it could have worked, but alas. Gabriel is such a limp character that it actively hurts every scene he is in.

I am not sure what part of the filming process they decided to lean into the Final part of Final Reckoning, but it feels so ham-fisted into the narrative. They feel so desperate to try and make this one feel memorable that they do the obnoxious Spectre job of pretending that all of the previous films were actually a big linked narrative canon, which they weren’t, all building to this film, which was clearly never the case. There are times when to achieve this, you have to sit back and watch a clip episode, which is a wild choice in a $400 million production. There was one link back to the past that did work, and that was the inclusion of William Donloe (Rolf Saxon) and his wife Tapeesa (Lucy Tulugarjuk). They were such a delight throughout the film.  

In the end, do we recommend Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning? Look, the film is not without its flaws. But also, the spectacle that is its best parts, and it probably works better on the big screen than anywhere else. Also, if you like writing on the intersection of the military-industrial-entertainment complex, I have a new case study for you. Have you watched Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning? Let us know what you thought in the comments below.If you liked Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, we would recommend to you Mission: Impossible – Fallout.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Directed by – Christopher McQuarrie
Written by – Christopher McQuarrie & Erik Jendresen
Based on – Mission: Impossible by Bruce Geller
Music by – Max Aruj & Alfie Godfrey
Cinematography by – Fraser Taggart
Edited by – Eddie Hamilton
Production/Distribution Companies – Skydance, TC Productions & Paramount Pictures
Starring – Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Pom Klementieff, Esai Morales, Henry Czerny, Holt McCallany, Janet McTeer, Nick Offerman, Hannah Waddingham, Tramell Tillman, Angela Bassett, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Rolf Saxon, Lucy Tulugarjuk, Charles Parnell, Mark Gatiss, Cary Elwes, Katy O’Brian, Stephen Oyoung, Tomas Paredes, Paul Bullion & Pasha D. Lychnikoff with Ross McCall, Hugo Salter, Tommie Earl Jenkins, Sydney Cole Alexander, Gabriella Piazza, Elliot Janks & Marcin Dorocinski
Rating – Australia: M; Canada: PG; Germany: 12; New Zealand: M; United Kingdom: 12A; United States: PG-13