Movies that are direct follow-ups in a series of otherwise self-contained films take a risk. There’s the potential for bigger payoffs and bigger disappointments. Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning takes place right after Dead Reckoning, and it pulls out all the stops for what could be the last film in the series.
The core plot of this duology revolves around The Entity, a sentient AI that has infiltrated cyberspace and is slowly taking over all the nuclear arsenals in the world. The entity also uses disinformation to create hostility among the masses. Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his band of misfits have to destroy The Entity before it nukes the globe.
The weakest element of the previous movie is also present here: the villain and what he represents. Gabriel is a former espionage agent who was chosen by The Entity to be its physical avatar to carry it out its plan. Why? Because Gabriel wants everyone in the world dead, too. Why? Who knows.
Spy movies are no stranger to wacky and convoluted plots, but with such films, things usually seem more grounded when it comes to villains and their motivations. A sentient AI planning to eradicate humanity is a tired trope, but that isn’t the big issue here -- it’s the idea that humans would get on board with that plan. It’s a cheap and easy way to raise the stakes while showing how The Entity is swaying public opinion, and it’s all a little much.
The film still comprises great set-piece moments and stunt work. The submarine infiltration scene and trip back to the surface through ice caps are great. Fight choreography is decent, nothing spectacular, but more importantly, it’s balanced well with the non-action scenes. Despite Tom Cruise being 62 and needing some digital de-aging, he shows a lot of vigor on his performance.
Another issue this installment shares with Dead Reckoning is that some of the stunt scenes go on for too long, which doesn’t help that the runtime is too long in general. It’s like Tom Cruise just wants to show off and let everyone know he can still perform in these action movies. It’s not necessary. I believe you, Tom; you can take it easy now.
Still, as eccentric as Cruise can be, he’s doing things in the world of filmmaking that are becoming more rare: the stunt work, the set pieces, the demolition on set. It’s easy for a movie like this to seem lifeless when it plays it safe or uses too many computer-generated assets, which is not the case here.
While Final Reckoning is far from flawless, its peaks are much higher than its valleys. It does try to tack on too much towards the end, but at least it’s justified, given all the buildup. Cruise has flipflopped on whether Final Reckoning really is the end for his Mission: Impossible series, and I would say that if this is indeed the end, it’s a great note to end on.
Author Bio:
Ulises Duenas is a senior writer and film critic at Highbrow Magazine.
For Highbrow Magazine