There is something magical about the movies. Getting to see an action movie that makes every scene larger than life on a big screen is an unbeatable experience. I am not old enough to have enjoyed the 80s and 90s of film with movie star-driven action films on the big screen before the action hero vanished into the muddled waters of superheroes. But I am lucky enough to see Tom Cruise take his final ride in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning as the last of the movie stars makes a movie that’s larger than life in every way on the big screen. Seeing a 62-year-old man defy all laws of logic with the stunts in this film can only be experienced in a film like this; it’s a testament to going to the movies.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is the follow-up to Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning and the supposed final film in the franchise based on a classic television show. The Entity (an AI hellbent on the destruction of humanity as we know it) has nearly taken control of the world’s nuclear ammunition. There is only one man and his team to stand in its way, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his gang of merry agents of the impossible. The fuze is lit, and we are off to the races as a globe-trotting adventure begins to stop the Entity and its burned once-allies in a fight for the tools to control the world.
Christopher McQuarrie and Tom Cruise are a match made in heaven, full stop. They understand each other as a director and an outright madman that Tom Cruise is when it comes to defying his own death. There are set pieces in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning that will make you white knuckle your armrest to the point you think it’s about to pop off. I was in a theatre with reclining seats, and for the first hour, I thought I was in a film, I could lounge back and kick my feet up like the fate of the world wasn’t on the line here! Would Ethan Hunt lean back? No. Once the tension was at the point of no return, I can tell you that seat was up and locked in because I was on the edge of my seat until the credits rolled.
One of the main plot points from Dead Reckoning was a sunken submarine, which also becomes a pivotal point in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. The action sequence that takes place around the submarine is one of the most intense and well-orchestrated action sequences that I have ever seen. In a film series that is built on the most outrageous set-piece stunts in cinema history, that is saying a lot. But there was such a grave intensity to everything happening on screen that I was glued to the screen like a fly in a glue trap. Everything hangs in the balance as you watch Cruise navigate an obstacle course of death at the bottom of the ocean. It’s pure movie magic.
Recurring characters from the Mission: Impossible franchise, like Luther (Ving Rhames) and Benji (Simon Pegg), both give fantastic performances in the film. Each gets their own time to shine in the final outing of their team, which has faced all sorts of odds. But I want to focus on Grace (Hayley Atwell) and Paris (Pom Klementieff), who take a bigger spotlight in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning than they did in the previous film. Both give incredible performances with scenes where you just want to clap because of how badass they are. Getting to see these two characters grow into leading characters is incredible. This movie has a lot of things stuffed into it but I was glad to see that their stories didn’t get sidelined. I know this is the end of the line for Mission but if we were going to continue in this world, these two are the duo who should carry the torch. Both give incredibly strong performances to make them the strongest contenders to carry the mission forward.
At times, Mission: Impossible The Final Reckoning can feel rather victory-lapish for the franchise. They stuff this film with every reference possible, which may bother some viewers, especially if you haven’t seen the other films. But we live in a world where most Marvel films are just a commercial for the next one, so a film series that has gone on for as long as Mission: Impossible has can do some self-back patting in my opinion. Primarily when it revolves around one of my favorite franchise installments.
With Mission being one of the last major action film franchises, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning feels like the lights coming up on the action hero genre of film. I don’t really want to leave the theatre yet. I want more films where a strong lead just goes around the globe, stopping evil. But for now, MI will be in theatres for everyone to enjoy on May 23rd. Find the biggest IMAX in your area to see it.
I do want to add one note at the end of this review because I talked about the cinema experience. When I go to a film I will review, I don’t eat or drink anything because I don’t want to miss anything. This is some silly self-inflicted rule upon myself. Thankfully, my buddy Joey, a lifelong friend, joined me on this final mission. He got popcorn, which I stole a handful of during the movie because I felt like it was something I just needed to have during this movie. It’s a sensory experience when watching movies; nothing is like it. Go see this in a theatre. It’s where you should experience stories like this.