MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - THE FINAL RECKONING
Starring: Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Hayley Atwell, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Angela Bassett, Greg Tarzan Davis, Henry Czerny, and Shea Whigham
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
AMARÚ
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning is really two movies, one after another. The first is a montage fest that leans on nostalgia from one explanatory scene to the next, killing all emotional connection. But once a certain character walks in, Reckoning’s actual story begins. From then on, it’s an exciting mix of nice call backs, emotional tidbits, funny moments, and most of all, edge-of-your-seat action set pieces that Tom Cruise, somehow, manages to make more intense, yet uniquely reminiscent, than anything the franchise has seen. Ultimately, though flawed, this love letter delivers a fitting sendoff for arguably the best franchise in movie history.
ADRIANO
If the mission was not to be let down by the (alleged) final outing of a great series, then it turns out this one was impossible. Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning's desire to beat you over the head with franchise continuity is eye-roll inducing and uncharacteristic. Hell, the first hour is practically a clip show. The plot paces itself terribly, feeling convoluted beyond repair. But I know what y'all are here for, and yeah, the set-pieces and death-defying stunts are remarkable, giving the movie colossal weight in the final hour and salvaging the experience, if not fully saving the movie's disappointment.
NICK
Considering what we get with Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, this was probably the right time to end things. Some of the series’ trademarks (extreme exposition and death defying stunts) are either overdone or simply don’t hit the same. Yes, the airplane stunt from the poster is cool, but the story surrounding it is lacking; so much so that a significant portion of the film is just scenes from prior entries in the franchise. It’s still a Mission Impossible movie so it’s not bad, but compared to the rest of Ethan Hunt's (Tom Cruise) escapades, this franchise closer is more than a little disappointing.
ROBERT
I’m aware there is some disagreement on the nature of whether Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning will be the last of the series, but it didn’t set that standard of finality. Beyond an impossibly long runtime, it felt as if every loose thread and past MacGuffin had to tie into the greater story at large, including inflating the importance of a previous side character. The dialogue is so fast paced that it feels like 1.5x speed, the acting from tertiary characters is wooden, and the stunts, while impressive, are second-rate to those in prior, and superior, entries. I won’t choose to accept another entry like this.
BODE
There are many (needless) callbacks in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, yet I often thought of John Woo’s second entry the most. Both films have overstuffed plots, to the point where they feel incomprehensible. However, Woo’s wild formalism in II makes it easier to forgive. Christopher McQuarrie, the talented filmmaker he is, seems to struggle with this, which makes this film's flaws, which populate its disjointed first half, harder to accept. It eventually improves, with the second half providing some of the franchise’s highest highs (including the biplane setpiece), making it impossible to say I disliked this Mission. But I’m disappointed that I didn’t love it.
QUENTIN
If The Final Reckoning truly is the end for Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), I have no problems with the call-backs and nostalgia baiting that occupy the first hour. It provides a lovely appropriate finality to the proceedings that, if there happens to be another entry, will be completely lost. Operating under the assumption that this is the final mission, however, I was fully on board. It’s action-packed (obviously), low-key funny, emotional, and an earnest love letter to everything that came before (especially the underrated third installment). It pulls from all previous entries, in both varied tones and admittedly forced continuity, working perfectly as a franchise capper.
KATIE
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is a wonderfully fitting finale for the best action franchise out there. It stays true to everything I love about these movies, providing thrills, a fantastic cast with great chemistry, a nonsensical plot, and Tom Cruise pushing the limits with breathtaking and nail-biting set pieces. It’s blockbuster cinema at its finest, and there was not a second that I wasn't entertained, and although it's heavy on the references and callbacks, it's deservingly so. It's a perfect tribute that celebrates Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his crew’s insane adventures over the past 30 years.
