Has Ethan Hunt’s time finally come? Has the team come across a mission that is just what the title implies, “impossible”? Eight films in and while The Final Reckoning feels like a bit of a let down in comparison to the adrenaline junkie stature the franchise typically caters toward, it’s a fine emotional conclusion to this saga.

 

Even for those unacquainted with the series of films, people are very much aware that Tom Cruise loves to do his own stunts. He especially likes to run - which The Final Reckoning has its fair share of. From hanging on the side of a cargo plane to driving a motorcycle off a mountaintop, Cruise had to up the ante with this latest entry having a full on air fight while hanging on the exterior of multiple planes. It’s a breathtaking visual and an incredible feat to watch play out - yet the rest of the film leading up to this moment is less action and more a suspenseful political thriller. 

 

One of the largest cinematic pet peeves of mine is very much present in this final entry and it’s truly one of the most annoying elements. I despise when the film doesn’t trust the audience to remember anything about the film franchise they’re watching and more importantly parts of the movie that took place within the confinement of this 179 minutes. The number of times we continue to cut to an item important to the story every instance it’s brought up is absolutely ridiculous, the audience should have enough responsibility to know that information, most importantly information given to them not even an entire film ago. 

 

Now let’s drift away from the negative tone and dive into the heart of the M:I series… the team. Ethan Hunt is the core of the franchise, but it’s always been truly his team of Benji, Luther and others along the way that establish true stakes for the situations at hand. Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff are all terrific in their limited capacities on screen, that also includes the rivals of our hero operation such as the returning villainous arc of Gabriel (Esai Morales) and their own government.

 

The film does contain a fair offering of exposition to carry the political thriller narrative the entire way, where the previous films mainly allowed the audience to understand there’s an antagonist and Ethan, plus team have to stop them. As the longest film in the series, the amount of exposition could cause a bit of a drag in momentum, especially upon future watches, but on initial viewing there’s enough reality behind this absurd narrative that it’s enticing to watch play out.  

 

Fans of the entire franchise will find Easter eggs, some blatantly left behind and some better hidden that will offer some well coordinated fan service. It’s encouraged that the viewer sees at the very least the first, third and previous film in the series to fully appreciate the experience at hand.

 

There is always a lot of stress when you have a continuation to a successful part one arc, it’s even more stressful when that first part underperforms. Dead Reckoning Part II was altered to The Final Reckoning with cautious amazement - was this still going to be a final part of the half finished story witnessed in part one? The answer is yes, but with two long years between films, the anticipation and thrills left behind from Dead Reckoning made it nearly impossible to reach those heights even by plane. 

 

An expectation that can always be met with any Mission: Impossible offering is the phenomenal score, laid out by the iconic original series theme music. When that music starts to kick, whatever is happening on screen — I am invested while simultaneously tapping my foot in awkward rhythm. 

 

The Final Reckoning is a fine conclusion to the M:I saga, a fascinating political thriller and contains some breathtaking visual stunts, but this all feels much tamer than the offerings of the last few entries in the series. Tom Cruise really can do no wrong as Ethan Hunt and if given the opportunity to, I’d continue to watch him return to this character for decades to come.