Cert – 12, Run-time – 2 hours 50 minutes, Director – Christopher McQuarrie
With world leaders ready to defend themselves at any moment, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team have 72 hours to take down an AI power before it launches all of the world’s nukes, or someone else gets control of it.
For the most part the Mission: Impossible franchise has worked as a set of standalone films. Yes, there may have been callbacks to previous entries here and there, but they still hold up alone. The Final Reckoning, perhaps the final outing for Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt, acts not just as a part two to 2023’s Dead Reckoning (formerly followed by Part One until the sequel’s name chance) but a victory lap of the entire franchise up until this point.
In-between discussions of geopolitics and the possible wiping out of the entire human race clips and flashbacks of previous stunts and IMF escapades are sprinkled in when brought up – despite the feeling that the mention alone is enough, and something is taken away from them by the use of clips. Yet, even amongst both of these elements there’s a Mission: Impossible film to be found as Hunt and co have 72 hours to find the source code for the powerful AI named The Entity, to shut it down before it hacks into the biggest nuclear arsenals in the world and launches armageddon with them. However, world leaders are ready to push the button while they can to defend their country, while there are others – including Esai Morales’ Gabriel – who want control of The Entity, and therefore the world, for themselves.
While Dead Reckoning was an action-packed first half made up of multiple thrilling extended set-pieces, The Final Reckoning is a much more dialogue-focused piece. The action is still present, and there are some truly tense moments, especially when considering the stakes at hand, however they feel somewhat weighed down by the narrative themes that are playing out. Yes, this franchise has dealt with nuclear weapons before, but not quite to the hammered-in extent of the end of humanity.
Since Brad Bird brought the franchise into a new era with 2011’s Ghost Protocol, with Christopher McQuarrie successfully taking the baton for the subsequent follow-ups, there’s been something of a lighter tone to this franchise. Earning their 12 rating but still perhaps working for some family audiences. With The Final Reckoning’s tone and dealings it certainly pushes itself near the upper ends of a 12-certificate. The threat at hand hangs over each decision and action, especially with the need for everything to be done analogue to avoid The Entity finding out, while also weighing down a number of sequences. This is a heavy film which even after the first hour of discussion and throwbacks still feels occasionally bogged down by its stakes and conversations.
As the central team have to split off instead of feeling like two elements of the same story the second hour starts to feel like it’s telling two different stories while letting them play out at the same time. It adds to the overall business of the narrative, despite some likable moments. As with previous entries that are moments of lightness and one or two chuckles to be found here and there, maybe intentionally not as many but still some appreciated moments of levity crop up even during the climactic stages – where Cruise and the supporting cast throw themselves further into the piece than the large extent which they already have.
Pushing the action and tension when unfolding in grand scale moments which eventually come together more effectively to work as one. Helped by the racing score to back these sequences, whether defusing a ticking bomb or engaging in battle hundreds of feet above, and in one particularly breath-holdingly suspenseful instance below, ground there’s a lot of tension ramping up as the timer gets ever closer to zero.
There’s still a good deal to like about The Final Reckoning, although it could save its victory lap for the final stages rather than sprinkling it throughout the film’s near-three-hour run-time. Suspense and tension are still very much present, although the action scenes are perhaps fewer here to make room for the geopolitics and weighty set-up. It’s a set-up that sometimes holds the film back due to its pure weight and darkness, landing a heavy impact on the various points that play out. But, managing to keep its head above water there are still reminders about why this franchise has been, and continues to be for maybe this last outing, so thrilling.
Held down by dark and heavy themes, this more dialogue-focused mission means that The Final Reckoning, when not acting as a victory lap, can feel very busy when not catching you in its tense fights for time and survival. There’s a likable actioner within the various elements at play, it just sometimes takes its time.
Just A Little Bit Random 