Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning-3 Ups & 3 Downs
It’s official. The Mission Impossible franchise has wrapped up with the Final Reckoning. Here are the Ups and Downs from my review:
-*SPOILERS AHEAD*
DOWNS
3. The Bloated Length
I hate to start with negatives, so I’ll be quick - unlike this movie. 11 minutes short of three hours in NOT necessary for this type of movie even if it is the finale. In particular, the first half of Final Reckoning some of the worst this franchise has seen. Things start to fly by later (pun intended) in a successful manner but at times I felt almost bored in the beginning. That can be attributed to the comical amount of summarizing of what preceded this film.
2. Exposition City
Since this is technically a part 2, they needed to explain what happened in Dead Reckoning for those who hadn't seen it or needed a reminder. What we did not need was an absurd amount of exposition that at times is hard to follow. Whether they are speaking about the entity’s powers, the rabbit’s foot in MI3, or detailing their plans -it’s just a lot of dialogue for an action movie (despite the circumstances) that will make a rewatch a tad tiring.
Many Characters are Underutilized
Essentially all three of my gripes are due to the length. If you are going to make it long, at least give everybody the time to shine. With an embrassement of riches in their cast this movie, you would think the material would be pretty juicy. Yet, they have to deliver so much backstory that they don't really have time to exude their personality or get any character development. For example, newcomers Nick Offerman, Holt Callany, and Hannah Waddingham have very little screen time to do anything of note. Then, there are characters like Davis who make me wonder what they even add to the film. Last of all, Luther’s death feels mishandled for a guy who has been around for the entire thing. While still emotional, it was a weird way to kill him that they move on from quite quickly beyond a final speech in the end.
UPS
3. Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise. That’s the tweet. In all seriousness, I would first like to thank the man for his devotion for not only his stunt work but the passion for the franchise itself over the last 30 years. For a series that takes place in a normal world, some of the moments in the film tend to be ridiculous and implausible. Yet, when Cruise takes on these stunts himself it brings it back to the reality so that it doesn't become a Fast and Furious movie. Numerous times throughout the plane scene I thought to myself that there is no way this is even possible yet I know for a fact it was thanks to the behind the scene footage. The dude is just a marvel at what he does to the point where it almost takes you out of the movie in fear of his safety. Beyond that, he continues to try and one up himself and doesn’t taken anything for granted by making sure his acting is on par with the physical work. How does he do it?
2. The Submarine Sequence
Building off of Cruise’s stunt work is the scene of the movie for me personally. The plain sequence is a spectacle, but the entire underwater segment was better in more areas. First of all, it was shot practically as well that allows for some stunning shots like the one of Ethan drowning. Since we know Cruise is doing it for real, it’s also a “hold your breath while watching” type of moment that makes the drama more effective. The entire thing is very Avatar-esque which is always a good sign technically-speaking.
It’s an Emotional Send-Off
Overall, Final Reckoning wanted to give us a grandiose ending for the franchise we have grown to cherish. From the get go, we get a highlight package of all of the crazy moments from the first seven films which actually gave me chills, Later on, there are some surprising returns of characters from the first entry that provide some nice nostalgia and finality. Not to be forgotten is the heart this movie has thanks to Hunt’s team and some good performances from Simon Pegg, Hayley Atwell, and Cruise himself. It truly feels like the accumulation of everything that came before as Cruise stated during press and for the most part I think they accomplished that.
Rating: 6.2/10
