'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning' review: Tom Cruise defies what's possible ... again!

Naturally, as the back half of a two-movie narrative and the concluding cinematic event of a massive movie franchise, The Final Reckoning has its work cut out for it in terms of ensuring audience understanding of Mission: Impossible lore. We find Ethan Hunt, just two months after the events of the prior film, continuing on his mission to halt his old foe Gabriel (Esai Morales), and more importantly, exterminate “The Entity,” a sentient AI program set on ending the world. Of course, there is no Ethan Hunt without his trusty team of IMF agents like Benji (Simon Pegg), Luther (Ving Rhames), and Grace (Hayley Atwell), along with some new faces, all of whom lend support to Hunt as he continues to hunt down the Sevastopol, a sunken submarine in which the source code of “The Entity” dwells.

The Final Reckoning differs from previous installments of the franchise in that it has so much responsibility to maintain some semblance of a cohesive story for not only Ethan Hunt and his evolving character on a personal level, but also for the mission at hand. It’s not too harsh to say that the collection of movies has found this task, well, nearly impossible in and of itself. Yet, that’s part of the Mission: Impossible charm — a convoluted story that seems almost preposterous to pull off is somehow brought to a resounding resolution that puts all the pieces together.

While some might not relish in the overly expository engagement that the movie kicks off with to propel the plot, I found it to be simultaneously a heartfelt recognition of just how far the franchise has come and an effective tool to raise the stakes of what, in all likelihood, is the terminating title of Tom Cruise’s run as Ethan Hunt (at least as a leading man).

The Mission: Impossible Franchise Tops Itself Once Again

Once the movie moves past the elongated setup of Ethan’s team and dutifully explains every minute detail of the mission at hand, it’s easy to see why this is the biggest and boldest Mission: Impossible movie yet. You’d think that Tom Cruise, at 62 years old, might pull his punches a little bit, making sure the stunts performed on screen are safe and suitable for someone his age. You’d be incredibly wrong. The promotional material hasn’t shied away from offering looks at what is arguably the most astonishing stunt in all of the franchise’s years of continuing to top itself — a bi-plane hanging feat that has to be seen to be believed. And that isn’t even giving credit to a mid-movie sequence that single-handedly etches this entry onto the action movie Mount Rushmore.

Amid the rather overstuffed narrative and stunts, fights, and classic Tom Cruise sprints, lies the golden heart of this film — its uncanny ability to be the most heartfelt and thematically resonant Mission: Impossible installment to date (“The Entity” is using AI to alter online images and spread misinformation in real-time, a subplot that isn’t explored as much as it should be but still manages to be a timely indictment of current events) and unpack what Ethan’s choices have meant after these many years.

The Final Reckoning, while a moniker for the monstrously massive weight of the mission Hunt must complete in order to save civilization, also acts as a secondary, and more important, appellation that contests the morality of the decisions Ethan has repeatedly made. Late stage (starting with Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, in my opinion) M:I movies have danced around the inquisition of Ethan as a person and how his actions impact those that he loves. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning does the opposite; it relishes in coming face to face with the fallout of 29 years of trying to save the world. It doesn’t make it easy to determine whether it was ultimately worth it.

Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie Craft a Sincere Sendoff With Epic Emotion

The architecture of these films is anything but secret: explain an overly complicated plot about a villain bent on destroying the world in one fashion or another, have Ethan Hunt accept a mission to negate said villain, and save the day once again. While The Final Reckoning doesn’t necessarily break that mold, in ways both good and bad, it does stand out from its predecessors in curious and effective ways. The emotional gravitas that is carried from the first frame to the last, which even features Tom Cruise shedding a tear or two on screen, displays the thematic depth that has always swirled about the franchise; how protecting those close to you is equally as important as saving those you’ve never met — a critical line recalled from previous M:I projects.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is far from perfect, and ultimately a flawed movie on multiple levels (narratively bloated, visually confounding at times, and inconsistently paced), yet it impossibly remains the movie event of the summer and one of the very best Mission: Impossible installments because it chooses to accept itself, flaws, breathtaking moments, and everything in between, just as Ethan Hunt accepts his final mission. It’s all part of the package. It’s all part of the adrenaline-driven, absolutely delirious, immensely earnest package. And for that, I applaud The Final Reckoning for the grandiose ultimate mission that it successfully accomplishes.

'Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning' Review

4.5/5 Total Score

The Good

• It's freaking Tom Cruise in a new Mission: Impossible movie... what more could you want?
• The final installment is the most emotionally rich entry in the franchise.
• The stunts unlock a new level of madness for the action movie genre.

The Bad

• The overwhelming plot details can burden down the overall effectiveness of the narrative and character growth.
• A reliance on past storylines hinders the adrenaline-filled pace of the film at times.