Invoking Dickensian prose to sum up the eighth entry of an action franchise led by Tom Cruise might seem an odd choice, but little describes “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” better than “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”
The latest and possible final installment of the “Mission” franchise is a tale of two halves — one stuffs in brutally dull dialogue and endless self-mythologizing. The other builds to one of the most exciting and beautifully shot action finales ever put on a screen. To be entirely honest, the really good stuff only arrives in the last 30 minutes (along with a terrific underwater sequence around the halfway point).
So do two amazing set pieces justify two hours and 50 minutes of runtime? For me, that answer is yes. But barely.
Ethan Hunt (Cruise) — known by some as “the manifestation of destiny” — continues his battle against the Entity, a rouge artificial intelligence hellbent on ruling the world. Along with his ever-changing and growing team, Ethan must do battle with technology for the fate of the future.
The usual suspects Benji (Simon Pegg) and Luther (Ving Rhames) help Ethan in his struggle with the internet, as well as newcomers Grace (Hayley Atwell), Paris (Pom Klementieff) and Degas (Greg Tarzan Davis). The absence of Illsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) is felt deeply in this — it would’ve been nice to see her in the fight one last time.
There seems to be two things the “Mission” makers were terrified of in releasing this installment: that people would not think the franchise’s legacy — or Hunt as a character — was big or important enough, and that people would entirely forget the events of “Dead Reckoning,” which was released two years earlier. There could’ve also been a severe re-strategizing after that film disappointed at the box office.
Whatever the reason, the result is a dump truck of reminiscence on the importance of the series’ hero, and the franchise as a whole. The problem is, all of that talk barely lets any action (the real legacy of these movies) get in its way for the first half of the film. Some series altering, hugely important events take place in the first 30 minutes, but they mostly play second fiddle to a barrage of Ethan glazing and repetitive conversations about the Entity and how bad it is.
While this self-serious brand of expositional table setting is not new to the franchise, in past films it’s happened pretty quickly and more or less in the action: a talk in a van on the way back from a prison break, a briefing on the runway Ethan is flying out of for his next mission, a fakeout assignment from the bad guys before gassing out our hero. Director Christopher McQuarrie’s entries have up to now been quick to start, and maintained a brisk rhythm throughout. This one has a really long, flat overture.
Once the pretense is dropped, and the film is allowed to be a “Mission” movie again, it soars higher than the biplanes Cruise dangles from. The submarine sequence near the middle of the runtime plays like “The Abyss” meets “The Poseidon Adventure,” as Hunt has to navigate a rolling submarine housing nuclear weapons. The final action sequence involves skyward stunts that nearly defy logic. Cruise dangles from, stands on, and climbs all over multiple planes in flight. Once the Impossible Mission Force is doing its third act thing and that aspect ratio opens up, it’s a beautiful ride to the finish line.
A compelling couple stretches in an otherwise mid film doesn’t usually justify the admission price. But McQuarrie and Cruise have become such masters of these unthinkable set pieces, it’s unlike anything you’ll see on any screen. We have access to a lot of exciting entertainment these days. But nothing like this. The crowd I saw this with was gasping during the final sequence. It’s the sort of thing that makes me want to stand and salute, and immediately go over to my Mom’s and turn off motion smoothing on her TV. This is nothing new for these movies, but it’s what makes them truly special.
While a well executed entry with a standalone energy similar to “Rogue Nation” or “Fallout” would’ve been a preferable conclusion, the film franchise’s legacy was ultimately honored: Tom Cruise hanging on — to both these films and airborne vehicles — for dear life.
Watching the Credits 