There are two things I know to be true: Tom Cruise is our last action hero, and Tom Cruise is our last movie star. And he proves it once again in Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning, the (hopefully not) series finale that’s basically two-and-a-half hours of pure adrenaline.
The movie is basically one massive, action-packed set piece that flows seamlessly into the next and into the next. But even with all the chaos and spectacle, it doesn’t skimp on character. The team we’ve followed all these years – Ethan Hunt (Cruise), Benji (Simon Pegg), Luther (Ving Rhames), are all here, and their dynamics still feel fresh and fun.
The film opens with a brief recap of the last movie and cleverly brings in flashbacks of long-forgotten characters. Cruise, sitting at a laptop watching surveillance footage, somehow makes it tense. Honestly, nobody watches a laptop with more intensity than Tom Cruise.
Soon after, we’re back with Luther and Benji, Luther doing his calm tech genius thing while Benji quips comedically in the background. And then, BOOM, we’re off and running. And running. And flying. And submerging under water. It’s non-stop and it’s terrific.
In this one, the gang, which now includes Grace (Hayley Atwell) and Paris (Pom Klementieff, who we were introduced to in the last film), are chasing down a rogue AI called “The Entity” that could wipe out… well, basically everything. Gabriel (Esai Morales), who’s also back from the previous films, is still being a thorn in their side and trying to use the program for his own use. And as per usual, there’s double crossing of the double crosses.
How many times has Cruise saved the world now? I’m sure it’s more times than I can count on my hands. There’s a standout sequence where he’s hanging onto a plane mid-air that had me wondering how the guy does it. Meanwhile, I struggle to get off the couch. The guy’s a machine.
That said, not everything hits. There’s a submarine sequence that feels like it overstays its welcome. Maybe it’s just me being impatient, but I was ready to move on before the scene was over.
Atwell is back and fits in great with the core team. She holds her own next to Cruise, which is saying something. Klementieff, though she doesn’t have much to do this time around—aside from asking the questions we’re all thinking, usually in French, with only Benji seemingly able to translate.
Luther’s calm, commanding presence is always a welcome contrast to Benji’s frantic, knowledgeable exasperation. And Angela Bassett shows up again as the President. After watching her in this, I wish she were our actual president.
So, is this really the end of the Mission: Impossible series? I hope not. Right now, we need heroes, even fictional ones and Cruise seems to be our only hope.
*Until the new Superman and Fantastic Four films come out, I’m thinking.
