Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (dir. Christopher McQuarrie)
You got to respect a guy who’s 62 jumping out of planes simply for the love of the game
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning without a doubt delivers breathtaking stunts all while attempting to juggle multiple complex storylines. The Entity a timely AI antagonist, doesn’t feel all that threatening and its presence rarely creates the high stakes needed for a franchise finale.
The film is weighed down by constant exposition dumps and clunky pacing. It’s not until the last hour of the three hour runtime that everything really kicks into gear. The stunt work remains unmatched even if there isn’t as much stunt work as previous installments.
Tom Cruise’s physical performance at sixty years old is jaw dropping. However, the film misses the chance to explore Ethan Hunt’s aging or emotional toll instead opting to position him as humanity’s only savior yet again. Cruise deserves the spotlight, but the story would’ve benefited from letting Hunt feel human rather than invincible.
Originally conceived as Dead Reckoning Part Two, the film doesn’t fail to further confuse audiences with the decision to pivot from the original title.
It’s hard not to see a potential Mission: Impossible 9 with The Academy introducing a new Oscar category for stunt work.