The Final Reckoning is a bombastic and impactful swan song. The M:I franchise has been a pillar of action cinema for so long, and The Final Reckoning is the bittersweet and explosive sendoff that it deserves. It’s both a satisfying part two to Dead Reckoning, which came out two years prior, as well as a proper conclusion that ties the whole franchise together narratively and thematically in epic and surprisingly fitting ways.
Christopher McQuarrie returns once more to direct this final impossible bout, and his imprint has been just as crucial to this franchise’s success as Tom Cruise’s. The whole franchise is a blast, and without spoiling anything, it’s rewarding to rewatch all the movies with the context of this one. As a quick tangent, it’s good fun to experiment with the viewing experience: The Final Reckoning can be appreciated on its own, or after having viewed part one (Dead Reckoning), or as part of a full marathon of all eight movies. The entire series is pure popcorn goodness, but it’s noticeable that the second half has a more distinct, unified, and comprehensive style. Director McQuarrie entered this franchise a full ten years ago with the 5th movie Rogue Nation. Ever since, his work and his dynamic with the crew have given M:I an arguably perfect stride. Every M:I entry since has figured out the action-adventure spy-thriller story to a perfect art and science, and that impeccable legacy of consistently raising the bar finds its summit in The Final Reckoning. It’s always been impressive to see what craziness they’ve pulled off, and it’s equally splendid to watch and think about the behind-the-scenes, knowing that the death-defying stunts and choreography are real and rehearsed to perfection. Story-wise, the franchise has also made it a point to consistently level up the ante and ambitiousness of what it can explore. The first movie was a classic spy story of not knowing who to trust. Rogue Nation and Fallout upgraded that premise to Ethan Hunt’s crew fighting against an entire network of shadow agents: the Apostles who want to control everything, which is a direct foil to Hunt’s crew who believe in freedom.
With Dead Reckoning and The Final Reckoning, that premise has reached a fever pitch with the threat that Hunt’s crew must take down. As set up extensively in the previous entry, the main villain for these last films is an AI known as The Entity, and it threatens to undo truth and humanity as a whole. All the while, there are multiple factions vying for control and panicking when things go awry. The main human villain is Gabriel. The franchise has always had great villains to match its great heroes, and typically, they would act as some kind of dark mirror or parallel to Hunt and his friends to challenge them both physically, mentally, and ideologically. In a story that’s primarily concerned with modern urgencies about the world’s power, Gabriel feels like a classic kind of villain. Esai Morales provides a fun portrayal of a competent, gleeful, and psychotic bad guy who just wants to win for himself.
There are many, many returning faces in this film. Simon Pegg as Benji and Ving Rhames as Luther provide the real heart, and amidst all the action, their friendship remains important and felt up to the very end. Hayley Atwell as Grace and Pom Klementieff as Paris who were introduced just in the previous movie also return, and they provide excitement and thrills. Really, the whole supporting cast is selected and used so well. The scope of what happens and who does what makes this movie feel like a true cinematic event. And of course, the man, the myth, the legend, Tom Cruise is excellent. Everyone in this movie is great, but everyone also knows that this movie (this whole franchise) lives and breathes by Cruise’s portrayal of Ethan Hunt. Cruise is a true action star, but the character of Hunt by himself can also be deemed a cinema icon. In most stories, the best character is the one that has the best development. M:I flips that by having Hunt never change even when everything and everyone forces him to.The movie is not only unafraid but completely confident in taking its time to set upand build up to its action scenes and set pieces. This is as far as it gets from a frantically paced or edited action movie that has explosions every two seconds. Every move is calculated exactly, building anticipation until it is rewarded in the most tense situation possible. It’s difficult to describe these sequences without spoiling, and that is for the best. It’s best to see this movie knowing as little as possible.
The Final Reckoning is a must-watch in cinemas and in IMAX if you can. My theater audience was gasping and holding their breath during the best scenes in this film. Personally, I feel lucky as a movie goer to be able to experience this. It’s easy to forget how old this franchise and its stars already are. That hasn’t hindered them one bit in making the most unforgettable action films possible.
