MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - THE FINAL RECKONING

 

If you haven't heard - if you haven't, you must be living under a rock - Tom Cruise is on his way to save cinemas yet again with the latest Mission: Impossible instalment. The eighth film of the franchise that has, rather surprisingly, grown from strength to strength, The Final Reckoning brings the franchise to an end with incredibly mixed results.

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and the IMF team race across the world and against time to find the Entity, a rogue artificial intelligence that can destroy mankind.

First off, if you thought they said "entity" a lot in Dead Reckoning, get ready for it to become the bane of your life while sitting through this film. Clocking in at just under three hours, The Final Reckoning gets off to a sluggish start with a first hour that becomes a bit of a slog to sit through - constant callbacks to the franchise's history complete with brief flashbacks to EVERY SINGLE ONE stopping the film from picking up any pace and really getting going. We are eight films into a franchise, most people know who or what you are referring to - it really does feel so jarring. It's a shame because there is some good stuff to open the film, including a well-executed emotional moment between two mainstays of the franchise. It really does make the choice to overload the first act with nostalgia quite baffling and something these films has never done to this extent.

Constantly ramming references down your throat becomes a thing of the past as the middle of the film really starts to pick up the pace, feeling more like a Mission: Impossible film as a result. The ridiculousness of it all is felt and the fact the world is reliant on Ethan Hunt yet again is enough to make you want to punch the air. It's also when the action kicks into gear and delivers on its promise of making this a partly spectacular end to the franchise.

Christopher McQuarrie and Tom Cruise have now made four of these films together and, with each one, have delivered a varying array of death-defying stunts that put you right on the edge of your seat. Usually frantic, they mix things up a bit in the middle of the film here as Ethan takes to the depths to retrieve something vital from the sunken Sevastopol. It's a set-piece that takes its time to crank up the tension, ensuring the audience holds their breath as long as Ethan does. Then comes the final act, which genuinely saves the film, as Ethan and the villainous Gabriel take to the skies in a bi-plane chase for the ages. Not only that, Ethan then hangs from either plane while attempting to save the world - a true testament to the work that stunt crews do on film sets to ensure everyone's safety is paramount. It really is exhilarating stuff combined with true Mission: Impossible stakes as the rest of the team are on ground level testing your nerves too.

The Mission: Impossible films would be nothing without the dedication Tom Cruise has to the role and his love of cinema - nearly thirty years since he first lit the fuse. Once again as Ethan Hunt he delivers a performance full of determination and physicality that you can only sit back and admire the effort he puts in. Cruise has always had an underrated comedic side and he brings that to Ethan yet again, even if the stakes are higher than ever before. The supporting cast are a joy as always but this time round feel more shoved to the side, with a whole host of new faces introduced in what becomes a bit of a bloated narrative. It was disappointing to see Esai Morales underused as Gabriel, his moustache-twirling presence always lifting the film to those more ridiculous heights - though it is great to see him get one of the most shocking moments in the whole franchise.

So, eight films later, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning sees one of the most iconic action franchises come to an end. After a disappointing start, things pick up for this to deliver some stunning action sequences and signature white-knuckle world-saving scenarios. Whether they choose to carry on the franchise somewhere down the line is anyone's guess however, making a Mission: Impossible film without Tom Cruise is a mission absolutely nobody should accept.

Verdict: ★★★½