Tom Cruise throws himself into the death-defying stunts once again in his eighth and potential final outing as IMF agent Ethan Hunt.
Tom Cruise made his debut as IMF agent Ethan Hunt almost 30 years ago in 1996’s Mission: Impossible and has transformed the franchise into a global-trotting action juggernaut.
Cruise’s supposedly eighth and final outing as Hunt is a direct follow-up to Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, in which he and his teammates – Benji (Simon Pegg), Luther (Ving Rhames) and new recruit Grace (Hayley Atwell) – embarked on a mission to defeat an AI called The Entity.
The Final Reckoning picks up where that left off, with the team still trying to stop villain Gabriel (Esai Morales) and The Entity as it gains control over the world’s nuclear powers.
The Mission: Impossible films are highly entertaining action blockbusters usually, but The Final Reckoning has oddly forgotten about being fun.
It’s dark and gloomy (both in tone and appearance), there are not many light-hearted moments and there’s too much talking and not enough action.
As always, the action is spectacular and the most memorable moments in the film. There are two excellent stunt sequences set in an abandoned submarine and on a biplane that put Cruise’s daredevil mentality on full display. They’re mind-blowing, intense and highly impressive.
But it takes a long time to get to these extended sequences and the action is in short supply elsewhere.
Plus, what happens is so absurd and far-fetched that you have to leave your brain at the door and avoid analysing the plot too closely.
The first hour is unnecessarily long and talkative and there are so many flashbacks to previous instalments that it feels like a catch-up for newcomers. There is no forward momentum, the editing is clunky and you’re just waiting for things to get going.
Thankfully, the action setpieces are so good that they make up for the narrative shortcomings. You have to applaud Cruise for his dedication to stunts and putting his life on the line to entertain moviegoers.
It’s exhausting watching him run for his life, tirelessly swim and flail around on the wings of a plane.
He is on his own for much of the film so his usual teammates don’t get much to do. This is a particular shame with Atwell, who was the shining star of Dead Reckoning as the new character Grace.
Many other actors – too many actors – pop up for a few scenes but the only one who truly adds value is Severance star Tramell Tillman, who provides much-needed comic relief and makes the most out of what he’s been given.
The Final Reckoning is one of the weaker Mission: Impossibles and not as entertaining as its immediate predecessor. However, despite its storytelling faults, viewers will probably still have a positive experience because the action setpieces in the second half are so brilliant.
In cinemas from Wednesday 21st May.
By Hannah Wales.
© Cover Media