Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Writers: Christopher McQuarrie, Erik Jendresen
Cast: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny, Angela Bassett, Nick Offerman, Hannah Waddingham, Mark Gatiss, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davies, Rolf Saxon, Lucy Tulugarjuk, Tommie Earl Jenkins, Katy O’Brian

After thirty years, we arrive at (possibly) the end of the road for the infamous IMF agent Ethan Hunt and his loyal team. And, as the film’s synopsis would have it, possibly the end of the world as they know it. Tom Cruise has come a long way since he began his journey in 1996 as Hunt, and the films have had their rough patches (see the Mission: Impossible Film Club for a quick recap), but for the most part they have improved dramatically and given us some of the best action sequences, stunts and character relationships in cinema history. It’s quite a legacy, one that deserves to go out on a high (perhaps not Burj Khalifa-high, we’ll leave that to Cruise himself). Does Final Reckoning do the series justice in its (potential) finale, or is this swan-song closer to a fatal swan-dive?

Two months after the events of Dead Reckoning, in which a sentient AI known as the Entity threatened to destroy the world, IMF (Impossible Missions Force) agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is in possession of the cruciform key that allows access to the Entity’s source code, which in turn lies somewhere on the bottom of the ocean in the Russian submarine Sevastopol. Whomever possesses the source code has the ability to destroy the Entity, but it would also destroy the entire network of cyberspace and bring down the stability of the world. The possessor would also have the ability to control the Entity itself, should they choose. While the world already begins to fall apart, as civil unrest breaks out and the threat of nuclear war looms, Ethan and his team work to find the source code and end the threat of the Entity, a mission that becomes that much more personal with the inclusion of Hunt’s arch nemesis, Gabriel (Morales).

Possibly the first thing to note about Final Reckoning is that it works hard to tie up a lot of loose ends from the entire franchise (at least, ends that some fans considered to be loose), and in doing so it neatly brings it all together, giving quite a satisfying feeling of completion. However, it does at times feel overly saturated with its own past; rather than focusing primarily on Hunt’s magnum opus mission, it weaves in all these other storylines and characters from previous missions, meaning a lot of focus is required from the off. Fortunately, much of this passes after the initial opening – we are given a very concentrated recap of the past thirty years followed by a nauseating amount of action and drama, and all in the fifteen-/twenty-ish minutes before the trademark opening titles. Don’t assume you can take a break after that, though: what follows is quite a ride, and you better be watching and listening closely.

The story itself feels familiar, in both film and reality. AI becoming sentient and looking for world domination? A common fear, currently. Even just two years ago when Dead Reckoning was released, AI was starting to become more and more a useful tool, but now it’s commonplace for people to use it for every-day queries and creativity and becoming more controversial as a result. Final Reckoning certainly plays up on AI’s potential ability to take control of cyberspace and turn our own weapons on ourselves, and there are some scenes that do prove to be quite terrifying in their potential for becoming our reality. But then we have the very human side to the story, the side that shows how fundamental it is to our survival that we care for each other. Sounds obvious, right? Try telling that to many of our world ‘leaders’. One of the reasons Ethan is such a strong character is because he cares; it’s often proclaimed as his strength and denounced as his weakness in the same breath. Still, who’s the one still alive and fighting for humankind? Who continues to have the same loyal team and draw others to him, knowing there is no better promise than his to protect his team? If you’re going to need someone to fight against an AI out to destroy us, you’re going to need someone who is the best of us, and although he isn’t perfect, Ethan Hunt has always been that guy (I feel like there’s potential here for a comparison with Superman, but that’s another conversation for another day). The ultimate message of working together, trusting and having faith is a noble one, and it’s something the world sorely needs reminding of right now, more than ever.

As is standard of a Mission: Impossible film, Cruise and McQuarrie have outdone themselves with the stunts. With every film we are prepared for more and more nail-biting feats, and just when we think they couldn’t possibly come up with something more daring, they do. From diving to the depths of the freezing cold Bering Sea to swinging around on planes in the sky, Ethan is once again put through his fictitious paces, and Cruise not only rose to the real challenges, but likely felt like challenging himself. At the age of Cruise at the time of filming (around 60), one can only doff one’s hat to him. But beware, if you suffer from claustrophobia, acrophobia, motion sickness or perhaps even sea sickness, some scenes may prove tough to watch. One of the best things about the stunts is Cruise’s commitment to realism, believe it or not, because he does not make them look easy; no acting is required when it comes to the strength, stamina and perseverance needed to conduct them.

Once again, Cruise has proven why he is the revered performer that he is. His commitment to making the most jaw-dropping franchise that has also grown in story and character depth over time is a testament to his legacy as a filmmaker, particularly when in partnership with McQuarrie (this is their fourth [fifth, if you include uncredited writing on Ghost Protocol] Mission: Impossible film together, amongst numerous other projects). There is no doubt that, if you’ve been following the franchise up until now, you will have full faith in Ethan Hunt and his ability to save everyone. We also have Hayley Atwell returning as Grace, a sort-of replacement for Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust, and although she is a strong character and team member, her connection with Ethan doesn’t feel quite the same as it was with Ilsa. Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames return as Benji and Luther, respectively, and give us everything we love about the both of them, completing that Ethan-Benji-Luther trifecta that gives every film its heart. We also have particularly strong performances from Angela Bassett as conflicted but stalwart U.S. President Erika Sloane, Pom Klementieff as the bad-ass French assassin Paris, and a satisfying return from Rolf Saxon that really bookends the entire series (iykyk).

As finales go, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is a powerhouse ending, even if there’s perhaps a little too much going on and the final scene felt a little soft compared to what it could have been; without any spoilers, the ending does not scream ‘this is the end’. In fact, it leaves things quite wide open to go any which way (if you care for a minor spoiler and ideas on the future of the franchise, see below). The series really peaked with Fallout, with Dead Reckoning and Final Reckoning falling a little short of the same level of story-dialogue-action balance, a balance the franchise has struggled to maintain throughout, but that’s not to say the two-parter (let’s not talk about the dropped Dead Reckoning Part Two title) isn’t a satisfying finale; it does the job, and it does it well. Mission: complete, you might say.

**WARNING: Minor spoiler ahead**

Ethan does survive at the end of this film, living to tell the tale of his escapades, and so, where do we go from here? I have two thoughts: Either he will continue, though perhaps taking more of a backseat to a newer team, taking more of a comms role, or in about eight-ten years there will be a reboot, perhaps à la James Bond with a fresh face and a new name. Maybe a woman? Grace? She did apparently join the IMF at the end of Dead Reckoning, after all. Maybe Ethan will make a cameo from retirement? Nothing has been set in stone, though both McQuarrie and Cruise have both expressed interest with continuing. Maybe the Reckoning films are more akin to Avengers Infinity War and Endgame? A mid-phase stunner before continuing on? If Cruise wants to do a Harrison Ford and move into his 70s/80s still performing stunts, that is entirely his prerogative, but will people want to see that? If Ford is anything to go by, then no, not really. Time will tell if Hunt will be back for another death-defying mission, should he choose to accept it.