REVIEW: ‘Mission: Impossible-The Final Reckoning’ Picks Up Where ‘Dead Reckoning Part One’ Left Off
Tom Cruise returns for another mission in Mission: Impossible-The Final Reckoning. Picking up right where Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part One left off, we find Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team working to track down the Sevastopol, a sunken Russian stealth submarine which may hold the key to defeat the villain of the movie, Entity. Entity is an artificial intelligence that is infiltrating global defense systems in an attempt to take over the world. With the two-piece cruciform key in hand, Ethan must stay one step of ahead of everyone if he hopes to defeat the Entity before it is too late.
The Final Reckoning is very much a Part 2 movie. Christopher McQuarrie returns for his fourth go around as the movie’s writer, director, and producer, and doesn’t waste time recapping what happened in Dead Reckoning Part One. McQuarrie assumes the audience has seen Dead Reckoning before sitting for this one, which may or may not be a good thing. Regardless, make sure to see Dead Reckoning Part One or you will be thoroughly confused.
Similar to the previous movies in the Mission: Impossible franchise, McQuarrie relies heavily on the action to tell the story, which is not hard to pull off with Cruise as your leading man. The dialogue that is featured throughout the story is short and sweet. Mainly used to get a laugh out of the audience rather than propel the story. However, for those who have seen the previous movies, they know what they are getting into. They are not watching these movies for the deep, emotional storyline, but for the fantastic action scenes and amazing stunts. Cruise takes it to another level with aerial stunts including biplanes, intense fight scenes, and so much more. If action is something that excites you, this movie is for you.
Cruise doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. He continues to bring a punch to a character many would be tired of after 30 years. Simon Pegg returns as Benji and places a bigger role in this movie. We find the character take on more of a leadership role which Pegg does with ease. Hayley Atwell (Grace), Pom Klementieff (Paris), and Greg Tarzan Davis (Theo Degas) round out Ethan’s team, and are fun to watch alongside Cruise and Pegg. Klementieff’s character has very little dialogue, but manages to remain a focal point. From her stunts to her one-liners. Klementieff may have had the second most challenging role, second to Cruise, but makes it look easy. Atwell continues to play a big part in Ethan’s story, but the building chemistry between the two remains on the backburner as to not lose focus on the movie’s overall story. Davis steps into a more leading role in this movie, and does it well. This man has a bright future ahead of him, especially with Cruise by his side.
Angela Bassett returns as Erika Sloane, who was first introduced in Mission: Impossible- The Fallout. Now acting as President of the United States, Bassett once again brings a performance to the table that is truly captivating. From the way she holds herself to how she commands every scene she is in, she is always such a joy to watch on the screen. The only downside to the movie was Gabriel Martinelli’s performance as Esai Morales. Whether it was how the character was written or how he performed him, it felt like the character belonged in a cheesy fairytale movie rather than an action-packed PG-13 movie.
Filled with a number of call backs to the original movie, this movie has something for everyone. Mission: Impossible-The Final Reckoning is a great movie to help kick off the Summer season, if you’ve seen Dead Reckoning Part One. If you haven’t, and still choose to see the movie, be prepared for a little confusion, but an explosive movie from start to finish.
Grade: B+