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Among the individuals on Earth who are likely to enjoy “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” even before watching it, Tom Cruise and I top the list. To put it mildly, the last four movies in this series rank among my all-time favorites. Kicking off my glowing, five-star review of “Dead Reckoning,” I hailed the franchise as a cinematic marvel. However, with a heavy heart, I must admit…the magic has come to an end.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” fails to deliver an emotional send-off as anticipated, instead offering lengthy explanations, stilted dialogues, and an overly complex narrative that overshadows its intended impact. It’s surprisingly short on action scenes and appears diminished in scale. The enchantment that breathed new life into a flagging franchise following three movies seems to be absent.

Impossible – The Final Reckoning” aspires to create a film similar to “Endgame” for its franchise, but unlike how “Endgame” assumes viewers have followed the Marvel Cinematic Universe closely, “The Final Reckoning” seems to doubt the audience’s knowledge about the series. Instead of flowing smoothly like “Endgame”, this movie includes excessive flashbacks that slow down the pace. Unlike “Endgame”, which appreciated fans who had invested in everything leading up to it, “The Final Reckoning” appears to focus only on viewers who are not familiar with Ethan Hunt or the entire series, almost as if it’s a quick summary of the series rather than a standalone film. This could be a disappointing experience for those who have been dedicated fans of the franchise.

Although getting rid of the persistent, bothersome flashbacks wouldn’t address another issue, it’s worth noting that the movie’s numerous references to earlier films are a mix of successful and not-so-successful ones. The enjoyment of these connections will hinge on whether they seem earned or feel like forced fan service. I won’t reveal the specific connections to past films, but let me tell you, they triggered a wide range of feelings in me. Some left me exclaiming, “That’s brilliant!”, while others had me muttering, “Come on now.” The most significant one elicited a rather unenthusiastic response, something along the lines of, “I suppose that’s acceptable.

When you’re stuck in a tedious situation filled with long, uneventful explanations, such as a lengthy briefing scene, why not challenge yourself to pick out which parts I found engaging and which ones left me uninterested? Trust me, this game will be more exciting than listening to information that you likely already know.

Apart from its main problems, “The Final Reckoning” falls short in several aspects. It’s not as humorous as its predecessors, which were known for their humor. Also missing is the gripping urgency and fast pace that characterized the previous action-packed films. Unfortunately, this script doesn’t measure up to the high standards set by the earlier ones. There are occasional glimpses of what made the last four movies exceptional, but these instances are too few to compensate for the film’s fundamental issues.

Unlike its four previous films, this movie lacks the visual appeal it had. What’s more disappointing is that it seems rather insignificant compared to the grandeur of past installments. The expansive quality that set this series apart seems largely absent, which could be the main flaw in The Final Reckoning. It’s a far cry from the heart-pounding action sequences like dives into colossal water tanks or high-speed chases across vast desert storms. Instead of making Tom Cruise’s rooftop runs feel monumental and breathtaking, this movie fails to capture that epic essence.

The majority of this film unfolds within dimly lit passages, work spaces (spanning structures on land, vessels, and submarines), and caverns. Contrasting starkly with a series that experienced a turnaround by featuring Cruise precariously dangling from the world’s tallest building.

Instead of feeling thrilled, it was a bit concerning that during the long-awaited biplane scene in the movie, I experienced relief rather than excitement. To be honest, I was simply glad to be outdoors again!

The fantastic news is that the relief quickly morphed into exhilaration. The plane sequence in this film is simply breathtaking, reminiscent of ‘Mission: Impossible’ at its peak. It’s one of two awe-inspiring action sequences in the movie. The other unfolds within an abandoned submarine, a location this movie seemed predestined to explore. It feels like a blend of horror and disaster films embedded within an action movie. I can’t fathom how director Christopher McQuarrie managed to film it. Similar to the plane sequence, these are the parts of the movie I eagerly look forward to rewatching repeatedly.

Although the movie offers some entertaining battles and a lot of Tom Cruise sprinting, none of the action scenes leave a lasting impression. Similarly, the Entity, despite being stronger and having followers, seems less menacing in this installment. The Entity appears to be on the brink of annihilating all life on Earth, but it mostly comes across as a clumsy digital character. However, Esai Morales delivers an enjoyable performance as the film’s secondary antagonist, Gabriel. He portrays a more maniacal, frantic, and attention-grabbing character this time around.

In The Final Reckoning, although none of the actors deliver poor performances, the script restricts most from delivering remarkable scenes. However, there are exceptions such as Henry Czerny’s character, Eugene Kittridge, who stands out particularly when he speaks. Tramell Tillman from Severance also leaves a lasting impression in every scene he appears in. Lastly, Ving Rhames provides the film with the only genuine emotional depth through his character Luther, as The Final Reckoning aims to evoke strong emotions in its audience.

As a die-hard fan, I can’t help but feel that if anyone on this planet should have connected with this movie, it would have been me! The trailers stirred up deep emotions within me. However, the film itself left me feeling aggravated and underwhelmed for most of its excessively lengthy 2 hours and 45 minutes. It seems as though they needed every moment to do: a) cram in an overwhelming number of intricate plotlines and b) repeatedly explain them ad nauseam. And again. And again…

My fondness for the Mission: Impossible film series skyrocketed when it astonishingly transformed from being average to absolutely exceptional in my eyes, which I still consider as an extraordinary achievement in Hollywood. However, I must admit that after four outstanding installments, a less impressive movie unfortunately brought this remarkable streak to an end.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning ⭐ (2.5 of 5)

This film races into theaters on May 23.

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2025-05-22 18:39