Mission Impossible - The Final Reckoning
Mission Impossible - The Final Reckoning is playing in theaters at the time of writing. Rated PG-13. Common Sense says 13+.
Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team of spies must find the source code of The Entity, a malicious all-powerful AI system that threatens the entire human race, before it destroys the entire world.
STORY: C-
Where’s the beef?
I’ve seen more conflict between two Buddhist monks at a Swedish all-you-can-eat buffet.
The search for the sunken submarine holding The Entity’s source code takes up most of the film’s runtime. Ethan and his team cross off plenty of thrilling, dangerous tasks along the way. But the two main villains (The Entity and the criminally underused Gabriel) disappear for the majority of the film.
The lack of direct conflict with a villain saps much of the story’s potential energy.
PEOPLE: A-
All hail our entertainer in Chief.
That’s actually an understatement. Tom Cruise is a million times more important to the movie biz than that. He’s our chief, president, prime minister, commander, governor, king, big boss man, el jefe supreme, and Sovereign Overlord of entertainment.
His latest death-defying stunt may be his most daring and impressive yet. We should all be grateful we’re alive at the same time as this mad man, watching him dazzle us in real time.
FILM NERD STUFF: D+
The narrative hops around more than a pack of jackrabbits at a high jump competition.
In an interview with director Christopher McQuarrie, he shares that the film was originally shot to be told non-linearly and then re-edited to be linear. I’m not sure it’s a smart idea to bring much attention to that.
The editing issues are apparent on the first watch (I did not read the interview until after seeing the film). The recurrent jumps in time never feel natural. They prevent the film from settling into a smooth rhythm.
ONE BIG LESSON: B
Lean into the fear.
No, this comment isn’t about Tom Cruise’s bonker-gobbing stunts (although it certainly does apply).
For The Entity’s nefarious plan to work, it’s counting on human nature’s tendency to react in ways that allow them to avoid their worst fears. And naturally, most of the human race plays right into its evil, virtual hands..
But not Ethan and his team. They realize in order to save the world they must instead do the thing that scares them most. At least it should scare them, because their plan seems - pardon the term - impossible to survive.
Very often we live our lives in avoidance of our fears. Yet very often, meeting our fears head on is what leads to growth and us meeting our full potential.
FINAL COMMENTS:
This movie reminds me of a very capable student who half asses it for the entire semester, finding themselves in danger of failing. But then the final project comes around, and they don’t just ace it. They turn in something brilliant, something you’ll be thinking about and telling all your friends about for the rest of the summer.
Its first two hours are arguably two of the franchise’s weakest. But all is forgiven once the final sublime sequence begins. If indeed this is the end, it’s tough to imagine a better send off for one of the greatest film franchises of all time.