Well, people, the impossible has happened — Mission Impossible has finally reached its final reckoning… for now at least.
The Plot
The usual plot synopsis won't be able to capture everything that goes on in the film, but it's essentially the continuation of and conclusion to Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning. Ethan Hunt and the IMF squad (now with extra familiar faces!) are in a high-stakes race against The Entity — a rogue AI with a serious god complex.
This digital menace is basically Agent Smith's (the OG rogue AI of The Matrix fame) edgier cousin, hacking into nuclear systems and generally being a buzzkill for humanity.
(Source: Mission Impossible/X)
(Source: Mission Impossible/X)
The Feels
For a franchise-finale film, the movie does a shockingly good job at avoiding shock-value deaths. Instead, it serves up a surprisingly thoughtful buffet of themes — love, loss, loyalty and the greater good.
The IMF creed, "We live and die in the shadows, for those we hold close, and for those we never meet," makes a recurring appearance, really drilling home the gang's indispensability.
Beloved side characters pop up to give attendance, while some close their arcs with this film. And when it comes to hitting an audience square in the feels, the Mission Impossible theme does it like nothing else does. No notes, for those four notes.
(Source: Mission Impossible/X)
(Source: Mission Impossible/X)
The Nitpicks
There may be some room for critique. For instance, Hollywood's America-saves-the-world-again complex is alive and well. And are Mr Hunt's special set of skills, still, truly only unique to him? Realistically, no.
But logical sense and artsy excellence are not what the film was going for. What this film was looking to deliver, it has, and it has in spades.
(Source: Mission Impossible/X)
(Source: Mission Impossible/X)
The Stunts
A friend noted during the interval: "Following 'Top Gun', Tom Cruise has been the leading hero in an action movie for nearly four decades now. That has got to be some kind of a record.”
And as a parting gift for die-hard fans of the franchise, Tom Cruise has cranked his stunt game all the way up. If you thought Fallout or Dead Reckoning pushed the envelope with the number of stunts that can be packed into a movie, The Final Reckoning has ripped the envelope to shreds and set it on fire.
We're talking intricately choreographed fights that will make you grimace, lengthy underwater scenes that will have you feeling short of breath and aerial stunts that are bound to make you squirm in your seat. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to buckle up and go for the ride the movie takes you on.
(Source: Mission Impossible/X)
(Source: Mission Impossible/X)
Final Verdict
Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning is every bit the masala-filled, action-packed, nostalgic, emotional and visually stunning bang for your buck you're hoping for it to be.
Stuffed to the brim with gimmicks, much fun is promised and delivered. This one is a love letter to fans, a middle finger to logic and proof that Tom Cruise will never stop running.
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