'Mission' accomplished
'Final Reckoning' brings the franchise to a satisfying close
"Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" is the last installment of the "Mission: Impossible" franchise ... as of right now.
The film stars Tom Cruise -- again -- as Ethan Hunt. This time, Hunt must gather his team to make a final stand against the Entity, a rouge AI intelligence set on destrying the world in order to achieve what it considers "becoming god."
Recovering from a pair of heavy losses (both from the previous movie and this one), Ethan must consider what he is willing to sacrifice to save the world -- again.
The "Mission: Impossible" franchise has always been the best-of-the-best in terms of edge-of-your-seat action, and this film is no exception. Cruise is at his best here as Mr. Hunt, as he plays the character with such desperateness, you really feel how much he's lost and how tired the character is.
Simon Pegg ("Shawn of The Dead") is the heart of the team, and Haley Atwell ("Captain America: The First Avenger") is great as Grace. She has some strong scenes with Cruise and their chemistry is off the charts.
Pom Klementieff ("Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2") steals the show as the assassin-turned-ally Paris. Her scenes are intense and she has great chemistry with the team.
Director Christopher McQuarrie manages to -- again -- step it up. The directing is dynamic and eye-boggling. He has a talent for capturing high-octane action and invoking the feelings of dread and stress, all while keeping the movie balanced with some funny moments.
All that said, the movie is a bit disappointing and doesn't reach the heights of some of the previous movies. Some of the action sequences or suspenseful scenes drag on for too long and some of the editing was sloppy.
I also felt that reusing the theme from "Dead Reckoning" was really lazy: The introduction music has historically changed to make each film stand on its own.
I also felt like they squeeze in a lot of references to the first and third movie, which as a fan, I didn't mind. But for those who haven't seen those films in a bit, some of the plot could be confusing.
Overall, this is still a solid entry in the franchise and a satisfying conclusion to Ethan's eight-film-long journey. I'd give "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" an 8.5/10.
