Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

Mission Impossible : Final Reckoning

This film is a beautiful send off to the franchise despite its pacing issues at times. As a fan of the brand that is Mission Impossible I think Christopher McuQurrie and Tom Cruise nailed it at bringing Ethan Hunt and all the characters we’ve come to love to a fitting end and putting itself firmly in the discussion for greatest action franchise of all time. This film may not be as good as previous entries but it is a damn solid Farewell that sticks the landing in terms of a great story that keeps you engaged the whole way through, big action set pieces that will amaze you and it is a thrill ride which is why we enjoy these films for constantly giving us fantastic stories wrapped with outstanding action sequences that never fails to blow the audience away. 

Firstly, The flaws I want to just say now and get out of the way as I did throughly enjoy this film but their area few things I would have changed. This film has a runtime being 10 minutes short of three hours in length and not that I have a issue with lengthy runtimes not at all but I did feel the first hour of the film did take a while to pick up in terms of story as the second and third act of the film was way more well paced in terms of the story and set pieces they set up but it did take a while for me to get into the rhythm of the story which never happens with these film. That being said I get why they take their time setting up the overarching story as this film is a culmination of 30 years of these films with Tom Cruise and is in many ways a celebration of what Tom has brought to the screen with this franchise I would just say if they runtime at least in the first hour was more tightly done I wouldn’t feel it drag a bit aside from that I would say that is my only gripe with the film. The film is also the only one that is directly connected to the previous film as most Mission films you could watch in any order and enjoy them this film does not do any recapping from the previous film it picks up exactly where the last one left off and starts just running with the plot. So it assumes you have seen the last film so don’t go into this film thinking you can just watch it out of order as you will get lost very quickly if you do that. Now The film gives us so much to look at from how smart and cunning this technological threat the entity is and how terrifying of a concept it is. Now when the last film came out Dead Reckoning it was released in 2023 and we hadn’t got to a point where artificial intelligence was so heavily at the forefront like it is now. Sure the concept of the entity still is a terrifying thought to have for sure as that film showed the dangerous of AI and what happens if it went to far and I still by the fact that it is the most realistic and terrifying antagonist I saw in a film that year for how terrifyingly accurate the horrors of that could become a reality if proper care and caution is not taken into account. Now in this entry we see that it wants global domination and to take over the world and have access to government and military documentation to make decisions that run the world on a much bigger scale then we previously thought. Ethan and his team is thrown into the situation where they have to go back to basics in terms of taking down this enemy since it is heavily relied on tech they have to find ways to go about their plans without the use of it or very limited use as the Entity can track their every move. So at any time it could try to disrupt or find them which is horrifying and the way they use accelerated technology as the enemy once again and fleshing out the sheer dangers of a system that is so smartly coded is bone chilling scary some may say it is a far fetched concept but in todays social climate it isn’t that far from the truth. Tom Cruise and the whole creative team involved all contribute greatly to this final outing as these characters as they are able to wrap up the cliffhanger we were left on back in 2023 and give a satisfying conclusion to that plot line while also bringing to close the entire franchise and giving longtime fans of the series a tremendous emotionally high that pays off in a great way Mission Impossible : The Final Reckoning goes full throttle with it’s incredible action set pieces and at times bloated but still fun story that sticks it’s landing giving a final film that demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible in order to properly soak in the fun of this final act Tom Cruise has in store. The sheer way the tone and exaction of this film is done Never left me feeling disappointed and actually had me swept up emotionally multiple times for how well the emotional beats of the story played out to fans who have been with the franchise for many years now. Tom Cruise and everyone involved in bringing this film to the big screen deserve massive credit as a film of this caliber and magnitude is not easy to make as we don’t get many action films like this and I can never say Tom does not think of the audience he knows how to thrill a crowd and bring people in to his films and the way he went about giving this finale of his beloved franchise was amazingly well captured. 

Secondly,  The performances were great but the one person that walks away with the film once again is none other than mr Tom Cruise himself! Now he plays a man who has lost so much and is trying to just save the world one last time while also keeping whoever is left near him alive as he can’t deal with more heartache and Tom gives one of his best outings of the spy himself in such a emotionally charged way you cannot look away from. All the other actors did a good job but it is the work of Tom Cruise that has you captivated from start to finish! 

Lastly, Mission Impossible : The Final Reckoning is a tremendous farewell to these characters we have come to love and has am emotional heartbeat that is felt genuinely throughout the entire film giving thanks to the films that came before it as well as tying up loose ends of the previous film while giving great action set pieces that are shown on such a large scale you are in constant awe of how Tom Cruise and the team involved are able to pull them off the sheer stunt work and big scale action is amazingly well presented sure this film may not be perfect and has a bit of flaws but it goes out on a bang and establishes itself as one of the greatest action franchises to ever be put to screen. Overall Mission Impossible : The Final Reckoning is one hell of a ride you will want to see on the biggest screen you can with the best sound quality I recommend people who love previous entires of this film check it out you will love every moment of this film. 

This film centres around where we last saw Ethan and his MI team on taking down the technological threat that is the entity and how to keep himself and his team out of harms way without loosing anyone else and saving the world all at the same time

Rated PG - 13 : Bloody Images|Action|Brief Language|Sequences of Strong Violence

Tom Cruise : Tom once again gives another sensational performance as Ethan Hunt in the final outing of this film in a way that is among some of the best work he has given In the franchise! Now he has pretty much perfected how to play this character to a T so the question is what can he bring to this performance that we haven’t yet seen. Now here is a man that is very much so running out of time in terms of his one luck as he has lost more people lately and he used to be a man that would get in and out without a scratch and keep his team intact. Due to his lifetime commitment to being a field agent we see the sacrifices over the years he has made to secure the safety of the people he has lost out on the normalcy of a family, a loving relationship and he knows he is not made for a simple life as the moment he tired to he put his wife in danger and knew she would be better off without him in her life if he wanted to keep her safe his best bet would be to love her from afar. Here we see him way more emotionally strung out and at the ends of his ropes as sure he is still cunning and thinks 8 steps ahead of most people but you can see the scars weighing on him that he is knowing that he is much older now and wants to just end whatever this is and just exist in the shadows the way he always has. Tom Cruise’s Ethan has always been a person to unfortunately let his emotions get the best of him and think more with his heart and not his brain at times which is what gets him in some truly heartbreaking situations that has sadly costed lives in the process. That being said he knows that his field operatives has become his family in so many ways. His ability to have any sort of normal family will never happen so he turned his co workers he works with on his missions in a way to become the family he chose and he refuses to let them be in any sort of threat and that is when he will throw logic and any sort of normal decision making right out the window if it means to ensure their safety. Tom Cruise brings a tenderness and emotionality to Ethan Hunt this time around that was tapped into when doing Dead Reckoning but is on full display here as we can see that he has sacrificed and lost so much he just wants to put whatever is in his way to bed and live a quiet life. You can see the emotional hardship within his eyes and the shakiness in his voice that he has lost to much and he has no more emptiness in his heart for anything more to loose and so you can see that tough sadness wash over his face that he is devastated by loss but will stop at nothing to make sure that whatever it takes he will will be on the right side of this situation. Tom Cruise as I have already expressed as perfected his way of tackling this character so he knows what works best to make the role shine onscreen as we have seen him as a friend, a family man and as a co worker so this time he is mostly merging all aspects of his life we have seen him explore individually on full display. Tom wants to rid of the ghosts haunting him from his past but also get out before his luck runs out as he has devoted his life to this line of work and he knows that it is a thankless job but he signed up for it many years ago knowing that. Tom shows this aged spy still has tricks up his sleeve despite people thinking they have him all figured out he still knows how to turn the cards on them and always be ahead of them and that is what we love to see Tom showcase as this character and he does so again with such flair and great emotional depth that will touch your heart. Tom Cruise once again shows after all these years he still finds parts of the heart of this character to showcase that we had yet to see and he does it in such a phenomenal way. Tom Cruise soars in what I think is one of his best presentations of the character we have seen and he saved the best for last with a truly sensational turn as Ethan Hunt. 

Christopher McQuarrie : Christopher once again gives another truly terrific turn at the directors chair for the final outing of the Mission Franchise! McQuarrie has been behind the helm of these films for over 10 years now ever since the work on Rogue nation he has taken over directional duties full time and it has been shown that he is the right person to take creative control of this beloved franchise.  He has known exactly what to inject into this franchise that is needed to keep it fresh and exciting. The way he goes about his direction and sheer style is a perfect marriage between the material and the filmmaker involved as it seems like Christopher McQuarrie is a perfect fit for steering these films in the right direction. Here he explores what happens with Ethan Hunt at the end of his ropes as we have seen him in dire situations before but his friends are becoming smaller and smaller and he is getting older and the wear and tear on him is more evident then ever. The way Christopher made the film feel like a massive love letter to the franchise and also a big thank you to the fans for supporting their fans from the beginning all the way to the end was a fantastic touch as the film puts easter eggs and callbacks to the previous films from Mission 3 all the way to the first film and they at times have plot points from other mission films that do play a part in the arc of this film. The action is once again as spectacular as ever I don’t know how Christopher and Tom come up with these set pieces but they somehow are able to top the previous ones and go bigger and bolder and they always go places with the set pieces that are in the realm of reality it does not feel to overblown like the furious franchise where that is basically a fantasy. The Mission Films have prided themselves on remaining rooted in reality and also doing the stunts practically and you can see the blood sweat and tears the whole creative team put into it to go places With the audience they have yet to go to before while also turning up the dial with each set piece I think it is done so masterfully and incredibly well constructed. Christopher McQuarrie may not have replicated the genius of what I think was his peak in terms of direction that is Fallout but this film is still a damn good time and a lot of the credit is due to the creatives involved that worked tirelessly to make this film as fun and as thrilling as possible. The film is about finishing unfinished business while also making sure the small group of people he loves stays protected their are people lost but at the same time that is the price people in his line of work sadly get used too but does not mean it hurts any less and the emotionality of the franchise coming to a close is felt in each frame and Christopher captured amazing performances from his entire cast on their final outings as these characters while also bringing the franchise to new heights in terms of style we had yet to see it go and keep the story the central focus of the film the entire time never sacrificing plot for style. Christopher again brings another great amount of thrills and excitement to the franchise that no there director has brought to such thrilling highs like he has on this franchise and he brings it to s fitting close with an outstanding finale that will have people cheering McQuarrie knocked it out of the park. I cannot wait to see what Tom does with him moving forward in terms of other projects as they seem to really understand each other truly solid direction.