Back in 2023, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1 released in cinemas to a very positive response from critics and audiences alike continuing on the series' penchant for gripping action with death defying stunts performed almost solely by the franchise's lead - in every sense of the word - Tom Cruise. Though it wore the fact it wasn't a complete finale very much on its sleeve, the film did have a more or less complete story even if it did indeed lead more into its follow up than any other film in the franchise, with the film's villains, the Entity and Gabriel (Esai Morales) being very much still at large - albeit with the latter given a big setback having had the key to the doomed submarine, the Sevastopol, and the Entity's weakness taken by Cruise's Ethan Hunt.
Unfortunately for the franchise, Dead Reckoning Part 1 did not perform fantastically at the box office. Many theroised this was due to the film advertising that it wouldn't have a definitive ending, putting off large swathes of casual viewers. With that in mind and for fear that possibly the same fate was destined for its follow up, the film's title was changed to have the "Part 1" removed and the sequel's name was changed to The Final Reckoning. The title then doubling down on the fact that these films were intended as the final entries in the franchise.
The removal of the Part 2 from The Final Reckoning's title doesn't change the fact that it is very much a second part. The opening ten minutes of the film serve as a glorified "previously on..." segment which spoon feeds you the plot of the previous film through a soundscape of quotes from Dead Reckoning and then a wooden mission briefing from Angela Bassett's now US President Erika Sloane to Ethan Hunt which sets up a world on the brink of nuclear war thanks to the Entity's hold on information and the world's nuclear arsenals but also informs the audience of every faction's motivations for the story going forward.
As the film continues, it becomes clear that the writers had an addiction to exposition as Final Reckoning's script almost compulsively recalls plot points from previous entries in the franchise as well as its predecessor with the first hour or so of the film being mostly dedicated to recaps and explaining the plot of almost all of the Mission: Impossibles to date. This feat is admirable given the film's final nature, it's trying its hardest to be not only the conclusion of the Reckoning Duology but the whole Mission: Impossible series as a whole. However, this comes at the expense of the story of this particular film, which, had it been more standalone, could have been more intelligent in its approach and tackled more mature themes of finality being an almost Logan-esque saga for Ethan Hunt. Instead, the story that remains isn't set very much apart from the stories of any of the other films and slows down its first act to almost a grinding halt in an effort to appeal to casual viewers who aren't as familiar with the franchise. What's more, the film's ending isn't even that final.
However, Mission: Impossible is very much the thinking man's The Fast and The Furious in the sense that you don't leave these films remembering the stories. When the film finally stops ramming the plot down viewers' throats and starts to actually tell the story people have come to see, the action comes thick and fast. The well advertised bi-plane chase is the film's absolute highlight and leaves the audience completely breathless with its wholeheartedly death-defying nature, without sounding hyperbolic, it is a feat that can only truly be properly experienced on the biggest screen possible. Though it's not the only scene to write home about with an extended dialogue free sequence in a sunken submarine being a masterwork in wordless storytelling and cinematic tension that's similarly hard to breathe through. The smaller sets of choreography are great too minus a frustratingly directed sequence in the first act that shows Ethan Hunt and Hayley Atwell's Grace escaping from capture filmed entirely looking at Atwell's reactions rather than Cruise's actions.
Additionally, once the film gets through its first act, the story improves with the increase in action. While not the most original story to grace the big screens, the film tackles classic themes of distrust and nuclear and technological anxiety which is more than pertinent in our uncertain times. The heights of the action are accompanied with heights in emotion and tension that keep audiences on their toes just as much as the spectacular stunts. Though it must be noted that the Entity becomes a more vague threat than in the previous part and Gabriel loses a lot of his menace and mystery as well, giving this franchise - that has its fair share of compelling villains - a send off with a pair of its weakest antagonists to date.
If you can get past Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning's egregiously plodding first act and its very weak script then you'll be treated to one of the best cinematic experiences of the decade so far with Tom Cruise's commitment to almost killing himself in every film being carried on in exceptional form. The film's latter half very much makes up for a disappointing start but it doesn't take away from the fact that there was a much better film to be made to end this legendary franchise.
★★★1/2
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning releases in UK cinemas on May 21st
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