Courtesy of Paramount Footage
For practically 40 years, Tom Cruise has risked life and limb to promote a couple of bucks’ value of film tickets. He’s sprinted by way of metropolis streets, leapt from skyscrapers, HALO-jumped from 25,000 ft, and clung to the aspect of a aircraft because it took off, all within the title of pure spectacle. Now, at 63, Cruise offers it every thing he’s bought one final time in “Mission: Unattainable – The Last Reckoning,” a typically bloated however undeniably thrilling send-off that will not match the perfection of “Rogue Nation” or “Fallout,” however nonetheless delivers a jaw-dropping high-wire act that proves each the sturdiness of the franchise and the unrelenting dedication of its star.
In “The Last Reckoning,” Cruise appears to stare down his personal mortality, or at the least wink knowingly at it. The world is getting ready to collapse (once more), and solely Ethan Hunt can cease it. Director Christopher McQuarrie makes use of this international disaster as each a ticking-clock narrative and a meta-commentary on the state of flicks themselves. Synthetic intelligence is the villain this time, a digital god enjoying puppet grasp, and it’s not laborious to learn the movie as a battle cry in opposition to the erosion of human artistry. Cruise, in fact, is cinema’s final true daredevil, and McQuarrie offers him a correct stage to remind us why.
Sure, this installment leans heavier on plot than previous entries, however that’s not a weak spot. In truth, it offers the movie a pulse. The espionage is dense, the stakes really feel pressing, and the tone leans nearer to Brian De Palma’s unique “Mission: Unattainable” than to the extra explosive entries that adopted. Beneath the globe-trotting and death-defying stunts, there’s a narrative about belief, legacy, and a person who retains making an attempt to outrun the inevitable.
Selecting up the place “Lifeless Reckoning” left off, Ethan and his staff are nonetheless chasing the Entity, a rogue AI decided to regulate (or destroy) the world. The risk is summary, however the penalties are very actual. To cease it, Ethan assembles his crew: Luther (Ving Rhames), Benji (Simon Pegg), Grace (Hayley Atwell), and Paris (Pom Klementieff), together with a number of recent faces. The Entity can predict outcomes earlier than they occur, which suggests Hunt is consistently enjoying catch-up in opposition to a ghost with infinite attain.
The risk is the largest the IMF has ever confronted. Disinformation has fractured the media. Cults have risen. World chaos looms. In different phrases, simply one other day on the workplace. Alongside the way in which, standout supporting turns from Angela Bassett, Tramell Tillman (a standout), Janet McTeer, Holt McCallany, Hannah Waddingham, Nick Offerman, and Shea Whigham assist flesh out this worldwide disaster with grounded, human stakes.
That is McQuarrie’s fourth “Mission” movie, and he understands precisely why audiences preserve exhibiting up. Together with co-writer Erik Jendresen, he retains the exposition snappy, the momentum rolling, and the absurdity simply grounded sufficient to imagine. Positive, the dialogue may be preposterous, however that’s a part of the attraction. You’re not right here for realism. You’re right here to see what insanity Cruise will pull off subsequent and the movie doesn’t disappoint.
A lot has already been mentioned in regards to the mid-air biplane sequence involving a yellow Boeing B75N1 and sure, it’s completely bonkers. However don’t overlook the Sevastopol submarine set piece, the place Cruise is submerged underwater for practically 25 minutes in one of many tensest sequences the franchise has ever staged. These aren’t simply stunts, they’re acts of cinematic defiance.
“The Last Reckoning” additionally serves as a full-circle reflection of the franchise’s legacy. It’s loaded with callbacks, echoes, and emotional beats that nod to every thing Ethan Hunt has endured. At occasions, it performs like a best hits album. However Cruise earns the suitable to take a bow. He’s sweat, bled, and even damaged bones for these films, and you’ll really feel each second of it on display.
This isn’t simply blockbuster filmmaking, it’s a farewell tour. And whereas some followers could grumble in regards to the slower tempo or elevated concentrate on emotion over adrenaline, I discovered the quieter moments surprisingly highly effective. There’s a gravitas right here that provides weight to the chaos, and Cruise, typically neglected as an actor, reminds us that he can do extra than simply run and bounce.
Is that this actually the top? Most likely not. Studios don’t stroll away from billion-dollar franchises. They’re seemingly already eyeing somebody youthful (Glen Powell, your cue is coming) to guide this for the following era. However nobody will ever match what Cruise has executed right here, not only for this collection, however for films usually. If this actually is the final mission, he’s going out with a bang.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING opens in theaters Friday, Could twenty third.