“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” (2023)

Action

Running Time: 170 minutes

Written by: Christopher McQuarrie and Erik Jendresen

Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie

Featuring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Mariela Garriga and Henry Czerny

Luther Stickell: “Our lives are not defined by any one action. Our lives are the sum of our choices.”

A full, detailed review of Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning reveals a film that is both a thrilling spectacle and a frustratingly uneven conclusion to an era of the franchise. While it delivers on the series’ core promise of jaw-dropping, practical action, it struggles under the weight of its own ambition, suffering from a bloated runtime, a convoluted plot, and an overly serious tone.

The movie picks up directly where Dead Reckoning Part One left off, with Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team—Luther (Ving Rhames), Benji (Simon Pegg), and Grace (Hayley Atwell)—continuing their quest to destroy the malevolent AI known as The Entity. This time, the stakes are raised to a global, apocalyptic level, as The Entity threatens to take full control of the world’s nuclear arsenals. This “end of the world” premise, while timely and ambitious, is also where the film begins to lose its footing. The villainous AI is an abstract, antiseptic threat that lacks the tangible menace of past human antagonists, and its motivations are left deliberately vague. Its human proxy, Gabriel (Esai Morales), is less of a formidable foe than he was in the previous film, and the endless exposition dedicated to explaining The Entity’s capabilities often drags down the film’s pacing.

Where The Final Reckoning truly excels is in its action set pieces. Director Christopher McQuarrie and Tom Cruise, a partnership that has defined the modern era of the franchise, once again deliver on their promise of high-stakes, practical stunts. The film’s two main sequences are breathtaking. One takes place deep underwater, as Ethan navigates a claustrophobic, tense, and incredibly intricate mission to retrieve a key from a sunken submarine. This sequence is a masterclass in suspense. The other, an aerial ballet involving biplanes, is a thrilling, gravity-defying climax that showcases Cruise’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of action cinema. These moments are what the Mission: Impossible franchise is all about, and they are executed with a precision and a palpable sense of danger that can only come from real stunts.

However, the film’s narrative and character development are less successful. The nearly three-hour runtime feels long, with large portions dedicated to repetitive plot points and flashbacks that serve more as a “greatest hits” montage than as a meaningful way to tie the franchise together. The film attempts to be the “Endgame” of the series, but its efforts to connect to past films often feel like forced fan service. Characters from earlier movies are brought back with varying degrees of success, and the attempt to resolve long-standing plot threads, like the one involving Jim Phelps’ son, feels rushed and underdeveloped.

A major disappointment is the sidelining of the supporting cast. While Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg get their moments, they feel more like footnotes in Ethan Hunt’s final mission. The film becomes almost solely focused on Cruise, with his team relegated to filler scenes and side missions. This is a shame, as the ensemble dynamic has been a key strength of the franchise. New characters, like Captain Bledsoe (Tramell Tillman) from a US submarine, are impressive and steal their scenes, but their potential is not fully realized.

In the end, Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning is a mixed bag. It’s a visually stunning spectacle with some of the most impressive action sequences of the year, but it’s let down by a cluttered and over-sentimental script. While it delivers on the thrill of the impossible, it loses the fun and self-awareness that made the previous films so enjoyable. The movie is a testament to Tom Cruise’s enduring prowess as an action star, but as a potential farewell to the franchise, it falls short of the perfect landing many were hoping for. The door is left open for future missions, and one can only hope that if Ethan Hunt returns, he brings a leaner, more focused story with him.