Movie Review: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE - THE FINAL RECKONING

The Mission Impossible film franchise has, incredibly, lasted almost 30 years with 8, action-packed films following IMF Agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and crew doing the impossible on their missions.

It has lasted this long due to the fact that these are films made for the big screen with gigantic, death-defying action scenes and stunts with many good looking actors lighting up the screen with plots that could generously be described as vague and some are (to be honest) incomprehensible.

The (possibly) last film in this series MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: THE FINAL RECKONING follows this same model and, for the most part, it works over it’s overly long 2 hour and 49 minute run time.

Starring, of course, Cruise (the man who save the multiplex), MI8 (as I will call it going forward) is once again Co-Written and Directed by Christopher McQuarrie - his 4th time writing and directing this franchise (he was a “ghostwriter” on a 5th MI film). And these 2 have this scenario down pat, so the final product is a familiar, comfortable bit of high action “comfort food” that uses the plot as an excuse to jump from action scene to action scene.

And that is what one expects in these films and MI8 delivers on this promise. The action scenes are everything you would want in these types of films, putting Mr. Cruise in unbelievable, real scenarios that are edited by Director McQuarrie in such a way to keep audience members on the edges of their seats.

McQuarrie (who also was the writer of the classic 1995 thriller THE USUAL SUSPECTS) puts together…ahem…the Usual Suspects for this one, giving Cruise assistance from such MI stalwarts as Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Pom Klementieff & Greg Tarzan Davis - all back from the previous films. They populate this film with cameos from some other recognizable faces (like Nick Offerman, Hannah Waddingham, “that guy” actor Holt McCallany and Janet McTeer) while also bringing back characters from previous films - like Angela Bassett and Shea Wigham. All of whom “bring it” enough to deliver some pretty stiff dialogue with a straight face.

Special notice needs to be made of Tramell Tillman (TV’s SEVERANCE) as the Captain of a submarine who almost steals the film with his performance. Keep an eye on this guy.

This being the “Final” (?) film of a franchise - and a pick-up of a cliff hanger from the previous films - there are a bunch of loose ends that get tied up…including some loose ends that go all the way back to the first MI film…loose ends that you had no idea that they needed to be tied up. Though some felt unnecessary and “fan service”, but one would have to expect it from the final(?) film of an 8 film franchise.

So…your Mission (if you choose to accept it) is to find this film in the best Cinema you can find (IMAX, if there is one near you) and sit back and enjoy the stunts of this film - and don’t think to much about the plot.

Letter Grade: B+

7 1/2 stars (out of10) and you can take that to theBank(ofMarquis)

*This review will self-destruct in 5 seconds*