REVIEW: ‘Mission Impossible’ saga mostly ends on high note

Just a few years after we said goodbye to Daniel Craig as James Bond, we close the chapter on another super spy who goes on missions for the United States.

The eighth, and seemingly final “Mission: Impossible,” takes place a couple months after the conclusion of the seventh installment. The AI defense system known as The Entity is infiltrating several nations’ nuclear programs and setting the stage for potential atomic disaster.

IMF Agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) has a key capable of opening a door to technology which could lead to the shut down of the Entity. However, many obstacles, from the villainous Gabriel Martinelli (Esai Morales) to his own government stand in the way of him and his team.

Films that act as a conclusion to a larger series often have a lot of pressure to perform well. They not only have to stand well on their own as an individual film, but properly serve as the culmination to everything that has happened to this point. “The Final Reckoning” manages to do both, if not without some stumbles along the way.

The film isn’t the strongest in the series, as it doesn’t live up to the heights of “Ghost Protocol” or “Rogue Nation,” mainly because of a few notable flaws. Let’s get into those first. To begin, it’s a film that’s far too long at nearly three hours. It’s understandable that the goal was to make this finale more epic, but at the end of the day, it’s still a single mission that is already in progress.

As a result, some of the picture, especially in the middle of the movie, can feel like filler. This is also true with a lot of the flashbacks that are added. They play on some nostalgia, which isn’t a huge problem, if not for tacking on to this overstretched runtime.

Another issue is the scenario enters some farfetched territory, with the threat of AI nearly reaching Skynet levels from “Terminator.” Obviously most “Mission: Impossible” movies and other spy flicks have exaggerated scenarios, but this pushes pretty deep into science fiction territory, so the suspension of disbelief gets close to breaking.

It also doesn’t help that the main villain, Gabriel, isn’t quite as memorable compared to previous big bads like Owen from “Mission III” or Solomon Lane in later installments. He’s made to be this huge threat, but just doesn’t carry the swagger or frightening menace of a great final villain.

So, with all that said, why does “The Final Reckoning” still mostly work? Well, it really plays up what has always made the series really enjoyable. Time spent with memorable characters who bring some personality and get into edge of your seat action set pieces.

There are some really grand moments of adventure featured in the film, with one standout being Hunt recovering a piece of tech from a sunken submarine. This had been built up since the start of the first film and the payoff is a suspenseful sequence.

So too is the final climactic section, with three intense situations happening concurrently. This includes a wild chase involving two prop planes. There’s a great deal of spectacle featured, providing the proper entertainment value.

Plus the team in the IMF is, like always, enjoyable to follow. Hunt has always been a great hero on screen because there’s some levity to the character while also being a serious, badass spy, which Cruise nails. Simon Pegg is once again reliable as the right-hand man Benji, as is Ving Rhames in the role of longtime co-spy Luther.   

Recent additions Grace (Hayley Atwell) and Paris (Pom Klementieff) are welcome newcomers to the team, too, particularly the latter. Paris is a really cool enemy-turned-ally, as she transitions from quiet, aggressive assassin to a selfless agent and friend.

Smaller appearances by Angela Bassett as the U.S. President, Nick Offerman as a general, Hannah Waddingham as a naval commander, Tramell Tillman as a submarine captain, and Shea Whignham as an intelligent agent round out the cast of characters nicely, as well.

“The Final Reckoning” isn’t the best “Mission: Impossible,” with some things working against it. But the elements that really make the series’ engine run are firing on all cylinders, carrying a film despite its flaws. Watching our IMF team take on these dangers still doesn’t feel old in this eighth and likely last installment. 3.65 out of 5.