'Final Reckoning' review: Tom Cruise returns as cinema's relentless savior
What's the story
Great individuals are of two kinds: those who focus solely on their excellence, and those who lift others as they rise. Tom Cruise is the latter. He's taken on the massive responsibility of saving cinema, and one endeavor is the Mission: Impossible series. Cruise continues the effort in its eighth part, The Final Reckoning, released on Saturday. Does he succeed? Here's our spoiler-free review.
Plot
You don't really need to remember 'M:I-7' in great detail
Originally meant to be Dead Reckoning Part II, Final Reckoning picks up right from where the seventh movie left us. But in case you haven't watched Dead Reckoning (ruefully titled Part I), don't fret, because writer-director Christopher McQuarrie takes great care to remind you of every important thing that has happened. Moreover, many franchise favorite scenes and characters come together for one "last" bang.
#1
Here's the summary
And, for the off-chance that you're an M:I virgin, choosing to start the series with Movie #8, then here's a logline for you. Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is a special agent who leads insane (impossible) missions, often landing them by not following orders. This time, he and his team must destroy The Entity—all-consuming AI supervillain—in a matter of days to save the world. Easy, right?
#2
Hunt has a realistic enemy, a reliable team
The Entity was introduced in the seventh film, and we're told the only way to defeat it is by staying united—humans v/s rogue machines. Returning faces, Benji (Simon Pegg), Paris (Pom Klementieff), and Grace (Haley Atwell) help Hunt. Obviously, in a world where hundreds are losing their sustenance to AI daily, the movie sets a realistic enemy. But the underlying plotlines get too complicated.
#3
A lot of things are hard to believe
When every living soul on the planet stands the risk of getting nuked, of course, the stakes are high. Hunt & co. need a "Podkova" to attach to a "Poison Pill" to destroy the Entity's "original source code." They hang from helicopters and wrestle with submarines, scale Norway to South Africa as the clock ticks. None of it means anything, yet you feel everything.
#4
Does it all add up?
While there are ludicrous moments, the emotional quotient remains high throughout the film. You would have your adrenaline running wild at various scenes (pre-interval action sequence takes the cream), your eyes would well up in tense situations, and you would put all of your trust in the 62-year-old buff man, who's not short of a superhero. So, what's not to love?
#5
Issue with Grace's character
Grace (Atwell) gets the second-most screen space after Cruise, but that's not too flattering. At the Glamour Women of the Year Awards, actor Reese Witherspoon had famously begged Hollywood writers to pen better female characters, who don't turn to the "hero" during the climax and ask with a helpless gaze: "What do we do now?" Sadly, years later, writers haven't listened.
#6
A pivotal character does little other than fawning over 'hero'
Grace, more Hunt's love interest and less a talented pickpocket, spends much of the film wide-eyed and gasping "Ethan!"—even with universe-saving tasks ticking down to milliseconds. Sure, everyone in the Mission universe reveres Hunt—and we get why!—but Grace gets dealt the weakest cards. It's good if you don't notice it, but for those who do, here's to waiting for a change.
#7
Undoubtedly a theater experience; Verdict: 3.5/5
Despite a few slow patches and narrative slips, Final Reckoning delivers plenty, enough to earn applause from even a sparse morning crowd in the multiplex I was in. And the reason is clear: Tom Cruise. Cinema's tireless savior shines once more, and chances are, he'll return when we need him again. Absolutely worth your time.