Is this finally it?  After 8 movies and countless world-saving missions, is this the last roll of the dice for our hero Ethan Hunt?  You’d think so given star Tom Cruise is now 62 years old, the title refers to a “final” reckoning, and clips from prior movies are spread throughout which gives it a nostalgic, let’s-wrap-it-all up vibe.  The budget is a whopping $300-400 million USD which makes it one of the most expensive films of all time.  The producers are going out with the biggest bang possible!

The Final Reckoning serves as the second half of the 2023 release, Dead Reckoning (it will help considerably if you’ve seen it).  A self-aware computer virus known as “The Entity” has taken control of machinery across the globe.  It’s shutting down systems and spreading misinformation but worst of all, it has the capability of launching nuclear weapons which will obliterate the planet.  Hunt and his savvy Impossible Missions Force (IMF) team have roughly three days to stop the virus or else it’s the end of humankind.

Directed by Oscar winner Christopher McQuarrie, who made the last three movies, The Final Reckoning is to be lauded for its action.  There are two set pieces which stand out – one involving a sunken submarine, and a finale itself featuring two biplanes.  McQuarrie developed a knack for the genre given these scenes aren’t overcooked with heavy CGI and fast-paced editing.  Yeah, the situations are farcical, but we clearly understand what’s going on and the stakes involved.

I was less enamoured by the storyline.  Esai Morales (Ozark) returns as the central villain but he’s not particularly menacing nor clear with his taking-over-the-world plans.  I was similarly underwhelmed by the monotone U.S. Government cronies who have zero faith in Hunt (despite his success in the past) and are boringly one-sided with their opinions.  The film also leans a too heavily into the source material with stereotypical moments involving bombs, countdown clocks, and wire cutting.  Ethan Hunt takes considerable risks… any chance the screenwriters could do the same?

It’s rare to see a blockbuster released on a Saturday here in Australia (Thursday is standard) but the delay is due to the film’s gala screening slot at the Cannes Film Festival, currently underway on the French Riviera.  Clocking in at a too-long 170 minutes, The Final Reckoning is slow to start but ultimately finds it feet and develops into an engaging final chapter.