Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning is the eighth and final film in the Mission Impossible franchise and is directed by Christopher McQuarrie.
By: Francesco DeFiore
I’ve never watched any of the Mission Impossible Films except for the previous one that was released, which I wasn’t the biggest fan of. I knew this was going to be the last film of the franchise, so I was curious to see what all the hype was about. I went into this film blind and with the lowest expectations but wow did I leave the theater blown away. I was so surprised with how good this film was. It is easily one of the best films of the year so far and a massive improvement from the previous film.
Everybody in this film gave fantastic performances but the best was obviously Tom Cruise. He gave such an outstanding and stellar performance in the film. He was so riveting and really dedicated to this role that he has been in for so many years. I have to give props to him because he pulled off some of the most insane stunts I have ever seen. His performance really proved that he is one of the greatest actors ever to grace Hollywood and the entire industry. Haylee Atwell, the co-lead of the film, was also another standout. She gave such an amazing performance and her chemistry with Tom Cruise was so good. I also really enjoyed both Simon Pegg and Pom Klementieff’s performances as well. Everybody in the film had their moment to shine.
Hands down the action sequences were the best part of the film, they were spectacular. Easily some of the greatest action sequences that I have ever seen put to film. The fight choreography was amazing and the stunt work was top notch. The action sequences were so good that I was at the edge of my seat the entire time. Cruise went through insane feats that made me shake the whole time I watched, he made the action perfect in the film. This is one of the greatest action movies that I have ever seen.
I also really loved the way this movie looked. The visuals and the cinematography were all very stunning and the movie just looked beautiful. I was in awe with how good it looked on the big screen, especially in imax. The entire time I was enthralled and fully immersed in the film.
Now the movie isn’t perfect by any means. The story was fine but nothing groundbreaking. It was pretty generic in my opinion. I enjoyed the singular story of the film for what it was but I wasn’t fully connected to the overarching narrative that they have been telling through the previous films of the franchise since I haven’t watched them.
There were a lot of callbacks and references to the previous films but it didn’t really mean anything to me nor did it make me enjoy the film more, I just didn’t care that much. Maybe if I had watched the previous films I would enjoy the movie significantly more than I already did but I didn’t, which is unfortunate. Even though I didn’t watch the previous films, the movie was able to stand on its own and was amazing.
Lastly I felt like the villains in this movie were pretty underwhelming. They were built up as huge threats but it didn’t feel like they were, nor were they even interesting in the least.
Overall Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning is such a thrill ride. It’s an amazing movie, one of the best films of the year and one of the greatest action movies that I have ever seen. I gave this movie 4 1⁄2 /5 stars on letterboxd. I would really recommend this film especially if you’re a die hard action fan like me.
