Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning

There’s more than a strong argument that the Mission: Impossible series is one of the best franchises out there (counting those that have gone beyond just a trilogy.)

What’s more unusual and surprising about this is not just that it’s a TV adaptation that’s totally eclipsed its source material, but that it’s actually got stronger as it’s gone on.

That’s been helped, no end, by having a consistent cast and director in Christopher McQuarrie across these past few instalments and the strength of these most recent five films is quite incredible.

The (supposedly) last in the franchise: The Final Reckoning (interestingly changed from Dead Reckoning Part 2) sees this series out in style if, indeed, this is the last we’ll see of Ethan Hunt and co.

Even bigger, even bolder, even crazier and even longer this doesn’t change the rule book and you know exactly what to expect.

Sure, you go through the usual waffle of exposition and nonsense to try to explain the glorious action set pieces and, arguably, this plot takes things just that little bit too far but who really cares?

In some ways, the first half isn’t even a real film and often just plays as a highlights reel of other films in the series. It’s actually pretty bizarre and extraordinary for a film of this magnitude.

But, when those set pieces come and you’re sat in the biggest and loudest cinema screen you can it’s like McQuarrie and Cruise are on a mission to single-handedly ‘save the cinema.’

It’s so absorbing, enthralling, dangerous and real and filmed with such craft and skill that you will gawp, stare, 'ooh' and 'ahh' whether you’re a cynic or not.

And this is, ultimately, why this series of films are so good. They just ‘are’ the cinema experience. Built specifically to munch popcorn and boggle the eyes.

Maybe The Final Reckoning is the ‘worst’ of the most recent five but in other ways makes the rest seem quaint in comparison to its scale.

Blockbuster cinema at its very best, again. Mission accepted.

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