The “Mission: Impossible” movie franchise has been around since most of our readers have been alive!
Some may remember watching the action films as they came out in theatres; or, perhaps they remember a parent with a love of Tom Cruise and loud movies enjoying the films on VHS or DVD (and in recent years, streaming platforms.)
While some moviegoers consider “Mission: Impossible” a beloved series, others find it a not-so-great watch.
Expected to be the last in the “Mission: Impossible” series, the eighth installment — aptly titled “The Final Reckoning” — was a great theatre experience.
The movie opens with exposition in the form of a mission video from the president to Tom Cruise’s character, Ethan Hunt. We receive more exposition through a series of fast-paced scenes as Ethan tries to track down the whereabouts of Gabriel, the movie’s main antagonist.
The beginning sequences could be considered a bit jarring with how fast they move, but they deliver the necessary information in an easily digestible format to those who have not seen a “Mission: Impossible” movie, allowing them to quickly dive into the main plot.
“The Final Reckoning” follows Ethan on his journey to destroy the Entity that was released in the previous movie, tracking Gabriel to locate the Entity’s source code. In the process, Ethan makes new friends and enemies, finds love again, and defies death multiple times in the film’s almost three-hour runtime.
The movie does feature a lot of flashing lights; if you’re sensitive to those types of things, be careful while watching it.
“The Final Reckoning” has mixed ratings from fans and critics: 80% on Rotten Tomatoes (88% through its Popcornmeter), 7.4/10 on IMDb, and 67% on Metacritic. Meanwhile, 93% of Google users say they liked the movie.
Overall, it’s definitely a flick that avid followers of the “Mission: Impossible” franchise will enjoy, but it is enjoyable on its own — if you are, of course, into heavy action movies.
As a final installment to a long-running movie franchise — a 29-year-long one at that — “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” is a great send-off. The film embodies the heart-stopping action of the first movie that christened the series, while keeping us invested by following Ethan Hunt’s complicated and tragic life.
