The Mission: Impossible franchise is not known for Ethan Hunt’s believability. We know that Tom Cruise is barely a real man with the amount of stunts he can do but The Final Reckoning uses the suspension of our disbelief in a beautifully, thrilling way.
Since 1996, Ethan Hunt has been taking his missions and trying to be the best agent he could be to protect the world as we know it. And Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning posits the idea that all of that led to Ethan’s biggest mission yet. What The Final Reckoning asks of its audience is to really trust and believe that one man can do it all and with Cruise leading the charge, you do.
Much of what makes the Mission: Impossible franchise magical is the practical aspect to Cruise’s stunt work. You believe that Ethan Hunt can save the world because we’ve seen him do it and it has not looked like a CGI mess attempting the impossible. It’s literally Tom Cruise.
The Final Reckoning puts Christopher McQuarrie’s direction to the test with high stakes plane fights, water tricks, and balancing characters from Ethan Hunt’s past that you probably need a refresher on. Luckily, the film itself does a great job of reminding you why each new addition to the storyline is important.
The use of flashbacks helps keep you engaged with McQuarrie and Erik Jendresen’s script but what makes The Final Reckoning a masterclass in filmmaking boils down to Cruise’s ability to play Ethan Hunt so effortlessly at this point. More than that, what always makes the Mission: Impossible movies so much fun to watch and engage with hinges on our love of Ethan Hunt’s team.
Ethan Hunt couldn’t do it without his family
The beauty of the Mission: Impossible franchise is that you love Ethan because of the people around him. Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) is my favorite character and I care for Ethan because he does so completely. We see in real time in The Final Reckoning how he has influence over people. Paris (Pom Klementieff) believes in what Ethan promises her because he saved her in Dead Reckoning but she also fits effortless in with his team. As does Greg Tarzan Davis’ Degas.
And it would be so easy to make this the Ethan Hunt show but from the beginning with Ving Rhames’ Luther, Ethan has always made sure to keep those closest to him safe. It’s how he gets into the messes he finds himself in. The women he loves, Grace (Hayley Atwell) in this case, often make Ethan come to terms with his own limitations and who he is willing to sacrifice everything for. The Final Reckoning puts Ethan’s loyalty and love to the test and he always makes sure the ones he cares about the most are safe and that’s why I love him.
There are moments that go on for too long but they’re so impressive that you ignore the ticking clock. Ethan Hunt did not need to be in a submarine rolling around with water shifting sides for nearly 20 minutes but then you think about how amazing it is that Cruise and McQuarrie pulled something like that off and you know that it is worth every second.
So do yourself and Tom Cruise a favor and see Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning on the biggest screen possible. You won’t regret it.
(featured image: Paramount Pictures)
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