Review of Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning

Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, the second of a two-part story in the Mission: Impossible franchise, is a non-stop action scene-filled, epic, geographically global adventure — filmed everywhere from urban to the most extreme of environments, and on land, in water and in the air. It is arguably the best, and certainly the most exciting, Mission: Impossible film yet.

What really sets it head-and-shoulders above contemporary action genre, blockbuster films is its emphasis on practical stunts and effects throughout, as opposed to computer-generated stunts and special effects that can and often do defy belief. This emphasis on practical stunts and effects brings back to mind memories (supplemented by Wikipedia, thank you) of the 1966-1973 TV series that I, as a teenager, used to enjoy watching each week when it was first broadcast.

It was nearly a lifetime ago when one of the main, recurring practical effects was a self-destructing, smoking tape player that played a recorded description of each new mission, followed by this ominous warning from the U.S. government: “As always, should you or any of your IM force be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions.” Remember that? The cast, which changed over the years, included IMF team leader Mr. Phelps (Peter Graves from the second season onwards), Cinnamon Carter (played by Barbara Bain for three seasons), Barney Collier (Greg Morris), Willy Armitage (Peter Lupus) and, of course, Rollin Hand — the quintessential master of disguise (Martin Landau for three seasons, followed by Leonard Nimoy).

Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning propels the action, adventure and intrigue to heights never achieved before, through the use of truly life-threatening, practical, physical stunts performed by Tom Cruise himself, doing wing walking, being brutally slammed around on the wings and without even wearing a helmet — a superhuman feat of skill and courage! The practical Stearman biplane stunts that you see in the trailers took at least 1000 sorties over four and a half months to shoot — using purpose-built cameras, at up to 150-170 mph speeds and in freezing high-altitude (up to 10,000 feet) temperatures, in a successful effort to make sure that the stunts were physically possible and reasonably safe. Negative emotions including fear and stress must be kept to a minimum, or accidents will happen due to a lack of focus on the tasks at hand. Keeping very calm and communicating clearly are absolutely essential. Computer-generated special effects just do not look as real and believable.

The four heavily modified Stearman biplanes (two red and two yellow) were stripped and then rebuilt to perfection daily, just like Formula One cars are before a race.

A press release explains that “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoningwas shot using IMAX-certified digital camerasand includes over 45 minutes of IMAX’s exclusive 1.90:1 Expanded Aspect Ratio. Exclusively in IMAX theatres, sequences of Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning will visually expand to fill the screen, allowing fans to experience more picture than anywhere else. It was enhanced frame-by-frame using IMAX’s proprietary Digital Media Remastering (DMR) technology to provide unprecedented clarity, contrast and color, and includes a custom sound mix developed specifically for IMAX theatres.” You simply cannot fully reproduce this immersive experience of sight and sound at home.

“Featuring the most audacious action of the franchise – from history-making practical stunts and complex sequences to dynamic close-quarters tension – the intricate set pieces are an adrenaline-fueled spectacle designed for the unmatched scale of IMAX.”

“With the most audacious practical stunts of the franchise – including a harrowing action sequence shot at 8,000 feet in 140 mph winds with no CGI, and delivered in IMAX’s exclusive Expanded Aspect Ratio — the film raises the bar not just for the series, but for the entire action genre.”

Tom Cruise (now in his 60s, believe it or not!) launched the first of eight Mission: Impossible films in 1996 — which we are shown highlights of. Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt in a complex, intricately woven, epic story. Every one of his previous missions has led to this one. The fate of the entire world is in his and his IMF team members’ hands, as nations face The Entity — “a malevolent AI capable of achieving the extinction of Mankind.”

The only criticism that I have of this film is that at the advance screening that I watched, the audio was way too loud, to the point of distortion. That made it difficult to understand some of the dialog. Hopefully that was due to a setting made by the projectionist.

Tom Cruise wrote: “One of our favorite lines on these movies is always when someone says to us, ‘I bought the whole seat, and I only used the edge.’ It’s true. Watching the film was an exhausting but thoroughly rewarding experience. I highly recommend Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, and that you see it in an IMAX theater.

To see an extended Paramount Pictures trailer, visit the official website at: https://www.missionimpossible.com/home/.

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