When “The Final Reckoning” begins, we learn that the Entity has grown even more powerful, and nuclear annihilation seems all but inevitable. The President (Angela Bassett) is being pulled in multiple directions, but Ethan Hunt wants her to trust him one last time so he can save the day. As Ethan himself points out, it would be kind of insane to leave the fate of the world in his hands, what with all the mayhem he’s caused over the years. And yet, no one is more committed to their job than Ethan Hunt.
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These films have always been showcases for Cruise first and foremost, but “The Final Reckoning” presents Ethan Hunt as an almost Christlike figure; the ultimate savior of humanity itself, an incorruptible superman willing to punch God in the face if it means preventing the apocalypse. This should be fun, and yet, “The Final Reckoning” is too dour for its own good. Even when the stakes were high in previous entries, the “Mission” films were always fun — that was part of the charm! “The Final Reckoning,” however, is so humourless and serious, even while presenting entirely silly story beats, that it starts to feel like the thrill is gone.
Soon, Ethan and his team, which includes tech guru Benji (Simon Pegg) and thief-turned-agent Grace (Hayley Atwell) are racing against the clock on some fetch-quest adventures to grab hold of various MacGuffins, all in the name of stopping the Entity. We’re told time and time again that Ethan loves his team as if they’re family members, but “The Final Reckoning” splits them up for a huge chunk of the runtime, leaving Ethan on his own. This feels like a mistake, and while Atwell is a charming presence, the series can’t shake the biggest error it made in killing off Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust in the previous film. Ferguson’s character was arguably the best thing to happen to the franchise, and every time “The Final Reckoning” tries to force some big emotional beat between Ethan and Grace, I couldn’t help but think, “This would play a lot better if it was Ethan and Ilsa instead.” Alas.
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As “The Final Reckoning” moves from one location to the next, the film throws in new and old characters who make the most of what they’re given. Rolf Saxon returns William Donloe, the unlucky CIA analyst from the very first film who has a surprisingly emotional storyline here. The real standout, though, is “Severance” breakout Tramell Tillman, who steals every scene he has as a submarine captain who agrees to help Ethan. Tillman’s part is small, but gosh, he’s got such charisma that it’s a joy to watch him work. Put him in more movies, Hollywood. Please.
