Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning: A Surprisingly Weak Finale Bogged Down by Exposition (4K/Blu-ray)

The Film:

When last we saw Ethan Hunt and his close-knit team of allies in "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, Part 1," they were attempting to stop a computer program known as "The Entity" from taking over the world and potentially destroying it, with Ethan eventually getting his hands on the key needed to get at the program's source code and leaving us on quite the cliffhanger. Despite being a little on the verbose side, with it over-explaining its somewhat weaker-than-usual storyline, it managed to be a decent entry that balanced this out with a fair amount of gripping action sequences, including a finale on a train that was quite breathtaking.

Now we come to the awkwardly retitled follow-up, "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning," which is purported to be the final entry in the series that has been running strong for nearly 30 years. Will director/co-screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie and star Tom Cruise be able to send this franchise off with the epic conclusion that it deserves, or will this nearly-three-hour finale run out of steam before it's able to cross the finish line.

The film opens two months after Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) was able to obtain the key to The Entity's source code, which is aboard the downed submarine "Sevastopol." He receives a message from President Erika Sloane (Angela Bassett) informing him that The Entity has been taking control of nuclear systems around the world and that an entire cult has sprung up around its activities. She orders him to turn over the key, but he refuses and continues to go after The Entity's former proxy, Gabriel (Esai Morales). However, before he does, he pays a visit to Luther (Ving Rhames), who has finished working on the "Poison Pill," a program that can be used against The Entity.

In an unfortunate twist, Gabriel ends up capturing Ethan and Grace (Hayley Atwell), demanding that the former recover a device from the sunken sub that would allow him to control the rogue program. Luckily the two are able to escape, with Ethan eventually putting together an insanely complex plan to retrieve the device himself anyway in the hopes of being able to trap The Entity for good, and subsequently saving the world from nuclear annihilation. With a ticking clock that gives them three days to carry out the plan, Ethan and his team set out on their final and most dangerous mission ever.

As mentioned at the end of my review for the previous entry, it was going to take a hell of a lot to top the intense action that they had come up with for it, especially when it came to the grand finale. The film had indeed been a little talkative throughout, a little more than we're used to seeing in this franchise, but the balance between exposition & action had ultimately made the outing worth it, even if it wasn't one of the stronger entries in the series.

As we come to "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning," the main hope was that, at the very least, that balance could be maintained, or better yet, reverted back to having brief explanations of the mission and then filling the rest of the time with incredible sequences of pulse-pounding excitement. However, when it comes to this final entry in the series, it's unfortunate to have to say that the balance has shifted in the wrong direction, with exposition dominating the runtime, and action subsequently taking a backseat to it.

In this nearly-three-hour outing, it feels as though every other scene has the characters sitting around and discussing the plot: what's going to happen, what could happen, and what they need to do to stop it, with far less of it consisting of them actually going out and doing something about it. It truly makes one yearn for the days when, as just said, we got a very short briefing on the latest crisis, followed by the team going out and stopping it, a formula that lead to some amazing action/stunts and very entertaining films. By making the main focus of this final entry the exposition, and having it be so light on the action element, it should come as no surprise that it becomes a little tedious throughout, especially with its over-extended runtime.

That's not to say that it's a bad plot, it's actually a pretty interesting one, but just like in the previous film, it's over-emphasized and over-explained, but to an even greater degree this time around. That said, even when it comes to the action, aside from the climactic plane sequence at the end, it feels as though they didn't put quite as much effort into it as before. There are some decent fights strewn throughout, but then you also have an over-extended submarine sequence that merely has Ethan wandering about the Sevastopol, which is naturally teetering on the edge of an underwater cliff, as he tries to get the device he needs. Basically, if viewers were hoping the series would go out with an exciting bang that features jaw-dropping sequences throughout, they'll likely find that it comes up rather short in that department.

Overall, it's hardly a terrible finale, but it does have some major issues that needed to be addressed. Audiences never came to these films to hear the plot discussed over and over again, but rather for the fun & entertainment of the exciting missions themselves. Obviously the balance never should've been allowed to tip so far in the wrong direction, for then you're merely testing the audience's patience as they wait around for what they truly came to see. In the end, "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" makes for an unfortunate disappointment for a film meant to conclude what had been such an incredible series, one that had offered a multitude of amazing thrills along the way. The potential was certainly there, but sadly this talented team of filmmakers simply couldn't deliver on it to give the franchise the worthy ending it deserved.

Video/Audio:

This edition of "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" comes with the film on both 4K (2160p, UHD) and Blu-ray (1080p, HD) in 2.39:1/1.90:1 transfers of outstanding quality. The picture is beautifully sharp & clear throughout the lengthy 169-minute duration of both formats, perfectly highlighting its gorgeous locations & action sequences. Likewise, the Dolby Atmos audio track is marvelous, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and music in excellent quality. Overall, Paramount has done a wonderful job in both departments for the film's physical debut.

Special Features:

Commentary by Director Christopher McQuarrie and Tom Cruise

Commentary by Director Christopher McQuarrie, Editor Eddie Hamilton, and First Assistant Director Mary Boulding

Taking Flight (6 Minutes)

To the Depths (3 Minutes)

To the North (4 Minutes)

Through the Mine (3 Minutes)

The Score (2 Minutes)

Deleted Footage Montage (10 Minutes)

Olifants River Canyon (9 Minutes)

Biplane Transfer (4 Minutes)

The film comes with lots of great extras, consisting of two informative commentary tracks and several featurettes, totaling about 40 minutes, that primarily take you behind the scenes of the film's action sequences. Any fan of the film looking to delve into its making will surely be pleased with the material included here.

Conclusion:

Christopher McQuarrie's "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" makes for a rather disappointing conclusion to the long-running series that was so well-known for delivering films filled with action-packed excitement. However, by tipping the balance heavily towards exposition, and coming up surprisingly light on action, this grand finale that should've made a stronger effort to top them all ends up being one of the weakest entries of the franchise.

Score: 3/5

Available on 4K/Blu-ray starting tomorrow.

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