The
Final
Reckoning,
with
all
its
startling
ambition
and
scope,
puts
a
dazzling
display
of
stunt-work
by
Tom
Cruise,
applauds
Mayur
Sanap.
Oh,
the
joy
of
watching
Mission
Impossible
films!
There’s
boisterous
fun
to
be
had
in
these
films
which
is
essentially
a
vanity
project
of
the
highest
order
for
its
marquee
star
Tom
Cruise
who
once
admittedly
said:
‘It
all
comes
down
to
one
thing:
The
audience.’
The
opening
credit
slate
of
the
latest
entrant,
The
Final
Reckoning,
says,
‘A
Tom
Cruise
Production’
which
highlights
the
singular
appeal
of
this
franchise,
much
like
the
iconic
circular
stamp
in
S
S
Rajamouli’s
movies
that
acknowledges
his
unique
identity.
For
this
long-enduring,
consistently
dazzling
action
franchise,
it
is
Tom
Cruise
who
we
really
want
to
see,
as
he
shoots,
fights,
bleeds,
runs
and
performs
death-defying
stunts.
And
he
has
been
doing
this
for
nearly
30
years!
Fans
of
Mission
Impossible
know
that
the
other
half
of
its
glorious
title
is
never
about
the
implausibility
of
the
task
at
hand
for
our
pièce
de
résistance
action
star.
It
is
perhaps
to
hit
the
same
brilliant
heights
and
scope
in
its
ambition
that
makes
this
such
a
prolific
action
series
of
its
time.
We
are
now
eight
films
deep
into
the
Ethan
Hunt
saga
and
The
Final
Reckoning,
which
is
essentially
the
second
half
of
The
Dead
Reckoning
Part
One,
offers
a
more
personal
look
of
its
hero
while
teasing
you
with
a
this-is-the-end
feeling.
As
the
continuation
of
earlier
part,
we
jump
right
in
where
the
prequel
ended.
The
all-knowing,
super-powerful
AI
programme
‘The
Entity’
is
about
to
unleash
global
terror.
Gabriel
(Esai
Morales)
is
on
a
hunt
to
grab
the
missing
key
to
gain
control
over
its
powers.
It
is
up
to
Ethan
Hunt
and
his
specialised
team
to
stop
the
evil
plan
before
it
leads
to
global
devastation.
The
story
is
yet
again
straight-forward
and
simple
but
can
be
overwhelming
if
you
are
not
familiar
with
the
earlier
parts,
especially
the
original
trilogy
and
of
course,
The
Dead
Reckoning.
From
a
few
old
characters
re-entering
the
picture
to
some
heartfelt
flashbacks,
this
one
pays
homage
to
its
predecessors
with
plenty
of
hat-tips
while
meshing
together
the
adventures
of
Ethan
Hunt.
It
feels
like
a
nostalgia
bet
that
many
modern
franchise
movies
are
prone
to
but
works
because
Director
Christopher
McQuarrie,
who
has
also
written
the
story,
doesn’t
render
it
to
superfluous
melodrama
and
treats
the
story
with
matter-of-factness.
Even
the
usual
scenes
of
wry
humour
(reserved
for
Simon
Pegg’s
scene-stealing
character
of
the
franchise,
Benji)
are
muted
as
the
overall
tone
remains
rather
sombre
with
grim
undercurrents.
At
one
point,
we
see
vivid
imagery
of
nuclear
war,
including
scenes
of
rockets
launching
and
the
Earth
engulfed
in
flames,
similar
to
a
symbolic
event
that
Cillian
Murphy’s
Oppenheimer
imagines
in
the
climax
of
the
Christopher
Nolan
film.
But
besides
its
big,
daunting
ideas,
The
Final
Reckoning
manages
to
make
the
mission
personal
to
Ethan
as
the
film
finds
ways
to
focus
on
his
emotional
relationships.
The
chemistry
between
Cruise
and
Hayley
Atwell’s
luminous
Grace
is
especially
smouldering.
At
one
point,
I
almost
expected
him
to
break
into
Fast
&
Furious
line
‘I
don’t
have
friends,
I
got
family’
in
a
true
Dominic
Toretto
style.
But,
of
course,
The
Final
Reckoning
plays
with
this
standard
trope
with
a
lot
more
flair.
The
only
grip
is
the
lack
of
any
formidable
villain
as
Esai
Morales’
baddie
doesn’t
get
much
scope
despite
showing
promise
in
the
earlier
part.
As
the
faceless
enemy,
we
keep
hearing
how
mysterious
and
dangerous
the
AI
device
is
as
characters
sometimes
over-explain
the
situation
in
a
very
annoying
Tenet-esque
exposition
dump
that
just
goes
on
for
way
too
long.
These
talky
scenes
add
dramatic
heft
to
the
performances
of
the
actors
but
the
plot
is
inherently
not
that
deep
or
complex,
so
what’s
the
need
of
this?
The
film
truly
soars
during
the
action
set-pieces,
which
is
among
its
signature
pleasures.
The
Final
Reckoning,
with
all
its
startling
ambition
and
scope,
puts
a
dazzling
display
of
stunt-work
by
Tom
Cruise.
He
is
the
man
who
climbed
the
Burj
Khalifa,
biked
off
cliffs,
flown
helicopters
and
fighter
jets,
and
this
time,
we
see
him
gasping
for
breath
underwater
and
then
dangling
from
a
plane
high
in
the
sky.
The
episode
in
the
submarine
is
especially
so
terrific
that
you
can’t
help
being
swept
along
by
it,
as
you
feel
the
excitement
pounding
throughout.
You
have
to
see
it
to
believe
it!
Finally,
The
Final
Reckoning
comes
with
a
reminder
that
like
all
good
things
perhaps
our
time
with
Ethan
Hunt
is
also
coming
to
a
close.
But
it’s
not
done
until
Tom
Cruise
says
it’s
done.
Mission:
Impossible
–
The
Final
Reckoning
Review
Rediff
Rating:
