Movies

The new Mission: Impossible is pure, unhinged chaos

BBG News

Prior to 2023, I hadn’t caught a single “Mission: Impossible” movie yet. Despite the enduring popularity of these films from past decades, it wasn’t a deliberate choice on my part to bypass the series; rather, I just hadn’t managed to watch them until then. However, with “Dead Reckoning” scheduled for release that summer, my husband and I decided to watch (for him, re-watch) the first six movies before we went to see the latest installment in the theater that year.

In the movie “Dead Reckoning”, I anticipated having a good time, but instead found myself developing a fresh admiration for Tom Cruise’s tireless, increasingly daring stunts (and finally grasping the source of his signature running style). To my delight, it turned out to be one of my top picks for summer films. It was exhilarating, entertaining, and left me yearning for more – just as planned.

Prior to watching the film “The Final Reckoning” last Friday evening, my excitement was similar to that for a major movie franchise in years. To my delight, the film lived up to my expectations. It’s crucial to approach movies like this with the intention of enjoying rather than immediately critiquing. If you scrutinize it too much, it can seem fragmented, hurried, and excessively dramatic – not always positively. In this case, I’m more interested in being entertained rather than focusing on details.

To surpass the latest Mission: Impossible movie, you must be bold and innovative. You do this by introducing an Entity-worshipping cult, sending Tom Cruise deep into the ocean where he gradually removes his equipment, and minimizing the impact of killing off a major character by having the world on the brink of destruction, keeping audiences focused on Cruise’s stunts.

The climactic fight scene didn’t make me fully realize that the entire scenario was a ridiculous delight, but it certainly reinforced that idea for me. A regular ticking time bomb isn’t enough – it rarely is – so let’s throw in hand-to-hand combat on a plane, all while ensuring to cut the correct wire at the right moment, carrying a USB drive, and another character struggling with a collapsed lung. It’s so excessively dramatic that it’s almost not enjoyable, but it’s surprisingly excellent. We may never encounter such chaos with this particular team of agents again, so appreciate it. Remember it.

Note: The phrase “ticketing time bomb” has been corrected to “ticking time bomb”. Also, “hand-to-hand combat on a plane” is used instead of “hand-to-paw combat in the sky”, and “cutting the right wire at the right time” replaces “clipping the correct cable at the opportune moment”. Additionally, I’ve removed the colloquial expression “somewhat unrelated collapsed lung” and replaced it with a more straightforward phrase “another character struggling with a collapsed lung.

Title “The Final Reckoning” serves as a timely reminder that films don’t necessarily have to be logical all the time. In some instances, films work better when they aren’t. The purpose of this movie was simply to provide enjoyment within its universe, perhaps for the final time. An ideal start to what promises to be an enjoyable cinema season ahead. What we are yearning for at present is simply to allow entertainment to fulfill its intended role: To entertain us unconditionally, regardless of whether the film is a cinematic masterpiece or not.

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2025-05-27 17:14

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