Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, rated PG-13
****

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is the sequel to the 2023 film Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. It is the eighth, and possibly final film in the series, based on the television series created by Bruce Geller in 1966. The film was directed by Oscar nominee Christopher McQuarrie (Top Gun: Maverick), who also wrote the film with Emmy winner Erik Jendresen (Band of Brothers).
The first part of the film recaps where we left these characters in 2023’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning. My wife Tammy and I re-watched that film a few days before seeing the new film as this is a part-two. While it helps if you had seen the previous film, I don’t think it is absolutely necessary to enjoy the film. There are quite a few flashbacks to previous films in the series as well.  The first film featured the explosion of a Russian submarine. The submarine, now at the bottom of the Bering Sea, will come into play in this new film.
IMF agent Ethan Hunt has been in hiding and not responding to any communications. He is brought back in by President Sloane, played well by two-time Oscar nominee Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, What’s Love Got to Do With It), to stop The Entity, a rogue AI, and save the world.  The Entity is going to destroy the world in four days. Hunt, played by four-time Oscar nominee Tom Cruise (Top Gun: Maverick, Magnolia, Jerry Maguire, Born on the Fourth of July),  and his team aim to stop both The Entity and the villain Gabriel, played by Esai Morales, who seeks to control it. The first film told of a key in the form of a cross which unlocks the evil computer system’s “source code”. Another crucial part is in the submerged submarine.
All of the characters from the last film are back, including Hunt’s team members Luther, played by Emmy nominee Ving Rhames (Rosewood), Benji, played by Simon Pegg, Grace, played by Hayley Atwell (Captain American films), Paris, whose life Hunt spared in the first film, played by Pom Klementieff (Guardians of the Galaxy films), and Degas, played by Greg Tarzan Davis (Top Gun: Maverick). William Donloe, played by Rolf Saxon, a former CIA analyst, returns from 1996’s Mission: Impossible film, and plays a key role in the film.
Ted Lasso’s Hannah Waddingham, a Golden Globe nominee, is effective in a supporting role as Admiral Neely on an aircraft carrier, as is Severance’s Trammell Tillman, a Screen Actor Guild nominee, as  submarine Captain Bledsoe.
Despite a large number of characters, the overall plot of the film is rather simple. The Entity has infiltrated all electronic/digital devices, and is now taking over the biggest nuclear arsenals to kill the human race in four days. Ethan Hunt and his team need to stop Gabriel and “The Entity” from destroying mankind.
The two best extended sequences take place deep underwater and high in the air. The latter scene with Hunt and Gabriel flying planes is worth the price of admission. We saw the film in IMAX, and the action scenes were incredible.
The film was two hours and 49 minutes in length, the longest of the eight films. It includes plenty of action, violence, and chases as expected. Refreshingly, there is no sexuality and only minor adult language. The film takes us from London to Norwegian snowscapes to South Africa.
The musical score by Max Aruj and Alfie Godfrey added a lot to the film, and I always enjoy hearing Lalo Schifrin’s Mission Impossible theme song. Again, the IMAX sound added a lot to the music.
This could be the final film in the Mission: Impossible series. I hope not, as I’ve enjoyed them. This was an exciting and well-made film. It’s a perfect film to kick off the summer.