Reviewing Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning (MI:TFR) via some Q & A…

Does Tom Cruise do his own stunts? 

Yes. So we are told. The new film’s money shot is an aerial chase involving century old technology… biplanes, like the one Lindy flew to Paris 98 years ago. My concern while watching the scene was not the welfare of Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) but instead… how did they do it? How much time was spent digitally erasing the tethers? Where were the cameras placed on the planes and copters and drones? Did Tom realize he looked like Moe Howard when the wind pushed his hair down over his face?

Is it necessary to have seen 2023’s Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning (Part One) (MI:DR) to enjoy the new movie? 

No. There’s a voice over at the beginning of MI:TFR that goes over much of the activity and set up from the earlier film. And MI:DR is available for streaming on Prime Video if you’re interested. Watching it can help provide context for the new film. (My review of MI:DR from July 2023: https://davidcraigmovies.com/2023/07/11/mission-impossible-dead-reckoning-part-one/)

Are there other amazing stunts beside the biplane chase? 

Oh, yes! The submarine dive which comes in the middle of the movie offers big thrills and tension as Ethan goes into the sunken Russian sub to retrieve a vital element of “the entity.” His ingenuity as he escapes via a torpedo tube and the clever way the scene is resolved are true highlights of MI:TFR.

What is “the entity?” 

It’s a rogue software program that threatens to destroy everything that is online throughout the world. Or selectively, if a person or a nation has control of the entity. MI:DR’s plot was pursuing the two pieces of a key that can unlock the entity. MI:TFR’s plot is gaining access to the other elements that can enable or disable the entity.

Is there actually a server farm that contains all of humanity’s knowledge hidden deep underground somewhere? 

Who knows? But the image of the one seen is MI:TFR may provide a clue to digital storage capabilities that Amazon and Microsoft (and others in foreign lands) have now and are constantly expanding to accommodate AI.

Could a woman be our president? A Black woman? 

Well, maybe. (One such real life person did get 75 million votes last November.) Angela Bassett brings an even-tempered level of gravitas to her role as POTUS in MI:TFR. 

Can Nick Offerman play a heavy? 

Yes. He’s a general, one of the president’s key advisers. The question of destroying a U.S. city in a weird defensive strategy is debated among the POTUS and her inner circle. 

Do the other members of the Impossible Mission Force play important roles in aiding Ethan in his mission? 

You betcha! Benji (Simon Pegg) and Luther (Ving Rames) provide the hacking and other assistance needed at key junctures. The newest member of the IMF, Grace (Hayley Atwell), demonstrates physical abilities beyond picking pockets in a violent fight scene early in the film.

Is Gabriel (Esai Morales) a capable villain? 

Yes, if you like your villains handsome and swarthy with a bit of charm. 

Anybody else of note in the cast? 

Yes. Henry Czerny is back as CIA chief Kittridge. Also supporting are Hannah Waddington, Janet McTier and, as the curious character Paris, Pom Klementieff.

Is MI:TFR too long? 

No. Not at all. Except for a few sections of exposition, the film moves quickly from locale to locale, from task to task, from peril to peril. Just under two hours and fifty minutes.

Should I get the large popcorn? 

Absolutely, yes. The mondo bucket size.

When will Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning be available on streaming platforms?

In a few months. But do yourself a favor and see this one in a theater. IMAX if you can swing it.