Ethan Hunt is the LIVING embodiment of Destiny (final reckoning opinions)

I was a little worried going into Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning because although I had worked hard to avoid spoilers, I still managed to catch a glimmer of mixed responses from people that had seen the film before me. As you may have established from my previous blog post, I am a big fan of the franchise and so the glimmer of responses I had seen made me a little nervous. Luckily, those opinions were wrong. Obviously everyone is entitled to their own opinion but when they're about the living embodiment of destiny, Ethan Hunt, sometimes they just don't get it.

As always, I am going to take the spoiler free route for this review and I am doing this because as of writing, I actually don't know many people that have gone to see the film, which if anything really reiterates what I said in the last blog, that for some reason, this incredibly prominent franchise doesn't necessarily have that same marketability with it's audience as you might expect. It's a household name with incredibly famous moments, with lots of them going on to being replicated by other films, but there's still a little bit of a disconnect for audiences. There are a lot of people out there that enjoy the Mission Impossible films (the franchise has made over £4 billion from a £1.5 billion budget) but fandoms haven't engaged with the films in the same way as they have with their Marvels and Star Wars.

Having now seen Final Reckoning, this film feels like an attempt by Tom Cruise (Ethan Hunt and President of Movies) and Christopher McQuarrie (Director) to try and change that. It's loving created in a way that highlights the importance of the cinema experience, whilst also reiterating to audiences just how many stand out moments that they have enjoyed in the franchise over the years. The films have always been action packed with dramatic standout set pieces at the forefront but Final Reckoning creates a fuller experience for the audience than your traditional viewing of a Mission Impossible film by weaving characters, stories and moments from the previous films to enhance your overall love of the franchise and the very film you're watching. It is a love letter to film, and the last 30 years or so of Ethan Hunt. There are moments where it does feel a little bit self indulgent with how much it's offering flashbacks to previous films, but having watched all the previous films in the build up to watching Final Reckoning, I didn't feel like it took too much away from the viewing experience. If anything, I think it was a smart move. Not everyone will have seen all the films dating back to 1996, and the way this movie is created allows for fans of the franchise to tick off all the moments they expect to see in a film billed as a potential farewell to Ethan Hunt, but it also feels like it could easily be viewed by someone who hasn't seen these films before and they would still be hooked at what happens over the course of the run time.

If you're debating seeing this film but not sure, then I really would suggest going to see it on the big screen, especially for the final hour. It has some absolutely jaw dropping visuals that I just don't think will replicate in the same way in a living room and also Tom Cruise's commitment to trying to save the cinema experience is so clear in this film. If you are someone that likes cinema but has got used to the streaming service experience so don't go as much, please give this film a go in the cinema and see if it changes your mind, because when cinema works, cinema works and it is a magical experience.

Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning - 5 stars.

I had so much fun watching it.

the living embodiment of destiny and his team