Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

Tom Cruise’s concluding mission as Ethan Hunt represents a technical triumph, yet suffers from narrative shortcomings.

The profound impact that, arguably, the last true movie star, Tom Cruise, and director Christopher McQuarrie have had on the action genre over the past decade is immense. With Mission: Impossible – Fallout, the series achieved an almost operatic height of physical performance and tension. Expectations for the finale, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (previously Dead Reckoning Part Two), were consequently astronomical. As the eighth film now arrives on 4K Ultra HD, one is left with mixed feelings as the credits roll. As a home cinema product, this is a reference release of the highest order, but as the culmination of a 30-year saga, it unfortunately feels as though its narrative momentum falters halfway through.

The Film: A Protracted Pursuit of an Elusive Threat

While the first part, Dead Reckoning, successfully established “The Entity” – the omnipotent AI – as a menacing presence on the horizon, The Final Reckoning struggles to effectively render the threat tangible. Viewers spend almost three hours observing Ethan Hunt and his team pursuing encryption keys and MacGuffins, while overly didactic exposition regarding the enemy’s danger is delivered without genuinely conveying its peril to the audience.

The problem is twofold. Firstly, the AI, in essence, proves to be an uninspired antagonist. Witnessing characters stare terrified at screens or discuss algorithms lacks the visceral tension that Philip Seymour Hoffman‘s sadism in M:I III or Henry Cavill‘s raw power in Fallout offered. Secondly, the antagonist Gabriel (Esai Morales) has been reduced to a one-dimensional caricature. His motivation is ambiguous, and he lacks the gravitas required to fulfill the role as Hunt’s ultimate nemesis.

The script also exhibits symptoms of “franchise maintenance” syndrome. The film appears more concerned with tying up loose ends and paying homage to its own legacy than with delivering a coherent story. While the series and Cruise’s enduring involvement over 30 years are commendable, it becomes challenging for viewers to recall the names of secondary characters introduced in 1996. Attempting to connect all narrative threads feels contrived and disjointed. The ending, which should have delivered a profound emotional impact, instead concludes with an underwhelming resolution – safe, predictable, and disappointingly adequate for a series renowned for pushing boundaries.

The Picture in 4K with Dolby Vision: A Visual Revelation

If the script falters, the picture quality eclipses all competition. Paramount’s 4K release is truly spectacular. The film is largely shot on 35mm film and has been mastered in true 4K, providing an organic and vibrant image with a fine, natural grain that never detracts but only enhances texture.   

The implementation of Dolby Vision is exemplary. The scenes within the sunken submarine Sevastopol serve as a rigorous test of a display’s black level performance. Here, Hunt navigates through dark, claustrophobic passages where the sole light source is often a flashlight or emergency equipment diodes. The contrast between the absolute darkness and the sharp light points is impeccable, without the slightest hint of “banding” or grayish shadows.    

An important detail for enthusiasts is that the release retains the film’s Variable Aspect Ratio. During the major action sequences – specifically the opening submarine pursuit and the vertiginous biplane finale – the picture expands from 2.39:1 to 1.90:1 (IMAX Enhanced). This maximizes screen utilization and provides a noticeable increase in immersion and vertical scale. The transitions are seamless and effectively draw the viewer into a spectacle that Hollywood continues to excel at producing today.    

The Sound: Reference Class

The soundtrack, delivered in Dolby Atmos (with a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 core), is aggressive, precise, and completely enveloping. This is a mix that is uncompromising in its delivery.

Right from the start, the subwoofer is put through a rigorous test. The dull rumble of the submarine hull being compressed by deep-sea pressure is viscerally felt. However, it is in the higher registers that the Atmos mix truly shines. During the biplane finale (a Boeing Stearman), the height channels are used extensively to position the sound of the wind and engine above the listener’s head. When the plane dives, the soundscape sweeps through the room with surgical precision. Despite the chaos, the dialogue is perfectly mixed in the center channel and never gets drowned out by the effects.    

Bonus Features

The release is abundant in bonus features, a welcome aspect for cinephiles in the age of streaming. In addition to commentary tracks on the 4K disc (where Cruise and McQuarrie provide extensive insights into the filmmaking process), a separate Blu-ray disc dedicated to behind-the-scenes material is included, similar to Gladiator II.

Some of the highlights include:

• Taking Flight: An insightful examination of how the filmmakers mounted cameras on the wing of an 80-year-old biplane.
• To The Depths: Documents the physical strain involved in the submarine sequences.
• Isolated Score Track: A rare bonus that allows viewers to experience the film with only Lorne Balfe’s (and team’s) music, which effectively underscores the music’s pivotal role in conveying tension.    

Summary

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning on 4K UHD is a release that serves as an exemplary demonstration of home cinema capabilities, rather than for its profound narrative impact. As a film, it is an underwhelming conclusion to a consistently strong film series, weighed down by a sprawling and unfocused story, compounded by a runtime that strains patience. But as a technical product, it is unimpeachable. The picture is crisp and dynamic, and the sound is a visceral experience. For the collector, this is an essential acquisition, though its narrative impact may prove as transient as the aftertaste of popcorn.

SF Studios provided review copies for this evaluation. Material providers have no editorial influence on our assessments; we always write independently, focusing on our readers and consumers.