Lalo Schifrin recently passed, so I thought this might be a good time to discuss the latest 2 films of the Mission Impossible series. As you know, Schifrin was the composer who gave us the scores for some great films such as Rush Hour, Sudden Impact, and The Dead Pool (Clint Eastwood with a snarky attitude. Not Ryan Reynolds with a snarky attitude). But above all, he gave us the iconic theme song dum-dum-dum dum dum that has not only been used in the Tom Cruise films, but also the cold war era TV series where it originated. The song has been so popular over the years that variants of it have been used in films, ranging from Wayne’s World to Shrek. And so, we’ve all been indoctrinated to Mission: Impossible as early as our elementary school days. (COMMENT: Yes, I actually saw Wayne’s World in theaters at the age of 5…didn’t understand a majority of what was said in the film, but I was there!) The Mission: Impossible film series consists of eight films starring Tom Cruise. Who has been called, most recently the last movie star. I’m not sure if I totally agree with that statement, but I will agree that he is one of the greats. The films, known for consistently upping the ante on stunts as each film progresses, give the audience consistently gripping storylines with Tom Cruise proving he can definitely act. Cruise’s character is the suave and daring Ethan Hunt, a master of disguise, tactician, team leader, and deadly spy. The films start with Hunt as a single team member searching for a mole within his organization, then follows him as a team leader taking on rogue agents, arms dealers, and others hell-bent on starting World War III. During these missions, Hunt is constantly pushed to his limits physically and psychologically, often putting him in a position of having to weigh the importance of one life to many.
The finale of the series is a two-parter. Not that we haven’t had our fair share of those lately…It’s kind of gotten to the point where filmmakers are working the system by splitting their films into 2 in order to guarantee a multi-film deal. The Avengers Infinity War, Wicked, Dune, the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic, etc. The refreshing thing about the Mission: Impossible Reckoning films is that Dead Reckoning doesn’t end on a cliffhanger. It resolves the mission at hand in the film, and sets the trajectory for the team’s final outing. Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning pits Ethan Hunt and his team against a very popular villain in action films, Artificial Intelligence. (COMMENT: After Sky Net, The Matrix, Ultron, VIKI, Replicants, Joshua (aka the WOPR), etc….I have no idea why anyone would feel the need to go head to head with a computer.) Dead Reckoning introduces a learning computer that was developed to be the ultimate war fighting strategist, known as The Entity. The Entity grows and makes its own determinations about mankind, and has full access to the internet. (COMMENT: God where was this thing when I was in college?!) Most generally, films that tackle such antagonists prove the I.T. textbook as gospel with a “Turn the machine off and back on” resolution. Instead, Dead Reckoning offers a more complicated scenario that requires a new team member with simple pick pocketing skills. It pushes the limits of the Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg nerd statuses. All in all, the story was well written and captivating.
But wait….Mission: Impossible is known for death defying stunt work. How does Tom Cruise get his adrenaline fix by chasing a stationary piece of technology? Simple…while the main villain is The Entity, by extension other dangerous people are vying for control of The Entity. Much like in current society, countries and villainous individuals are chasing at the chance to play God with A.I.. Unlike the nerds researching A.I. for their government, Google, Microsoft, Apple, etc., the villainous nerds in Dead Reckoning would even make John McClane and Martin Riggs break a sweat in a fight. Dead Reckoning had a lot to live up to as far as stunt work goes, and it didn’t disappoint. Tom Cruise still gets to keep his status as certifiably nuts. (COMMENT: Sir, I mean this with nothing but love. May I please have your autograph? A photo op? A job?) In its predecessor, Mission: Impossible Fallout, Cruise performed a HALO jump after only a few days of hardcore training in skydiving, and some death-defying work on helicopters, such as flying them in an insanely choreographed mid-air chase! But Dead Reckoning includes the truly insane of all insane stunts. Cruise rides a motorcycle off a cliff to perform a high-speed base jump! (COMMENT: No A.I., no CGI, no Jackie Chan. Tom Cruise was crazy enough to do this himself!). Dead Reckoning definitely delivers the goods and starts the final storyline for Tom Cruise’s beloved franchise with a straight adrenaline shot.
Dead Reckoning was originally marketed as “Dead Reckoning Part One”, but in 2024 it was decided the title for the last film would be changed to “The Final Reckoning”. (COMMENT: Although I generally think once you tag a title with a “Part One” you should follow through, I actually like the title change. Even if my library is plagued with that dangling “Part One” on the hard copy case…) The title of The Final Reckoning has everyone wondering if it actually concludes the series. In the sense of how we know it, I’d say yes. However, can it take an exciting turn? Absolutely! It doesn’t leave Hunt’s character on a note where he can’t be brought back. However, I’d say the likelihood of him coming back is not likely. The film does allude to others continuing though. And to be brutally honest, if they do this right, the series can continue in a style that would resemble the original series that the films are loosely based on.
What about the stuntwork?! Yea…I can see where people are thinking “Check Cruise into the looney bin. Clearly he has a freakin’ death wish!”. The Final Reckoning finds him into hanging off of Biplanes! (COMMENT: Yes Biplanes….plural….as in more than one! Apparently, hanging off of a cargo plane in the fifth film (Rogue Nation), and hanging off of helicopters in the sixth film (Fallout) didn’t give Mr. Cruise enough of a taste of hypoxia.) As if that wasn’t enough, Cruise also scored a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for most times a parachute caught on fire! (COMMENT: Thank you for calling the local nut house. Please hold for the next representative to take your call.)
The latest film not only concludes the series well, it also ties the films together quite well without feeling like a rush job. In some degree, Final Reckoning works as a sort of decryption key for the series. Until the “Reckonings”, each film seemed sort unrelated to each other. But Dead Reckoning reintroduces characters that go all the way back to the first film, Final Reckoning continues to bring characters back, but also revisits events that took place in the prior films through flashbacks and cleverly placed lines in the script. Is it absolutely necessary to binge the whole series? No. Really just Dead Reckoning. It’s highly recommended that you see all of the previous films to gain the full effect and catch all of the little homages and easter eggs in the Reckoning films, but the films do a good job of explaining the context to everything they reference.
All in all, the Mission: Impossible series is for lovers of action, espionage, and intrigue. Think of Mission: Impossible as kind of the American answer to James Bond. Ethan Hunt’s character is very suave, and let’s face it….There’s always some femme fatale that is flirting with him. The villains are very diabolical, and some are even more memorable than most of 007’s nemeses. The films contain tongue and cheek humor, cool cars that often get wrecked, and even more fun gadgets tailored for every mission. All of the films in the series are fun, and anybody who watches them usually agree with that statement. Each film carries a different tune and story. Allowing them to work as a cohesive series or stand alone. The Final two films serve as a fitting conclusion to the series as we know it, but they certainly leave the door open for more adventures with the remaining team members.
One reflection
dude, I could never quite grasp the dynamics b/t female characters and Ethan Hunt in these films. You made me laugh with the “femme fatale” comment because the connection between Else and Ethan never clicked for me! Were they just colleagues? Or was she a love interest? We never saw any direct indication on screen they were an item. And the whole introduction of Grace just threw me for a loop, felt like Ethan was trading in a car for a newer model. I’ll fault the writers for this and for killing off Elsa. They lost me with that move, she was the reason I came back for the final few films and her tortured spy/reluctant mole turns felt dynamic. Perhaps I’m just a Rebecca Ferguson junkie….