Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

It’s been two years, and now we face the conclusion of Ethan Hunt’s most impossible mission - finding a fitting franchise conclusion. Now in his 60s, Tom Cruise can do just about anything he wants. This film is a testament to the magic Movie Star persona he has cultivated for forty years. Big on stunts and insane set pieces, the film remains focused on action and spycraft, but stumbles out of the gate with far too much needless exposition. 

When we last saw Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt in action, he’d successfully stopped the plans of Gabriel (Esai Morales) and recovered the key to stop the diabolical AI known as the Entity. Now, the world is in chaos as this social media algorithm from hell has taken over all of cyberspace and has begun systematically controlling the world’s nuclear arsenal, one country at a time. Without any time to spare, Ethan, Benji (Simon Pegg), Grace (Haley Atwell), Degas (Greg Tarzan Davis), and the former assassin Paris (Pom Klementieff) must race against time to shut off the Entity. But no M:I outing is ever that simple. Especially when Gabriel has designs of his own to wrestle the Entity back under his control. 

Bluntly put, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning feels like a course correction after the still awkwardly titled Dead Reckoning Part One. For starters, not being entirely shot during COVID shutdown protocols, the film actually feels like a real Mission: Impossible film again, with people that are actually in the same room together. More of an asset, this film actually has an end in sight. I hate the false promise of credits in the middle of a two-part story. It bothered me to no end with the Matrix sequels, and it bugged the piss out of me with Dead Reckoning. 

Final Reckoning thankfully lives up to the promise of a finale with style and some intense action setpieces and stunt work. If it’s revealed that Tom Cruise is actually one of a dozen clones that have died during filming à la Schwarzenegger’s The 6th Day, I wouldn’t at all be surprised. Lord Xenu must be watching over him in some capacity. Because there is an end in sight, the ticking clock actually has stakes, and these grand stunts have some importance to get the blood pumping and not just be a flashy how with plot beats slipped in between setups. 

But The Final Reckoning isn’t the perfect ending. The opening 45 minutes are excruciatingly clunky. Leaning into the idea that this film will be Tom Cruise's last adventure as Ethan Hunt, precious minutes that should be used to move the plot forward are wasted as we watch clips of Hunt’s greatest stunts, accompanied by some extraordinary, vague callbacks to previous films that tie up non-essential plot threads. However, it’s not enough to simply provide us with this information. The audience is spoonfed these moments with obnoxiously frequent flashback footage. So. Many. Flashbacks. Completing the absurdity of these call-backs is a frustratingly stupid character reveal for Shea Whigham’s Briggs that burns five minutes all on its own. (And who the hell cleared that haircut? They made the poor man look like they stole K.D. Lang's scalp.) Ultimately, if this film had cut 20-25 minutes of that exposition vomit and just gotten down to business, it’d possibly stand among the top entries of the franchise. As is, it’s a damn good, highly entertaining film, but it doesn’t quite reach the heights of Fallout or Ghost Protocol. 

If The Final Reckoning is to actually be the last of Cruise’s outings with the IMF, then it’s a fitting conclusion. It’s been 30 years since the first film. When you bundle all of the efforts together, this is a legendary franchise run. It might have its ups, middles, and downs (I love Mission: Impossible 2, but damn is it silly), but it’s impressive to say the least. To have one actor see eight films through to the end for their character without becoming a parody or a sad excuse for nostalgia is an achievement to celebrate. So while The Final Reckoning might not be the best Mission: Impossible film ever (or to date), it’s another incredible, pulse-pounding, death-defying adventure in the franchise.

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 
On 4k UHD, we chose to accept Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning in 2160p with a three-disc 4K UHD + two Blu-ray + Digital set from Paramount. The 4K is pressed on a BD100 disc with a BD50 supporting the 1080p, and another BD50 disc adding to the bonus features. All of the standard Blu-ray discs appear to be region-free. Interestingly, this 4K set or the SteelBook is the only way fans can own the film in 1080p. So far we have not seen a standalone 1080p release appear. All of the discs are housed in a multi-disc standard case with individual trays and identical slipcover artwork. The discs load to an animated main menu with standard navigation options.

Continuing the franchise’s excellent run on disc, The Final Reckoning achieves, dare I say, a nearly impossibly flawless Dolby Vision transfer. The film does exhibit the shifting aspect ratio to highlight the big IMAX moments, so those with fixed projection screen masking might take issue, but the rest of us are in for a treat. Truthfully, I don’t have any complaints about this one. Clocking in at nearly three hours, the transfer efficiently utilizes the bulk of the BD100 disc space. Given the numerous subterranean locations and night scenes, there’s a lot of deep, dark blacks and intricate shadowy lighting schemes to give the image a terrific sense of depth. Largely shot on 35mm with some digital work here and there to complete a 4K DI, the details are impeccably crisp and clean with a nice, cinematically appealing veneer of fine film grain. Facial features, beard stubble, Shea Whigham’s hair, the lavish exotic locations, all look terrific and clean. Colors are a tad drab given the plot, but primaries have some lovely pop, especially the two yellow and red biplanes against the bright blue sky. Skin tones are healthy and human. Black levels are again excellent; the shadows and deep inky blacks of the submarine sequence are a genuine highlight here. Front to back, this is a terrific transfer that brings this visually exciting flick home in great form.

It wouldn’t be a Mission: Impossible flick without a great audio mix - and this Dolby Atmos track is another tremendous effort. Given all of the action set pieces and exotic locations, this is a true wall-to-wall immersive experience. We’ve got overheads firing away with helicopters and biplanes. We’ve got gunfire down long hallways and abandoned mines for an exciting, precision-surround presence. We’ve got explosions galore, complete with an exhilarating score from Max Aruj and Alfie Godfrey to add plenty of LFE rumble in the subs. Dialogue is clean and clear throughout without any issues. The soundscape is pretty much always active in some fashion or another. Even for those rare times where the film is trying to play quietly, there’s enough activity in the surrounds and rears to keep the channels working. But it’s nice that these elements aren’t just filler effects but very often serve a narrative purpose too. Likewise, the height channels are utilized beyond just putting an effect here or there or adding space to a location. Top to bottom, side to side, it’s another terrific Atmos mix for this franchise. 

Getting in on the fun is a pretty solid slate of extra features. The Cruise and McQuarrie track is probably the more "fun" of the two options, while the second track gets quite a bit more technical. Both are informative and interesting listens. The Isolated Score track is a nice feature to hear, made for good listening material as I pulled this review together. As for the bonus features disc, there isn't a ton here; it's all of about 40 minutes of content, but it's at least informative. The featurettes may be short, but they're focused and are produced in such a way that they're not your cheap EPK filler. 

4K UHD/Blu-ray

• Audio Commentary featuring Christopher McQuarrie and Tom Cruise
• Audio Commentary featuring Christopher McQuarrie, Eddie Hamilton, and Mary Boulding
• Isolated Score Track

Bonus Blu-ray

• Behind the Scenes: (HD 17:03)
• Taking Flight
• To the Depths
• To the North
• Through the Mine
• The Score 
• Editorial Content:
• Deleted Footage Montage w/ Optional McQuarrie Commentary (HD 9:35)
• Olifants River Canyon w/ Optional McQuarrie Commentary (HD 9:11)
• Biplane Transfer w/ Optional McQuarrie & Cruise Commentary (HD 4:03)
• Promo Spots: (HD 3:23)
• Parachute Burn
• Snorri Rig Camera
• Jump Flip
• Long Wing
• Galleries:
• Tom Cruise (Bio Included)
• Christopher McQuarrie
• Collaboration
• Supporting Cast

If this is to truly be Tom Cruise’s final mission as Ethan Hunt, The Final Reckoning is a solid last entry. But it wasn’t the best place to end; in my opinion, that moment already happened two films back with Fallout. This film at least makes up for the disjointed nature of Dead Reckoning Part One, but it manages to trip a bit over its constant need to over-explain every plot detail, complete with frequent, needless flashbacks (and Shea Whigham's distractingly high hair). But thankfully, Cruise and his team deliver an action-packed adventure with plenty of impressive practical stunts for a rousing conclusion. And I hope this is the end. As much as I love this franchise, I don’t need to see Tom Cruise pulling off death-defying stunts into his 70s. He's supposedly going to space for his next film, that's good enough! On 4K UHD, the film offers an excellent Dolby Vision/Atmos home viewing experience, complemented by some solid extras. Highly Recommended