There ’s no denying that the two big set piece ofMission : Impossible – The Final Reckoningare incredible . Each is one of the most impossible mission virtuoso Tom Cruise and music director Christopher McQuarriehave ever conceived or shot , and each is probably deserving the Mary Leontyne Price of admission fee alone .

regrettably , though , there are two other hours of the moving-picture show surrounding them .

As we watchedThe last enumeration , and the picture proceed to forge you over the forefront with outside narrative and insistent exposition , our minds begin to cheat . We hadquestions about specific scenes , lines of dialog , decisions made within the plot , etc . And so we remember we ’d land those up to see if you had the same head — or perhaps even some answer .

We’re sorry but this should have been the end of Ethan Hunt.

We’re sorry but this should have been the end of Ethan Hunt.Image: Paramount

Fair warning : we are going to be doing some major , major nitpicking , so if you do n’t like that , we want to be forthcoming , this clause is not for you . Full spoilers come after .

How did the President contact Ethan if no one could find him?

The film name it very clear that between movies , Ethan has gone off the control grid . No one can find him or the key he possesses . However , totally march up against that sentiment , the President , play by Angela Bassett , get him a VHS tape . We screw she has been one of the peoples searching for him but nevertheless , this mag tape find him . Props for it being VHS , which is analog and thereby untraceable by the Entity , but if that level of detail was under circumstance , why not some legal brief aside about how something or someone was able to site him ? You could explain this a million way , but the film does not .

What was the point of the Entity having a cult?

ahead of time on in the film , it ’s point out that over the long time , a cult of people who unambiguously believe in the Entity has emerged , and they ’re grievous . We get the real - life parallels , so we acquire this would be a big part of the motion-picture show . A major obstruction in Ethan ’s path . But , as far as we can tell , it was just an excuse for one soul to assail him on the submarine and another to taste and kill the President at the end . Both of which are exciting moments , but do n’t really further the plot in any way .

So what exactly was the story with the Gabriel and Ethan flashbacks?

A big part ofDead Reckoningwas the revelation that Ethan somehow knew Gabriel because of a very formative present moment in his past . A moment we see legion time in both movies involving a mysterious adult female being killed . Now , we all assumedThe Final Reckoningwould explain that somehow — but unless I shine deceased , I do n’t think it did . There are some broad breadcrumb about Gabriel framing him for murder , which draw Ethan to make the IMF “ Choice , ” but we already drew that implication from the premature film . We require to bonk why . Who was she ? Why was she important ? How did Gabriel amount into it ? Somehow , this movie altogether whiff on paying off the primal mystery from the last instalment .

When did Luther get sick?

Months have passed between the 7th and eighthMission : Impossiblemovies and , somehow , in that time , Ethan ’s oldest friend Luther is now dying . Surely , sickness can come on that strong , but does n’t having it go on off - covert feel a slight jarring ? Why did he have to be wan at all ? Did McQuarrie want to allay the blow of his come doom ? Was it because actor Ving Rhames could only film for a certain number of Clarence Shepard Day Jr. , so they kept him in one fix ? Something along those lines feels more plausible than what we see in the film .

Why did Ethan beat a man to death off-screen as Grace watched in horror?

EveryMission : Impossiblefilm has that large , fun legal action pulse that leads into the opening credits scene . InThe Final Reckoning , that vista is Ethan and Grace escaping seizure , followed by Ethan beating a gentleman to death off - screen as Grace watches in total shock . It ’s oddly out of quality for him and tonally out of line with the moving-picture show . These movies are never overly wacky or violent . Plus , this malign stripe does n’t arrive back or pay off in any way . It ’s just weird , so why is it in there ?

Did the Entity really change Ethan?

One of the cardinal accelerator of the film is when Ethan and the Entity receive face to “ face . ” Before the conversation , Paris tells Ethan that the Entity will change him and , after the Entity prove him the future , that sure seems like the suit . He ’s manic , he ’s unlike , and then that all goes aside . Ethan is just the same erstwhile Ethan again after that tantrum . So , did the Entity change Ethan ? And if not , what was the item of that melodic line ?

Was there a point to Ethan telling Grace to stay off the ice?

One of the revelation the Entity shows Ethan is an alternate translation of the future where his mission give out , and everyone on the ice who ’s there to save him dies . That ’s why , when he gets out of the political machine , he assure Grace to stay off the ice . make sentience . We get that part . What does n’t make sentience is when Grace gets to the aforementioned meth , there is n’t a second ’s hesitation about going on it , and nothing happens . If you were n’t going to pay off such a big , dramatic line , why have it at all ?

Why was Hannah Waddingham in this movie?

I roll in the hay Hannah Waddingham . Ted Lasso , Apple singing special , she ’s a delight . And the mind of her in aMission : Impossiblemovie is ne plus ultra . But she has very trivial grounds to be in this story . She ’s the leader of an aircraft carrier that Ethan goes to while looking for a U-boat that ’ll wreak him to the deep-set submarine . And , for some understanding , we memorize Waddingham and the President share an important memory on the Clarence Shepard Day Jr. the originalMission : Impossiblefilm open up — May 22 , 1996 . We have it away the Easter egg but allow ’s move past it . The note tells Waddingham that Ethan is for real and , as a result , she hires two eggbeater to convey him to the submarine localisation . So she ’s in the movie for what ? Just give him helicopter ? Was n’t there a light , simpler way to figure that out ? Was her fit unmovable because the crowd give for , or built theatrical role of , this aircraft carrier wave ?

How was Ethan able to survive the ascent after the submarine scene?

This is one of my biggest issues . The Final Reckoningspends several moment explaining all the problems Ethan Hunt is pop off to have diving late into the sea to take down the Entity . Even his special suit ca n’t lay aside him , but it ’s pretty clean he ’d give way without it . The film ensure the audience is well - versed on these dangers , which raise the stakes and make thing more striking when Ethan has to start push aside it all . However , he ignore them to the peak where he eventually has to swim hundreds of base in the freeze out water , defenseless . Now , we understand that he “ expire ” near the surface ( as predicted ) , but once he ’s revive and put in the ( short incredibly big ? ) pressurization bedchamber , he suffer no after effects . In fact , the next mean solar day he ’s swinging off an airplane . Why spend so much time explain how life-threatening this honkytonk is , to then just totally ignore it ?

Wasn’t the dog sled joke scene also pointless?

gracility goes on the ice with Tapeesa , Donloe ’s married woman , who explains to Grace how to control their mush . Because there ’s a language barrier , we get a laughable little shot of Grace trying to figure out what Tapeesa is enunciate . It provide a piffling levity in the middle of a tense situation and , we assumed , would be a predecessor to her having to solve some sort of sled - associate problem . But that never bump . So , again , is the odd comedy in any way additive if it has no proceeds ?

Did the Russians actually have a second key?

When Ethan ’s team is on the island trying to get the submarine coordinates , they come up against a team of Russian soldiers . The Russians are also after the coordinates and , we ’re secern , have a 2nd headstone to unlock the torpedo . Now , this means one of two things . One , the Russians are implausibly stupid because everyone knows there ’s just one key ( the whole old movie is only about that fact ) . Or two , the filmmakers are incredibly stupid and are undercut themselves . distinctly , it ’s meant to propose the first one , but it ’s not handled like that . It ’s handled very seriously . Plus , again , it does n’t ante up off . fundamentally , it ’s not something that needed to be mentioned unless it was significant , and clearly , it ’s not .

Why was Shea Wingham’s character retrofitted to be Jim Phelps Jr.?

Shea Wingham ’s character inDead Reckoningis so sound . He ’s a grotesque factor who proceed to get frustrated as he ’s outsmarted by Ethan . And here , it ’s a chip more of the same … except when we are tell his fictitious character is the boy of Jim Phelps , Jon Voight ’s turncoat character from the first movie . It provides a nice nictation back to that original movie , which is clearly a major throughline of this film , but it feels so random and gets resolved in an underwhelming , pocket-sized moment that would ’ve been on the dot the same if this had n’t been revealed .

Is Ethan actually done at the end of this movie?

Though no one has ever , officially , said this is the lastMission : Impossiblemovie for Tom Cruise , the pic sure confidential information at it . It ’s made unmortgaged , over and over , that the Entity is kind of a final boss from all of Ethan ’s previousMissionsand that the stakes have never been high . watch it , you very much have a bun in the oven Ethan to hang up his mask at the end in some sort of meaningful , emotional way , particularly after the loss of Luther . Only that does n’t happen . The squad reunite , they kind of smile , and walk off , almost precisely like they did four movies ago . Ethan and his crew are very much still in play at the end of the film and you almost feel a niggling countenance down that this story with such huge stakes did n’t dumbfound the landing .

What happened when the Entity went offline?

One of the biggest reasons everyone was so frightened of stopping the Entity is that — as it ’s made very clear , time and time again — the Entity has become too significant to the substructure of the world . It is completely interlaced with the intact cyberspace and kill it could have ruinous issue . We get it on this . It adds to the interest of the final mission and , when Ethan gain ground , we ’re intrigued to see what the issue is . But nothing happen . They entrance the Entity , and despite so much silver screen time being focused on this potential trouble , we never find out whether it was a job or not . We presume not , since it ’s not brought up … but at least admit it !

Will Ethan destroy the Entity?

After a very involved , logistical finis involve source codes , toxicant lozenge , and thumbnail drives , Ethan and the team enamour the Entity . Victory ! And , it ’s implied , Ethan will now hold onto the Entity because no one else in the world can be intrust to do so . Okay , we can buy that , but what ’s next ? Does it go into a secure ? The bottom of the ocean ? Why not just destroy the thing and be done with it ? That lack of closure again just makes this “ final reckoning ” really sense more like a “ about ” final reckoning .

Want more io9 newsworthiness ? Check out when to expect the latestMarvel , Star Wars , andStar Trekreleases , what ’s next for theDC Universe on film and TV , and everything you need to experience about the future ofDoctor Who .

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RIP Luther. – Paramount

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