The conclusion of Mission: Impossible – Final Calculation, marketed as the final chapter of the Mission: Impossible franchise, left some viewers feeling dissatisfied.
Rather than providing a fitting closure to the series, Final Calculation ends with Ethan Hunt disappearing into the crowd, leaving his journey open-ended with no resolution. He and his team have successfully navigated two films, but the conclusion is found wanting, ultimately disappointing.
Tom Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie have made noteworthy storytelling choices in recent entries, yet their decision regarding the ending of Final Calculation leans heavily into trendy postmodernity. Perhaps there’s more to the narrative yet to unfold.
Quick Plot Overview
Final Calculation opens with Ethan Hunt on the run from the U.S. government, possessing crucial source code tied to a rogue entity. This entity has gained control over the nuclear arsenals of various global powers. President Erica Sloan contemplates launching a preemptive nuclear strike to maintain control over the U.S. arsenal but opts to hunt the source code for a few days to neutralize the threat.
The group’s goal is to instigate a global nuclear war to ensure their own survival by taking refuge in South African bunkers. However, the film lacks clarity regarding this motivation.
Over the course of 170 minutes, Hunt and his team engage in a psychological battle with the villains associated with the entity, including Gabriel from Death Calculation, while evading the CIA. They successfully acquire the source code, trap the entity on a physical drive, and install a virus to take control of it.
Filled with timed nuclear bombs and numerous flashback montages, the film features diving and bi-plane stunts that align with the franchise’s legacy. It’s thrilling except for the final ten minutes, which feel like a letdown, and there is a noticeable lack of disguises.
Ethan Hunt’s Character Arc
In recent films, it has been revealed that Hunt’s core value system centers on prioritizing the lives of his team over the success of his missions. A well-crafted finale should showcase this commitment in a significant way.
The writers squandered a chance to properly resolve Hunt’s character arc with a dramatic moment, such as a free fall followed by a parachute malfunction. It could have served as a poignant final act where he sacrifices himself to save his friends for one last time. This would have been a fitting conclusion for a franchise that should end when the story is over, not simply when the funds run dry.
Alternatively, perhaps Hunt has successfully completed his mission, eliminating the entity as planned, and walks away from his last impossible task.
Instead, he survives, allowing both himself and the entities to remain alive.
In a hero’s journey, moments of death and resurrection typically occur near the three-quarter mark of the story. The hero must confront a literal or symbolic death but ultimately triumphs by internalizing the thematic truth of the narrative. Victory in a compelling story reflects the theme’s truth. If Hunt’s truth is that people come before the mission, he has already proven that reality. His character arc remains static, negating the necessity of a death and resurrection.
Rather, the film shifts focus toward two recurring themes in the series: our lives are shaped by our choices, and Ethan Hunt stands as the sole individual capable of safeguarding the world from the ceaseless dangers depicted throughout the narrative.
An Action Hero Transformed into a Superhero
In a reflective moment later in the film, Grace, a member of Hunt’s team, questions why he doesn’t use the entity’s power to resolve everything. He insists that he cannot, as it poses too great a danger. Grace argues that he is the only one who can handle the entity’s power.
Following a close call with his parachute, Luther’s speech about Hunt being “the one he chose” underscores that Hunt’s existence is defined by his choices. Hunt then resolves to harness the entity’s power for himself.
A narrative thread typical of the science fiction and fantasy genres is introduced, transforming Hunt from an action hero into a quasi-messianic figure.
Starting with Rogue Nation and the introduction of syndicates, the Mission: Impossible films have blended gravity-defying stunts with religious undertones. Both Solomon Lane and the entities exhibit a cult-like fixation, with the syndicate evolving into groups calling themselves “amates.”
Since Mission: Impossible III, Hunt is portrayed as the only individual capable of protecting the world from darkness’s grip. He consistently makes the right decisions, continually finding ways to achieve the impossible. Although he has faced death several times, he always comes back.
This is perhaps why I felt the stakes were diminished in this film. If the hero is essentially a chosen one, then no otherworldly forces can genuinely threaten him. Hunt has moved from being an extraordinarily skilled man to a near-divine entity.
Is There Another Mission: Impossible Awaiting?
There are two possible interpretations. Either Final Calculation serves as a bloated, unsatisfactory conclusion to an otherwise remarkable action series, or it’s not the end of the series after all. The decision to weave in themes of death and resurrection might suggest that Hunt’s character arc remains incomplete. Perhaps there’s more to explore.
McQuarrie hinted in 2023 that Final Calculation was not the end of the saga. A recent report echoed this sentiment, suggesting that the open-ended nature of Final Calculation may indicate more installments on the horizon.
Jacqueline Annis-Levings is a federalist correspondent. She is a senior junior at Patrick Henry College, majoring in English.
Source: thefederalist.com