Film Review – Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
***Warning: This Review Contains Minor Spoilers***
It’s hard to fathom that when Tom Cruise first adapted the Mission: Impossible television series for the big screen, it was considered a risk. It was the first film made under his own production company. If it were to flop, he would have shouldered most of the blame. Instead, it was a hit. It gave birth to one of the most successful blockbuster franchises in movie history. Cruise became a bigger star than the sun, with his increasingly insane stunts as his on-screen calling card. There are few (if any) movie stars left that inhabit true showmanship. For nearly three decades since he first donned the role of super-agent Ethan Hunt, Cruise has done nothing less than push himself to the max. He remained in constant pursuit of providing the ultimate movie-going experience. And for the most part, he did just that.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025) acts as a curtain call for the entire series. Will that be the case? Who knows, but the film sure makes it seem like it. Cruise once again partners with director and collaborator Christopher McQuarrie, creating not only a direct sequel to Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning (2023), but a closing chapter to the Ethan Hunt story. We see this immediately, with an opening montage featuring clips from previous installments as well as bits of dialogue from key moments. This approach is repeated constantly. The narrative calls back to Hunt’s adventures several times, whether it is through flashbacks, cameos from familiar faces, or retconning past events to fit into this latest chapter. The writing (McQuarrie, Erik Jendresen) isn’t just focused on moving things forward, but looking back at all the missions, twists, turns, victories, and losses that has led Hunt up to this point.
The result is the most somber entry of the franchise. Part of what kept the series going was that the filmmakers found the right balance between drama, spectacle, and comedy. Yes, Hunt would often find himself having to save the world from disaster, but that didn’t stop us from having fun watching him do it. In Final Reckoning, the atmosphere is toned down. Characters talk in hushed, deep voices to translate the gravity of their mission. We still get all the big splashy set pieces, but it also comes with an air of finality. We reunite with Hunt still trying to take down the dangerous A.I. being known as “The Entity.” The Entity has wormed its way across the globe, penetrating government and military systems and garnering a surprising following of human covert operatives. The U.S. president (Angela Bassett) tasks Hunt to do what is necessary to gain control of The Entity before it causes WW3. But in Hunt’s mind, they would all be better off if The Entity was destroyed all together. He and his team – Grace (Hayley Atwell), Benji (Simon Pegg), Luther (Ving Rhames), Degas (Greg Tarzan Davis) and Paris (Pom Klementieff) – must band together one last time to prevent global catastrophe.
The biggest issue plaguing The Final Reckoning is its convoluted plot. Every entry is defined with a few scenes where Hunt or one of his colleagues delivers an extended monologue, providing exposition for us to understand what is going on. They lay out the plans in detail so when they make their move, we are aware of what is at stake. Well, that use of exposition is littered throughout the first half. Since this runs at nearly three full hours, that’s a lot of explaining! Over and over, we are told that Hunt must retrieve a key, that will lead him to The Entity’s source code, which will lead to The Entity’s defeat, which might accidentally destroy the internet as we know it. The team must go here, there, and everywhere, sometimes performing tasks at the exact same time. It’s said repeatedly that if they don’t accomplish a specific goal at a specific time, then all their efforts will be in vain. Hunt must deal with pressure from the President, foreign agents, figures of his past resurfacing, and his continued conflict with the villain Gabriel (Esai Morales). The editing (Eddie Hamilton) jumps back and forth between past and present, sometimes even delving into fantasy sequences. Important details are covered not just within this film, but in previous films.
The human element is also a little shaky. The Mission: Impossible franchise was never anchored by Hunt’s relationships, particularly with his female counterparts. Even the ones that felt significant never lasted long, whether it was Nyah (Thandiwe Newton) in Mission: Impossible II (2000), Julia (Michelle Monaghan) in Part III (2006), or Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson) in Fallout (2018). This time, much is made of Hunt’s burgeoning connection with Grace. There are instances that suggest their dynamic runs deeper than a professional level. But the writing/direction doesn’t explore that any further than at a surface level. In fact, of all the supporting characters Hunt has worked with, his deepest bond – clearly – is with the hacker Luther. Luther has been by Ethan’s side and is the only other character to appear in every movie. When the two share their fondness and love for one another, it’s one of the few genuinely emotional moments.
But you’re not here for all that, are you? When it comes to the stunt choreography, Cruise re-establishes the fact that he is the one in the middle of the action. Set pieces are loaded with closeup shots proving that it is indeed Cruise putting himself on the line for our enjoyment. Much of the action is pushed to the back half, highlighted by two incredible sequences that stand toe to toe with anything else that came before it. The first is an underwater sequence where Hunt makes his way through a sunken submarine. The twist – pun intended – is that the ground under the sub has given way, causing the entire vessel to spin with Hunt trapped inside. The cinematography (Fraser Taggart) places the camera so that we can see the entire room spinning around Cruise, with the water level rising and falling constantly. He goes from swimming, to walking, to climbing depending on the orientation of the sub and the water level. It’s like seeing a kid traversing a jungle gym, but the entire structure is spinning while slowly getting dipped in and out of a pool.
Unquestionably, the most memorable set piece – the one plastered all over the advertisements – is the one where Hunt dangles from a biplane. It’s the key image of the entire film, and it earns that distinction. It’s a thrilling sequence, as we watch Hunt/Cruise hang on for dear life as the plane speeds through the air. Taking a note from Top Gun: Maverick (2022), McQuarrie and crew structure the scene with the plane at low altitude, so that we can see mountains and trees whizzing by. There is an immediacy when we see Cruise in the middle of the frame, the wind blowing his hair back and disfiguring his face, while the terrain flies by behind him. There was once a time where the big stunt of the Mission: Impossible films took place either at the beginning or at the middle of the story. This time, they save the fireworks for last, leaving a punctuation mark that is daring, exhilarating, and unforgettable.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning doesn’t reach the heights of Fallout, nor does it have the exuberance of Ghost Protocol (2011) or Rogue Nation (2015). But for an eighth installment of a franchise that started before many were even born – and starring the same actor throughout that span – it’s pretty damn good. Tom Cruise has been a movie star of the highest order, and this passion project has grown just as much as he has. The franchise has changed and adapted to the times, working to one up itself without sacrificing what made it a hit back in 1996. It’s had its ups and downs, but it never wavered from trying to give audiences a reason to go to the theater. I may have my issues with this last installment, but stepping back and examining the franchise as a whole, it’s hard to find another property that has been this consistent for this long. Cruise has set a bar that may never be reached again.
FINAL GRADE: B
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