Movie Review: Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

 

The eighth installment of the Mission: Impossible series serves as Tom Cruise’s farewell to the role of Ethan Hunt – and he goes out in his usual fashion: with style, bravado, and an unwavering belief in the power of the cinematic spectacle. The Final Reckoning is packed with adrenaline, spectacular action scenes, and... unfortunately, also a rather chaotic start.

A rough and messy beginning

The first 20 minutes of the film are a real rollercoaster – and not in a good way. There’s an overload of exposition, awkward plot jumps, and oddly edited scenes that confuse more than engage. For viewers who don’t remember the details of the previous film (Dead Reckoning Part One), the beginning can be downright off-putting. It feels like director Christopher McQuarrie is in a hurry to get to the "good stuff" – the signature missions, globe-trotting chases, and Cruise’s gravity-defying stunts.

Classic “Impossible” – and everything we love

Fortunately, after this shaky start, the movie finds its rhythm and becomes increasingly fun to watch. The central plot – Ethan Hunt and his team battling a powerful artificial intelligence called "The Entity" – is a slick blend of techno-thriller and Bond-style espionage. This AI not only threatens the world but also manipulates reality through deepfakes, disinformation, and digital surveillance. Sound familiar? Sure, but the filmmakers deliver it in true Mission: Impossible fashion – fast, flashy, and without dwelling too much on logic.

Cruise – now 62 – still runs, dives, jumps, and clings to airplane wings like the laws of physics don’t apply to him. Alongside him are familiar faces: Luther (Ving Rhames), Benji (Simon Pegg), and Grace (Hayley Atwell), who adds a refreshing, charming thief dynamic to the IMF team.

A spectacular farewell to the franchise?

The film’s ending – and the franchise’s, at least for now – is spectacular, though perhaps not as emotionally powerful as one might hope. There are callbacks to earlier installments, flashbacks, tributes to fallen characters, but emotional depth has never been the series’ strong suit. Ethan Hunt remains more of an icon than a flesh-and-blood character – not quite Bond, not Jason Bourne, but a myth of modern action cinema. And maybe that’s why the finale, despite all the special effects and spectacle, doesn’t quite hit you in the heart.

Final thoughts

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is an uneven but ultimately satisfying film. Its weak and chaotic opening may be discouraging, but it’s worth pushing through, because what follows is exactly what fans expect: top-tier action cinema, Cruise at full throttle, and a finale worthy of the legend.

Pros:

+spectacular action sequences

+Tom Cruise in top form

+return of beloved characters

+classic “impossibility” delivered with flair

Cons:

-chaotic first 20 minutes

-overlong runtime

-lacks emotional depth

If you’re an action movie lover or a fan of the franchise, this is a must-watch – though not without its flaws.


My Score: 7.5