Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning Review: Tom Cruise Tries To Save The World In This Messy, Intense Sequel

Few modern blockbuster franchises have been as thrilling as "Mission: Impossible." What began as an excellent summer thriller with Brian De Palma's crackerjack "Mission: Impossible" in 1996 evolved into something bigger with each subsequent sequel. Over time, the series became a seemingly unstoppable machine buoyed by the presence of Tom Cruise, a preternatural performer willing to risk life and limb for our entertainment. The "Mission" films weren't just action-adventures — they were stunt showcases, where Cruise, as superspy Ethan Hunt, would continually do his own dangerous stunt work. The results spoke for themselves: in an era where big studio movies have become awash in digital artifice, the "Mission: Impossible" movies were doing something real. Tom Cruise wasn't safe on some studio set in front of a greenscreen, damn it! He was really hanging off the tallest building in the world!

I am an unabashed fan of this series, and I maintain that every entry has something worthwhile, even John Woo's unjustly maligned "Mission: Impossible 2." That said, not all "Mission: Impossible" movies are created equal, and while franchise mainstay Christopher McQuarrie has been a great driving force of the last several films, what goes up must eventually come down. While the McQuarrie-directed films "Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation" and "Mission: Impossible – Fallout" are two of the best entries the series has to offer, McQuarrie's "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning" was something of a miscalculation. The film was originally called "Dead Reckoning Part One," but an unexpected underwhelming reception forced everyone involved to go back to the drawing board. As such, this latest entry isn't called "Dead Reckoning Part Two," but rather "The Final Reckoning," a title that suggests this could be the end of the road for Ethan Hunt and his team.

New title or not, "The Final Reckoning" is still very much the second half of the "Dead Reckoning" story, and that's unfortunate. Up until now, the "Mission" films have been able to more or less stand on their own. Sure, characters would return, but the stories functioned independently. "The Final Reckoning," in sharp contrast, has to contend with everything from the previous movie — and beyond. This hurts the film in ways I don't think anyone anticipated, as almost the entire first hour of "The Final Reckoning" is devoted to clunky, confusing exposition, as dialogue and footage speed-runs us through playing a game of catch-up. Don't remember what happened in "Dead Reckoning" and haven't had time to rewatch it? Not to worry! "The Final Reckoning" will remind you ad nauseum. 

To his credit, director McQuarrie, working with editor Eddie Hamilton, strives to dump all this exposition on us in fast-paced fashion. Sadly, there's so much of it to get through that the film sags and drags even as characters are sprinting from one spot to the next. Not content to just remind us what happened in the last movie, "The Final Reckoning" also backtracks to the other movies in the franchise as well, presenting us with what feels like a clip show of flashbacks to previous films.

Perhaps this is the franchise's attempt at a victory lap; a reminder of all the fun stuff that happened before. But that doesn't make for good storytelling. I'm not saying the eighth film in the "Mission: Impossible" franchise needs an airtight story, but "The Final Reckoning" feels borderline incoherent at times, and frequently directionless.

It doesn't help that poor Ethan Hunt is still dealing with the Entity, an evil A.I. that has infected seemingly everything. "Tom Cruise vs. God-like A.I." sounds fun on paper, but in practice, it's ultimately disappointing and kind of boring. The Entity is too powerful and too vague for its own good, and the film's proxy human villain, the sneering Gabriel, isn't very interesting, even if actor Esai Morales has a lot of menacing charm.

And yet ... McQuarrie still knows how to direct action better than almost anyone else working today, and Cruise still knows how to risk his life. And because of that, "The Final Reckoning" still manages to break out some truly stunning action set-pieces. The film is oddly low on action when compared to previous films, but the action we do get is always intense and even jaw-dropping.

When "The Final Reckoning" begins, we learn that the Entity has grown even more powerful, and nuclear annihilation seems all but inevitable. The President (Angela Bassett) is being pulled in multiple directions, but Ethan Hunt wants her to trust him one last time so he can save the day. As Ethan himself points out, it would be kind of insane to leave the fate of the world in his hands, what with all the mayhem he's caused over the years. And yet, no one is more committed to their job than Ethan Hunt.

These films have always been showcases for Cruise first and foremost, but "The Final Reckoning" presents Ethan Hunt as an almost Christlike figure; the ultimate savior of humanity itself, an incorruptible superman willing to punch God in the face if it means preventing the apocalypse. This should be fun, and yet, "The Final Reckoning" is too dour for its own good. Even when the stakes were high in previous entries, the "Mission" films were always fun — that was part of the charm! "The Final Reckoning," however, is so humourless and serious, even while presenting entirely silly story beats, that it starts to feel like the thrill is gone.

Soon, Ethan and his team, which includes tech guru Benji (Simon Pegg) and thief-turned-agent Grace (Hayley Atwell) are racing against the clock on some fetch-quest adventures to grab hold of various MacGuffins, all in the name of stopping the Entity. We're told time and time again that Ethan loves his team as if they're family members, but "The Final Reckoning" splits them up for a huge chunk of the runtime, leaving Ethan on his own. This feels like a mistake, and while Atwell is a charming presence, the series can't shake the biggest error it made in killing off Rebecca Ferguson's Ilsa Faust in the previous film. Ferguson's character was arguably the best thing to happen to the franchise, and every time "The Final Reckoning" tries to force some big emotional beat between Ethan and Grace, I couldn't help but think, "This would play a lot better if it was Ethan and Ilsa instead." Alas.

As "The Final Reckoning" moves from one location to the next, the film throws in new and old characters who make the most of what they're given. Rolf Saxon returns William Donloe, the unlucky CIA analyst from the very first film who has a surprisingly emotional storyline here. The real standout, though, is "Severance" breakout Tramell Tillman, who steals every scene he has as a submarine captain who agrees to help Ethan. Tillman's part is small, but gosh, he's got such charisma that it's a joy to watch him work. Put him in more movies, Hollywood. Please.

But of course, the real draw of any "Mission" movie isn't the stars — it's the stunts. Specifically, it's Tom Cruise doing the stunts. And "The Final Reckoning" features what might be the most thrilling stunt in the entire franchise, and that's saying something. Whatever flaws the film suffers from, it attempts to pull out all the stops with a grand finale so intense that I genuinely felt like I was going to throw up (complimentary).

The trailers and marketing have highlighted the fact that Cruise dangles from a biplane as it swoops and flies erratically through the sky, and watching this unfold on a huge IMAX screen is a real highlight. I'll confess that I'm afraid of flying, and that involves being inside a plane. Seeing Cruise cling onto the wheel of a plane as it flips upside-down is anxiety-inducing. Watching him up there, you can't help but think, "Is this guy insane?" The fact that this unfolds against the backdrop of several other intense moments only heightens the tension to the extreme.

But is that enough? It feels almost selfish to ask that question. Tom Cruise is out here risking his damn life for my entertainment! Shouldn't I be satisfied? I guess I should, and I don't want to seem ungrateful, so Mr. Cruise, thank you for your service. And yet, "The Final Reckoning" is too messy, too awkward, too clumsy. It somehow feels overlong and inert even as it never slows down. If this really is the final mission for Ethan Hunt and the team, it's perhaps for the best, because as much as I love these movies, "The Final Reckoning" gives the impression that the series is running out of gas. Maybe it's time for Ethan Hunt to take a well-earned rest.

/Film Rating: 5 out of 10

"Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning" opens in theaters on May 23, 2025.