Nearly three decades after Brian De Palma brought the first Mission: Impossible film to screens in 1996, Tom Cruise returns once more as IMF agent Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. Directed and co-written by Christopher McQuarrie, this eighth and final chapter in the long-running action saga, aims to wrap up a story that has been building across several films.
The film picks up directly after the events of 2023’s Dead Reckoning and once again sees Hunt and his trusted team in a race against time to prevent a global catastrophe.
Alongside Cruise, the film sees the return of Ving Rhames as Luther Stickell, Ethan’s loyal tech expert and oldest ally, and Simon Pegg as the witty and dependable field agent Benji Dunn. Hayley Atwell reprises her role as Grace, a skilled thief turned reluctant member of Hunt’s team, while Esai Morales returns as the ruthless antagonist Gabriel, a figure from Ethan’s past who holds dangerous secrets. Meanwhile, Pom Klementieff reprises her role as deadly assassin Paris. New additions also include Hannah Waddingham and Tramell Tillman.
The plot remains dense and layered, with the team pursuing “the entity”, a powerful and elusive threat that could reshape the future of global intelligence. As the story unfolds across several continents, the film delivers a series of visually striking and nerve-racking action sequences.
One standout moment involves an airborne stunt that has to be the single most impressive in the franchise’s history. This, coupled with a lengthy and suspenseful underwater action sequence, are a testament to Cruise’s unwavering dedication to performing his own stunts.
While it’s true that the film often gets bogged down in lengthy exposition and unnecessary franchise recapping in the first chapter, the rest of the film gets right down to the nitty-gritty, giving us one of the most exciting action thrillers of the year. There are also fewer laughs here, which is slightly disappointing, but if you’re able to ignore this and the preposterous premise, then you’ll likely have the best time you’ll have at the cinema this summer.
Nevertheless, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is an undeniably ambitious entry. It attempts not only to raise the bar for action cinema but also to tie together themes and storylines from the entire series. Long-time fans will likely appreciate the effort to give the saga a sense of closure, though others might find the emotional weight uneven or the pacing a bit sluggish in parts.
McQuarrie’s direction keeps the energy high when it matters most, and Cruise once again proves why Ethan Hunt has become such an iconic character. If this really is the end, it’s a worthy farewell.
