Review by Jon Donnis
Ethan Hunt has always been a man running out of time. In Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, that race finally reaches its end, and it does so with the kind of energy, scale and conviction that has come to define the series. Tom Cruise returns for one last mission, and if this is really his final run as Hunt, he's going out on a towering high.
Set just weeks after Dead Reckoning Part One, the story wastes no time setting the stakes. The Entity, a self-aware rogue AI, is expanding its grip on global weapon systems. It's doing so with the help of a fanatical doomsday cult, making the threat less digital and more terrifyingly physical. Governments want control, alliances splinter, and Ethan refuses to give up the one thing that might stop the collapse. From there, the film takes off with the kind of momentum few blockbusters manage to sustain.
Christopher McQuarrie is once again behind the camera, and he knows exactly what to do with this world. The pacing is sharp, the tension builds steadily, and the action is shot with clarity and precision. There's a practical quality to it all that still feels fresh. Real explosions, real stunts, real locations. No CGI overload or hollow digital noise. Instead, we get cold oceans, brutal hand-to-hand fights, and a late sequence that involves Cruise doing something completely unhinged at altitude, just to prove he still can.
Cruise, now firmly in his sixties, doesn't play Ethan like a man pretending to be twenty years younger. There's experience behind the performance. The weight of all his choices sits just behind the eyes. But the fire is still there. Whether he's diving into arctic waters or sprinting through chaos, it all feels grounded in character, not just spectacle. He's not just doing these stunts to show off. He's doing them because Ethan believes this is the only way forward.
The supporting cast does more than just fill space. Hayley Atwell's Grace has evolved into a confident presence, not just a sidekick. Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames continue to carry the emotional load of the team. Pom Klementieff's Paris feels unpredictable and human in all the right ways. Angela Bassett, now in the Oval Office, brings a cool resolve that balances the growing global panic. And Henry Czerny's Kittridge continues to play the perfect political counterweight to Ethan's sense of personal duty.
The action scenes aren't just loud. They're smart. One early mission inside a Cold War sonar base is full of tension and smart problem solving. Later, the team faces off against time bombs, assassins and underwater survival in a way that never feels repetitive. Every moment is used. Nothing drags. The final stretch pulls together everything the series has been building towards, without turning into an overcooked finale.
Importantly, The Final Reckoning keeps the franchise grounded. There's no needless commentary or clumsy messaging. It sticks to story. It sticks to character. It respects its audience by giving them exactly what they've come to love. Real stakes, clear objectives, team dynamics and a moral centre. No woke agenda, just pure, high-quality action filmmaking.
There's sadness to the ending, not because it falls short, but because it signals a real farewell. Cruise has said this is his final outing as Ethan Hunt, and the film treats that with quiet dignity. There's no drawn-out goodbye. Just a sense that the journey has reached its natural conclusion. It's earned. And it lands.
What started nearly thirty years ago as a slick, contained thriller has grown into one of the most consistent and beloved action franchises in modern cinema. The Final Reckoning honours that history, raises the bar once again, and walks away before it wears out its welcome.
This is blockbuster cinema done right. Big, bold, heartfelt and made with care. Not many films feel like proper events anymore. This one does.
Score: 9.5 / 10
Cruise may be stepping off the train, but he leaves it moving at full speed.
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