By the time Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning trudges toward the end of its ambitious narrative arc, one pressing question emerges: does the eighth and presumably final installment in this blockbuster franchise leave you wanting more—or wishing it had ended sooner?
Unfortunately, it’s the latter.
This film, a continuation of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, suffers from an overload of exposition. The characters frequently engage in verbose clarifications to plug gaps in a screenplay that clearly wasn’t ready for deployment.
A Plot Too Complicated for Its Own Good
Agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team—Luther (Ving Rhames), Benji (Simon Pegg), Grace (Hayley Atwell), and Paris (Pom Klementieff)—race to stop a rogue AI called “Entity” from destroying humanity. The mission? Recover the source code from a wrecked Russian submarine and use a “poison pill” to neutralize the threat Mission Impossible.
While the premise holds potential, the execution is bogged down by philosophical ruminations about AI, power, and truth. Instead of propelling the plot forward, the screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie and Erik Jendresen often stumbles, weighed down by its own self-importance.
The Cruise Factor
Despite the narrative shortcomings, Tom Cruise remains a magnetic presence. He performs jaw-dropping stunts: diving into the Bering Sea, battling atop a biplane, and even launching into an underwater sequence in his underwear. These are classic Ethan Hunt moments, but they can’t fully save the film.
Yet, as seen in our Top 10 Action Movies of 2025 list, action alone no longer guarantees success.
Overstuffed and Over-Explained
The film spends too much time explaining itself. Every punch, dive, and shootout is accompanied by excessive dialogue and flashbacks, turning thrilling sequences into theatrical monologues. Even the visually striking cinematography by Fraser Taggart and frenetic editing by Eddie Hamilton can’t hide the bloat.
At times, it feels like the franchise is asking the audience to venerate Ethan Hunt as a near-deity—”the only one who can save the world”—repeating this notion ad nauseam. The final act even includes a pep talk from a dead friend, reminding Hunt (and the audience) of his significance.
Final Thoughts
If this truly is the last mission, it deserved to end on a more inspired note. Clocking in at nearly three hours, the film has moments of excitement, but these are buried under layers of melodrama, narrative confusion, and a labored thematic message.
For longtime fans of Cruise or completists of the franchise, it may still be worth watching. But casual viewers or those seeking a tight, adrenaline-pumping spy thriller might be better served rewatching Fallout.
“Do we still need Ethan Hunt?” This film leaves us seriously reconsidering the answer.
Cast:
- Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt
- Hayley Atwell as Grace
- Ving Rhames as Luther
Director:
Christopher McQuarrie
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