While pushing the boundaries of what action cinema can deliver in the modern era, “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” emerges as Christopher McQuarrie’s crowning achievement in the long-running franchise. Tom Cruise returns as the indefatigable Ethan Hunt, showcasing his trademark commitment to practical stunts in what critics are calling the most physically demanding entry yet, featuring more running sequences than any previous installment—because apparently Cruise’s cardio regimen deserves its own billing.
McQuarrie’s crowning achievement redefines action cinema with Cruise’s jaw-dropping stunt work and relentless running sequences.
The film’s narrative picks up where its predecessor left off, thrusting viewers into a high-stakes mission centered on a rogue AI known as the Entity. Hunt and his loyal team—the ever-reliable Luther and tech-wizard Benji—must race to secure two high-tech keys that control this artificial intelligence before Gabriel, a mysterious antagonist with ties to Ethan’s past, can weaponize the technology. The story continues exactly two months after the events of Dead Reckoning Part One, maintaining the tense pacing established in the previous film.
The addition of Grace, a skilled thief unwittingly drawn into the espionage world, adds fresh dynamics to the established team chemistry. The film will be released in 2025, before Cruise’s 63rd birthday, marking nearly three decades since his first outing as Ethan Hunt. Following in the tradition of genre hybridization, the film seamlessly blends elements of sophisticated thriller narratives with high-octane action sequences.
Critics have been particularly effusive about the film’s action sequences, describing one scene as having horror-movie elements and another featuring a plane stunt that’s already being hailed as one of cinema’s greatest moments. McQuarrie orchestrates these set-pieces with masterful precision, creating what one reviewer called a “pulse-pounding, breath-stealing experience” that rarely allows viewers a moment’s respite.
The emotional stakes are equally compelling, with Ilsa Faust’s dramatic demise at a Venice party serving as a pivotal moment that propels both the plot and Ethan’s personal journey. The climactic sequence aboard the sunken Russian submarine Sevastopol delivers a fitting culmination to the technological themes, exploring the ethical implications of AI while explosions and hand-to-hand combat unfold at breakneck speed.
Though some critics have labeled the film “incredibly bloated,” the consensus views “The Final Reckoning” as a triumphant love letter to fans who’ve followed Hunt’s impossible missions for decades, cleverly weaving together threads from previous films into a satisfying espionage tapestry.