They say cinema is dying. Tom Cruise says: “Hold my biplane.” With Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Cruise and longtime collaborator/writer-director Christopher McQuarrie deliver a relentless, operatic finale that pulls off the nearly impossible: It sticks the landing.
Yes, there are dizzying stunts (he dives into a sunken Russian sub, hangs from a biplane mid-air, and escapes death underwater with no air supply). Yes, the villain is a rogue AI hellbent on global annihilation, and yes, it’s a little long. But dammit, it’s good. Really good.
THE PLOT: THE ENTITY STRIKES BACK
Two months after retrieving the key to the Entity—the malevolent AI that’s hijacked the world’s nuclear systems—Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and Grace (Hayley Atwell) are still chasing ghosts. Gabriel (a chewing-up-the-scenery Esai Morales), the Entity’s former proxy, captures them and reveals that the AI has ditched him like last season’s tech. Its new objective? Survival. And Ethan is forced to recover the long-lost “Rabbit’s Foot”—revealed to be the core module—resting deep inside a Russian submarine wreck at the bottom of the ocean.
If that sounds like a lot, it is. The plot juggles nuclear codes, Cold War sonar arrays, double-crossing spooks, deep-sea survival, and old IMF faces (and legacies) coming full circle—including a surprising emotional anchor in Ving Rhames’ Luther Stickell.
With a price tag of $400 million, Final Reckoning is one of the most expensive films ever made. Cruise, who once again does his own stunts (including an underwater sequence and a mid-air biplane fight), insists on practical effects wherever possible. It’s a gamble, but it pays off. From underwater submarine thrills to the final sky-high dogfight, the film is committed to delivering spectacle.
The rest of the cast shines as well: Atwell brings fierce intelligence and chemistry as Grace, Simon Pegg adds his usual blend of humor and heart as Benji, and Pom Klementieff is a feral force of nature as Paris. Henry Czerny and Angela Bassett all make strong impressions in limited screen time, reinforcing the ensemble strength that’s always made this franchise more than just a one-man show.
The cinematography by Fraser Taggart is breathtaking. Whether we’re diving into a submerged sub or soaring across mountain peaks, every frame is polished and immersive, balancing technical mastery with visual storytelling.
THE HEART OF THE MISSION: LUTHER & ETHAN
For all the flash, Final Reckoning doesn’t forget its soul. The moment between Ethan and Luther before Luther sacrifices himself? It hits hard. These aren’t just action figures in a toy box—Cruise and Rhames have built a genuine bond over seven films, and it pays off beautifully here in the eighth.
Luther’s voiceover monologue near the end, as the Entity teeters on the brink and the world watches, is quiet, poetic, and shockingly profound. It’s Mission: Impossible doing something it doesn’t always do: letting the silence speak volumes.
THE STUNTS: GO BIG OR GO TO STREAMING
Let’s get this straight: Cruise dives to a wrecked nuclear sub, loses his oxygen, dies, and is brought back via portable decompression chamber. Later, he hijacks a biplane in mid-air and kills Gabriel with the rudder.
And none of it feels gratuitous. Cruise and McQuarrie are pushing the limits of practical action cinema with a sincerity that borders on madness—and we are all the better for it.
YES, IT’S LONG. BUT YOU GET WHAT YOU PAID FOR.
Clocking in just over 2.5 hours with flashbacks, callbacks, and some slightly bloated exposition, the film is undeniably a bit too long. But when AMC is charging $28 for a ticket and popcorn might need financing, Cruise clearly wants you to feel it was worth every cent. And you will. There’s not a lazy frame in sight. From the sunken Sevastopol to the South African digital bunker, the film unfolds like a greatest-hits album that dares to write a new anthem.
FINAL VERDICT
The Final Reckoning is more than just Cruise’s final bow as Ethan Hunt—it’s a love letter to audiences who still show up. To storytelling that’s felt. To stunts that are real. And to characters who mean something after almost three decades.
Whether it’s the jaw-dropping action, the shockingly emotional goodbyes, or the satisfying full-circle conclusion (yes, even a Jim Phelps Jr. arc!), Final Reckoning delivers.
And if this really is the end? Ethan didn’t just accept the mission.
He made it unforgettable.
Bottom Line: Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is a return to old-time Hollywood spectacle. It’s a Reel See.
The Geek is a working screenwriter, director and screenwriting instructor.
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