‘Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning’ review: Dir. Christopher McQuarrie

The first Mission Impossible film was released in 1996. A cinematic adaptation of the popular television show, many were dubious that Tom Cruise had what it took to play super spy Ethan Hunt, and yet he easily proved himself as a viable action man. In the intervening, almost thirty years, the franchise has expanded, with Cruise returning to play Ethan many more times, gaining a team of loyal teammates along the way. In 2023 Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning arrived and heralded the endgame for the franchise. Now, two years later, comes the eighth film in the series and the conclusion to Hunt’s epic adventure, Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning. 

This last outing is also the Mission Impossible series’ longest film, clocking in it at 2 hours and 49 minutes. Whilst some films make the most of an extended run time, Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning squanders its entire first hour in favour of a ‘previously on Mission Impossible’ exposition formula, setting up the mission that will take the final two thirds of the film to explore. Each and every aspect of things to come is explained in great detail, using footage from the previous blanks to fill in vital information. The decision to spend the first hour revisiting scenes from the past in order to set up what is to follow does at least mean that people can forgo rewatching all the previous films prior to watching. There is no need for a refresh as all pertinent information is woven into the story. 

Once the exposition heavy first hour is dispatched, Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning kicks into high gear. As Ethan and his team race across the globe to stop the Entity, the film becomes consumed with constructing death-defying stunt set pieces. And boy are those stunts impressive. Throughout the series, Tom Cruise has steadily become obsessed with pushing his body to the limit, undertaking tasks that would have even the most seasoned stunt person baulking. Along with the typical scenes of Cruise running and fighting, the franchise has become infamous for at least one crazy stunt; for his final mission, Cruise has several up his sleeve. From a claustrophobic deep-sea dive, to an epic fight upon a bi-plane in flight, Cruise and the stunt team behind him have created some incredibly breath-taking feats, with McQuarrie capturing them from enough angles that there is no denying that it is Cruise himself pushing the limits. 

Stripped of the high-adrenaline stunts, the plot of Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning is not as strong as those that have come before. It is, however, still a step up from the muddled mess of Dead Reckoning, but for a film that spends its first third putting pieces into position, the payoff from a narrative perspective is not as strong as the swan song deserves. Ethan is given little chance to develop, remaining his usual superhuman self. It’s a committed performance from Cruise, but one that relies on his physicality rather than emotions to convey his character. Given that this is the last chapter of the story, it is a shame that Ethan is not stretched more, and little about what unfolds feels like this is definitively the last Mission Impossible film.

Outside of Ethan Hunt, there are plenty of returning faces from other films in the series. Many get more screen time than they did in Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, but with the exception of Pom Klementieff’s Paris, there is little progression for anyone. Paris steals almost every scene that she is in, and newcomer Tramell Tillman lights up the screen upon his introduction. Rather than developing these characters and letting this group of talented actors shine, the cluster are stuck reading lines that don’t quite feel authentic, with a surprising onus on eyebrows to convey much of the characters’ thoughts. 

Ultimately the character work is a massive let down, but then this is a film with a firm focus on spectacle. Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning is one last trip with cinema’s craziest spy. A film meant to conjure shock and awe, this last Mission Impossible is an action extravaganza set to open the summer season of movies with a mighty bang.  

A vast improvement from the previous film, Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning is a showcase of Tom Cruise’s stunt prowess and contains plenty of eye-catching action sequences, but fails to properly stick the landing of one of action cinema’s longest franchises.  

Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning is released in cinemas on Wednesday 21st May 2025.