Mission Impossible: Can one of the biggest film franchises finish with a bang?

The Advertiser

22-05-2025

Mission Impossible - The Final Reckoning (M, 170 minutes)
3 stars
Tom Cruise has been entertaining audiences with daring stunts as Ethan Hunt for almost 30 years now.
From scaling rock faces to climbing the world's tallest building, hanging onto a plane on take-off or riding a motorcycle off a cliff, if there's one thing you can rely on when it comes to a Mission: Impossible film, it's death-defying stunts.
So with three decades of unbelievable action work before it, can Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (widely touted as the last entry in the franchise) really raise the bar? Well, yes and no.
This film, eighth in the franchise and a direct extension of 2023's Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1 (not all of us have forgotten this one was supposed to be a part two), ties together some loose ends from the past.
The last film saw Hunt and co secure a very plot-important key from chief antagonist Gabriel (Esai Morales, less menacing this time around), in an attempt to retrieve a piece of technology hidden in a sunken Russian submarine somewhere in the Arctic. This tech would allow the team to combat The Entity, an AI that is attempting to take over the world (apparently the Mission: Impossible universe learned nothing from Skynet).
But if you've remembered none of that going into Final Reckoning, have no fear - there is an exhaustive amount of exposition in the first hour. In an odd decision for a film series that normally starts with a bang, writer-director Christopher McQuarrie opted to open the film with The Entity (illustrated by a pulsing blue light grid) monologuing, giving The Final Reckoning a distinctly science-fiction feel. We're not only subjected to a recap of the previous film - there's also a bunch of flashbacks to moments from all films in the series. The whole first hour feels like a clip show of old, and it's jarring for fans used to the fast pace of Mission: Impossible's other entries.
After laying enough groundwork to build a major city, things finally start to kick into gear with a few action set-pieces.
There's the obligatory running scene, Hunt and Grace (Hayley Atwell returning) being captured, bombs needing to be defused before the timer runs out, mask work (it truly never gets old) and more.
But for the most part, these action sequences feel tamer than we're used to. The peril doesn't feel as high. After such a long introductory period, the action needs to really have you on the edge of your seat, and that doesn't happen until right at the end of the film.
That's where we see the real show-stopper. It just might be the most ambitious stunt yet - and that includes Cruise breaking his ankle jumping between buildings and HALO jumping out of a helicopter. As shown in trailers and TV spots and promo images (like the one with this review), Cruise's big stunt this time involves the old art of wing walking, but dialled up to 11. With top-notch digital removal of the pilot and any safety gear, we see Cruise thrown about within the wings of his bi-plane, holding onto whatever piece of metal prevents him from plummeting to the earth.
It's a stunning sequence that, in a better paced film, would have been up there will the all-time greats.
But, unfortunately, the audience is already so tired of having been in the cinema over two hours by this point that some of the enthusiasm for Hunt's survival has waned.
You see, there's just no escaping the fact that, unlike Cruise's body which he is clearly very keen to show off here, The Final Reckoning is damagingly bloated.
The script also treats minor incidents and plot points from previous entries in the series with a reverence usually saved for massive sci-fi franchises like Star Wars, Star Trek or Lord of the Rings. It's hard to imagine even the most dedicated of M:I fans care all that much about reliving small moments from the other films at the expense of this film getting on with the story.
While still significantly better than the dud that is Mission: Impossible II and featuring some solid action and character moments, The Final Reckoning is not the memorable send-off you'd hope for.
Mission Impossible - The Final Reckoning (M, 170 minutes)
3 stars
Tom Cruise has been entertaining audiences with daring stunts as Ethan Hunt for almost 30 years now.
From scaling rock faces to climbing the world's tallest building, hanging onto a plane on take-off or riding a motorcycle off a cliff, if there's one thing you can rely on when it comes to a Mission: Impossible film, it's death-defying stunts.
So with three decades of unbelievable action work before it, can Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (widely touted as the last entry in the franchise) really raise the bar? Well, yes and no.
This film, eighth in the franchise and a direct extension of 2023's Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1 (not all of us have forgotten this one was supposed to be a part two), ties together some loose ends from the past.
The last film saw Hunt and co secure a very plot-important key from chief antagonist Gabriel (Esai Morales, less menacing this time around), in an attempt to retrieve a piece of technology hidden in a sunken Russian submarine somewhere in the Arctic. This tech would allow the team to combat The Entity, an AI that is attempting to take over the world (apparently the Mission: Impossible universe learned nothing from Skynet).
But if you've remembered none of that going into Final Reckoning, have no fear - there is an exhaustive amount of exposition in the first hour. In an odd decision for a film series that normally starts with a bang, writer-director Christopher McQuarrie opted to open the film with The Entity (illustrated by a pulsing blue light grid) monologuing, giving The Final Reckoning a distinctly science-fiction feel. We're not only subjected to a recap of the previous film - there's also a bunch of flashbacks to moments from all films in the series. The whole first hour feels like a clip show of old, and it's jarring for fans used to the fast pace of Mission: Impossible's other entries.
After laying enough groundwork to build a major city, things finally start to kick into gear with a few action set-pieces.
There's the obligatory running scene, Hunt and Grace (Hayley Atwell returning) being captured, bombs needing to be defused before the timer runs out, mask work (it truly never gets old) and more.
But for the most part, these action sequences feel tamer than we're used to. The peril doesn't feel as high. After such a long introductory period, the action needs to really have you on the edge of your seat, and that doesn't happen until right at the end of the film.
That's where we see the real show-stopper. It just might be the most ambitious stunt yet - and that includes Cruise breaking his ankle jumping between buildings and HALO jumping out of a helicopter. As shown in trailers and TV spots and promo images (like the one with this review), Cruise's big stunt this time involves the old art of wing walking, but dialled up to 11. With top-notch digital removal of the pilot and any safety gear, we see Cruise thrown about within the wings of his bi-plane, holding onto whatever piece of metal prevents him from plummeting to the earth.
It's a stunning sequence that, in a better paced film, would have been up there will the all-time greats.
But, unfortunately, the audience is already so tired of having been in the cinema over two hours by this point that some of the enthusiasm for Hunt's survival has waned.
You see, there's just no escaping the fact that, unlike Cruise's body which he is clearly very keen to show off here, The Final Reckoning is damagingly bloated.
The script also treats minor incidents and plot points from previous entries in the series with a reverence usually saved for massive sci-fi franchises like Star Wars, Star Trek or Lord of the Rings. It's hard to imagine even the most dedicated of M:I fans care all that much about reliving small moments from the other films at the expense of this film getting on with the story.
While still significantly better than the dud that is Mission: Impossible II and featuring some solid action and character moments, The Final Reckoning is not the memorable send-off you'd hope for.
Mission Impossible - The Final Reckoning (M, 170 minutes)
3 stars
Tom Cruise has been entertaining audiences with daring stunts as Ethan Hunt for almost 30 years now.
From scaling rock faces to climbing the world's tallest building, hanging onto a plane on take-off or riding a motorcycle off a cliff, if there's one thing you can rely on when it comes to a Mission: Impossible film, it's death-defying stunts.
So with three decades of unbelievable action work before it, can Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (widely touted as the last entry in the franchise) really raise the bar? Well, yes and no.
This film, eighth in the franchise and a direct extension of 2023's Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1 (not all of us have forgotten this one was supposed to be a part two), ties together some loose ends from the past.
The last film saw Hunt and co secure a very plot-important key from chief antagonist Gabriel (Esai Morales, less menacing this time around), in an attempt to retrieve a piece of technology hidden in a sunken Russian submarine somewhere in the Arctic. This tech would allow the team to combat The Entity, an AI that is attempting to take over the world (apparently the Mission: Impossible universe learned nothing from Skynet).
But if you've remembered none of that going into Final Reckoning, have no fear - there is an exhaustive amount of exposition in the first hour. In an odd decision for a film series that normally starts with a bang, writer-director Christopher McQuarrie opted to open the film with The Entity (illustrated by a pulsing blue light grid) monologuing, giving The Final Reckoning a distinctly science-fiction feel. We're not only subjected to a recap of the previous film - there's also a bunch of flashbacks to moments from all films in the series. The whole first hour feels like a clip show of old, and it's jarring for fans used to the fast pace of Mission: Impossible's other entries.
After laying enough groundwork to build a major city, things finally start to kick into gear with a few action set-pieces.
There's the obligatory running scene, Hunt and Grace (Hayley Atwell returning) being captured, bombs needing to be defused before the timer runs out, mask work (it truly never gets old) and more.
But for the most part, these action sequences feel tamer than we're used to. The peril doesn't feel as high. After such a long introductory period, the action needs to really have you on the edge of your seat, and that doesn't happen until right at the end of the film.
That's where we see the real show-stopper. It just might be the most ambitious stunt yet - and that includes Cruise breaking his ankle jumping between buildings and HALO jumping out of a helicopter. As shown in trailers and TV spots and promo images (like the one with this review), Cruise's big stunt this time involves the old art of wing walking, but dialled up to 11. With top-notch digital removal of the pilot and any safety gear, we see Cruise thrown about within the wings of his bi-plane, holding onto whatever piece of metal prevents him from plummeting to the earth.
It's a stunning sequence that, in a better paced film, would have been up there will the all-time greats.
But, unfortunately, the audience is already so tired of having been in the cinema over two hours by this point that some of the enthusiasm for Hunt's survival has waned.
You see, there's just no escaping the fact that, unlike Cruise's body which he is clearly very keen to show off here, The Final Reckoning is damagingly bloated.
The script also treats minor incidents and plot points from previous entries in the series with a reverence usually saved for massive sci-fi franchises like Star Wars, Star Trek or Lord of the Rings. It's hard to imagine even the most dedicated of M:I fans care all that much about reliving small moments from the other films at the expense of this film getting on with the story.
While still significantly better than the dud that is Mission: Impossible II and featuring some solid action and character moments, The Final Reckoning is not the memorable send-off you'd hope for.
Mission Impossible - The Final Reckoning (M, 170 minutes)
3 stars
Tom Cruise has been entertaining audiences with daring stunts as Ethan Hunt for almost 30 years now.
From scaling rock faces to climbing the world's tallest building, hanging onto a plane on take-off or riding a motorcycle off a cliff, if there's one thing you can rely on when it comes to a Mission: Impossible film, it's death-defying stunts.
So with three decades of unbelievable action work before it, can Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (widely touted as the last entry in the franchise) really raise the bar? Well, yes and no.
This film, eighth in the franchise and a direct extension of 2023's Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1 (not all of us have forgotten this one was supposed to be a part two), ties together some loose ends from the past.
The last film saw Hunt and co secure a very plot-important key from chief antagonist Gabriel (Esai Morales, less menacing this time around), in an attempt to retrieve a piece of technology hidden in a sunken Russian submarine somewhere in the Arctic. This tech would allow the team to combat The Entity, an AI that is attempting to take over the world (apparently the Mission: Impossible universe learned nothing from Skynet).
But if you've remembered none of that going into Final Reckoning, have no fear - there is an exhaustive amount of exposition in the first hour. In an odd decision for a film series that normally starts with a bang, writer-director Christopher McQuarrie opted to open the film with The Entity (illustrated by a pulsing blue light grid) monologuing, giving The Final Reckoning a distinctly science-fiction feel. We're not only subjected to a recap of the previous film - there's also a bunch of flashbacks to moments from all films in the series. The whole first hour feels like a clip show of old, and it's jarring for fans used to the fast pace of Mission: Impossible's other entries.
After laying enough groundwork to build a major city, things finally start to kick into gear with a few action set-pieces.
There's the obligatory running scene, Hunt and Grace (Hayley Atwell returning) being captured, bombs needing to be defused before the timer runs out, mask work (it truly never gets old) and more.
But for the most part, these action sequences feel tamer than we're used to. The peril doesn't feel as high. After such a long introductory period, the action needs to really have you on the edge of your seat, and that doesn't happen until right at the end of the film.
That's where we see the real show-stopper. It just might be the most ambitious stunt yet - and that includes Cruise breaking his ankle jumping between buildings and HALO jumping out of a helicopter. As shown in trailers and TV spots and promo images (like the one with this review), Cruise's big stunt this time involves the old art of wing walking, but dialled up to 11. With top-notch digital removal of the pilot and any safety gear, we see Cruise thrown about within the wings of his bi-plane, holding onto whatever piece of metal prevents him from plummeting to the earth.
It's a stunning sequence that, in a better paced film, would have been up there will the all-time greats.
But, unfortunately, the audience is already so tired of having been in the cinema over two hours by this point that some of the enthusiasm for Hunt's survival has waned.
You see, there's just no escaping the fact that, unlike Cruise's body which he is clearly very keen to show off here, The Final Reckoning is damagingly bloated.
The script also treats minor incidents and plot points from previous entries in the series with a reverence usually saved for massive sci-fi franchises like Star Wars, Star Trek or Lord of the Rings. It's hard to imagine even the most dedicated of M:I fans care all that much about reliving small moments from the other films at the expense of this film getting on with the story.
While still significantly better than the dud that is Mission: Impossible II and featuring some solid action and character moments, The Final Reckoning is not the memorable send-off you'd hope for.