After almost 30 years of Tom Cruise dangling from helicopters, scaling skyscrapers, and saving the world, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025) wants to give Ethan Hunt the send-off he deserves. Directed by Christopher McQuarrie and picking up where Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) left off, this eighth chapter in the action-packed saga brings jaw-dropping stunts and a love letter to the franchise’s past. But with a nearly three-hour runtime and a story that feels a bit too full of itself, it doesn’t quite hit the high notes of the series’ best. It’s a thrill ride, no doubt, but one that leaves you a little dizzy from all the twists.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning: A Big, Messy Mission
The movie jumps in two months after Dead Reckoning, with Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF crew—Luther (Ving Rhames), Benji (Simon Pegg), and Grace (Hayley Atwell)—chasing down the Entity, a rogue AI that’s got the world’s powers in its grip. Teamed up with a creepy villain, Gabriel (Esai Morales), and a cult with apocalyptic vibes, the Entity’s out to wreak havoc. Ethan’s got a mysterious key, some old grudges, and a whole lot of betrayals to deal with as he tries to save the planet.
The story’s a lot. It’s packed with nods to every Mission: Impossible film, complete with flashbacks and familiar faces like William Donloe (Rolf Saxon) from the ’96 original. These throwbacks are fun for fans, but they make the first hour feel like a recap episode, dragging with long-winded explanations and big, serious speeches about truth and fate. It’s like the movie’s trying to tie up every loose end, but it ends up feeling heavy and a bit sluggish.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning: Tom Cruise Is Still the King of Crazy Stunts
Let’s be real: the stunts are why we show up, and The Final Reckoning doesn’t disappoint. Tom Cruise, somehow still going strong at 62, pulls off stuff that makes your jaw drop. There’s an insane underwater sequence in a sunken Russian submarine that feels like something out of a James Cameron flick—tense, gorgeous, and totally gripping. Then there’s a biplane chase through South Africa’s canyons that’s pure, heart-pounding chaos. Cruise earned a Guinness World Record for 16 parachute jumps on fire for this one, and you can feel his commitment in every frame. Shot in IMAX, these scenes are the kind you need to see on the biggest screen you can find.
The submarine bit, where Ethan swims through a maze of wreckage, is a visual stunner, with the IMAX frame opening up to pull you right into the action. The biplane chase, with Cruise hanging off the wing like it’s just another Tuesday, is the kind of over-the-top spectacle this series does best. These moments alone make the ticket worth it, even if the story takes its sweet time between them.
A Great Cast That Deserves More
The cast is stacked—Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Hayley Atwell, plus new folks like Angela Bassett and Tramell Tillman as the slick Captain Bledsoe. They’ve all got charm to spare, but the script doesn’t always know what to do with them. Grace gets some solid moments, but Luther and Benji are mostly there for emotional support, not action. Gabriel, the bad guy, feels like he’s just along for the ride, overshadowed by the Entity’s big, vague threat. And while Ethan’s the heart of the story, his lone-wolf vibe leaves little room for the team chemistry that made movies like Rogue Nation so fun.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning: Nostalgia Meets Serious Vibes
This movie loves looking back. You’ve got montages of old missions, callbacks to iconic scenes like the Burj Khalifa climb, and a constant sense of “remember this?” It’s sweet for longtime fans, but it can feel like the movie’s patting itself on the back a bit too much. At 2 hours and 49 minutes, it’s long, and the serious tone doesn’t help. Unlike Fallout or Ghost Protocol, which had a playful edge, this one’s all about doom and gloom, with the Entity’s world-ending stakes and Ethan’s soul-searching. It’s missing that spark of fun that made the best entries pop.
The Entity itself, while a cool idea in today’s AI-obsessed world, feels a bit too abstract. It’s controlling nukes and bending reality, but it’s hard to care about a villain that’s basically a super-smart computer. The stakes are sky-high, but they don’t hit as hard as, say, a good old-fashioned bomb.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning's Box Office and Buzz
Hitting theaters on May 23, 2025, after glitzy premieres in Tokyo and Cannes, The Final Reckoning has pulled in $454.4 million globally on a $400 million budget. It’s a big number, but it’s not enough to break even yet, and it lagged behind Lilo & Stitch at the box office. With a 79% on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s the lowest-rated since Mission: Impossible III, ending a streak of 90%+ scores. X posts show fans are split—some call it a “mind-blowing finale” with “epic stunts,” while others say it’s “overstuffed” and “kinda flat.” The action’s a hit, but the pacing and heavy vibe have folks divided.
A Big, Bold Goodbye to Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is Tom Cruise doing what he does best: risking it all for our entertainment. The stunts are unreal, the visuals are stunning, and the nods to the past tug at your heartstrings. But with a bloated story, too much talking, and a vibe that’s more grim than fun, it doesn’t quite match the magic of Fallout or Ghost Protocol. If you’ve been with Ethan since the beginning, it’s a must-see for the spectacle and closure. Newbies might find it a bit too caught up in its own history.
Rating: 3.5/5
It’s a wild, emotional ride that doesn’t always land, but when it soars, it’s pure Mission: Impossible magic. Catch it in IMAX if you can.