Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning
Ethan Hunt and the IMF team continue their search for the terrifying AI known as the Entity - which has infiltrated intelligence networks all over the globe - with the world's governments and a mysterious ghost from Ethan's past on their trail. Joined by new allies and armed with the means to shut the Entity down for good, Hunt is in a race against time to prevent the world as we know it from changing forever.
Hipster ZOMBIE reviewedMay 30, 2025
“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” delivers everything you’d expect from a Tom Cruise–led installment of the long-running espionage series: jaw-dropping stunts, globe-trotting set-pieces, and Cruise’s love and commitment to the character of Ethan Hunt and his compatriots.
The action choreography here is nothing short of exceptional. One standout sequence finds Hunt dangling from the side of a bi-plane with no green screen and little cgi effects added.
Yet for all its spectacular highs, “The Final Reckoning” is hampered by its considerable three-hour runtime. Early scenes labor under extended exposition, as flashbacks to Hunt’s formative missions unfold in painstaking detail. While the intention is to provide emotional depth—revealing scars both physical and psychological—it often feels repetitive, pulling momentum away from the roving, breakneck pace the series has mastered. Exposition dumps threaten to stall the narrative engine right when you’re gearing up for the next set-piece, and flashback sequences, though beautifully shot, interrupt the present-day urgency.
Moreover, the film’s climactic third act, sprawling across multiple continents, occasionally suffers from “by-the-numbers” fatigue—juggling too many subplots and shifting alliances. It’s hard not to appreciate each individual puzzle piece—sly betrayals, last-second escapes, gadgetry on overdrive—but piecing them together into a coherent whole takes longer than it should. By the time the final credits roll, you’ve experienced a cinematic workout, but you may also find yourself checking the clock, wondering if a leaner edit might have sharpened the emotional arc.
In the end, “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” stands as a testament to Tom Cruise’s enduring star power and the franchise’s unmatched prowess in crafting jaw-dropping stunts. It is, without question, a thrill ride—one that earns every inch of its spectacle. Yet its generous three-hour spread of flashbacks and exposition bloats an otherwise taut experience. Fans hungry for action will be well-sated, but those seeking a more streamlined narrative might leave wishing for a tighter belt. It’s a good Mission Impossible film, just not the great send off fans might have been hoping for.