After months of teasing trailers, breathless speculation and behind-the-scenes whispers that this was the final curtain call for Ethan Hunt, my mate and I finally managed to see Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning. With a rare pass to the cinema—granted by our generous partners who stayed home with the kids—we were free to indulge in two and a half hours of unfiltered Tom Cruise energy.
And yes, he still has it.
From the first pulse-pounding set piece, you can tell Tom Cruise is not just starring in this film—he is this film. The man is still somehow outrunning time, physics and possibly common sense.
But beneath the high-octane madness, there’s a very specific question lurking: does this film actually work as the finale to one of cinema’s most beloved action franchises?
The Good
Let’s start with the positives—because there are many. The action? Still absurdly entertaining. The stunts? Bigger and even more death-defying than before. Cruise may have finally reached the point where he’s less an actor and more an actual action figure that somehow achieved sentience.
The supporting cast is solid, too. Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg are back doing their usual “tech guy banter meets sudden emotional gravity” routine. Hayley Atwell once again steals every scene she’s in, and the villains, while a bit generic, deliver enough menace to keep things rolling.
There are also some genuinely great callbacks to the original 1996 Mission: Impossible—a certain location, a certain heist-style setup, and even a subtle echo of that iconic Langley ceiling-drop moment. It’s a nice nod to fans who’ve stuck with this series through every exploding motorcycle and shady IMF betrayal.
The Plot: Don’t Think Too Hard
Now, here’s where things get a little shakier.
There is a plot—technically. Something about a rogue AI that’s gone off the rails, a buried secret from Ethan’s past, and a mysterious key that could save or destroy the world (depending on which exposition dump you’re paying attention to). But after the second act, the logic starts to wobble harder than a train Tom Cruise hasn’t jumped off yet.
The story tries to blend emotion, nostalgia, and suspense, but too often, it feels like it’s racing to the next set piece rather than building a satisfying narrative. Plot twists are dropped like rain from a cloud—some land, but others just evaporate into thin air! And at times, it seems like the filmmakers are more interested in outdoing the last film than actually resolving the saga in a meaningful way.
The End of the Road?
As a franchise capper, Final Reckoning has the vibe of a band’s final concert: there’s spectacle, callbacks, and an effort to hit the emotional notes—but you can feel them keeping one eye on the exit, just in case someone throws enough money at them for an encore.
Did I enjoy it? Absolutely. Was it satisfying as the final entry? Debatable.
It wraps some things up, sure—but it also leaves doors very slightly ajar. Maybe that’s on purpose. Maybe it’s just Hollywood hedging its bets. Either way, it didn’t quite hit the emotional highs of, say, Skyfall or Logan, both of which managed to stick the landing when it came to saying goodbye.
Still, for what it is—a giant, expensive, highly entertaining rollercoaster ride—it delivers.
Final Thoughts
As we walked out of the cinema, I turned to my mate and asked him to sum it up. He didn’t hesitate.
“I got what I wanted. A Mission: Impossible.” And really, that’s the best way to put it.
This film won’t win over cynics or newcomers. But for those of us who’ve followed Ethan Hunt from Prague to the Burj Khalifa to skydiving out of planes in Paris, it’s a fitting—if slightly chaotic—final salute.
Rating: 3.5/5
Thrilling, messy, nostalgic, and just the right amount of ridiculous—Final Reckoning gives you exactly what it promises. Nothing more. Nothing less. A mission… impossible.
