Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning (2025)
Theoretically, Tom Cruise's nearly 30-year run as super spy Ethan Hunt in the Mission: Impossible series is coming to an end with Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning. It's not the best of the series, but it has enough thrills to likely please fans of the series as a swan song.
Hunt is still trying to deal with the
Entity, the villainous sentient AI program introduced in the superior Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning. If he does not regain control of the Entity, it
will start a nuclear war that will destroy the planet. Gabriel (Esai Morales)
also returns to attempt to thwart Hunt, but he's not as big of a factor in this
film.
There are some flaws here. It's 170
minutes long, and the first hour of the film definitely could have been
condensed a bit. Gabriel was a good villain in the previous film, but, here,
Hunt is primarily fighting the Entity itself and a computer makes for a less
compelling villain. Also, the Mission: Impossible series shines when
Hunt and his associates act as a team. Here, Hunt is often on his own.
However, there's still a lot to enjoy
for fans. The final hour features Hunt clutching desperately to the wing of a
biplane as it navigates a treacherous mountain canyon. The stunt work is real
and tactile and not CGI. As a result, this reviewer's palms were sweating while
watching it. There's also a great callback to the original film that adds a
nice human touch to the proceedings. Tramell Tillman of Severance has a
wry turn as a submarine commander.
Franchises rarely (if ever) end on a
series-best note, but at least Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning should
leave fans reasonably happy.
