Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning
Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning: A Thrilling, If Overlong, Blockbuster Spectacle
Summer has arrived, and with it, the eighth chapter of the Mission: Impossible saga, Final Reckoning, explodes onto screens. Tom Cruise returns as the indomitable Ethan Hunt, leading his Impossible Mission Force (IMF) team in a high-stakes race to destroy a rogue super-AI computer, The Entity, before it seizes control of the world’s nuclear arsenal. Picking up where Dead Reckoning left off, this installment delivers the franchise’s signature pulse-pounding action, though at times it stumbles under its own weight.
For fans of the series, Final Reckoning is a love letter to the franchise’s 29-year legacy. Clever flashbacks and tributes to all seven predecessors weave a nostalgic thread, sparking delight with callbacks to the 1996 original. Even newcomers will be swept up by the breathtaking stunts that have defined Mission: Impossible for nearly three decades. Cruise, defying age and gravity, tackles jaw-dropping feats across air, sea, and land, from vertigo-inducing aerial sequences to heart-stopping deep sea dives. When the action hits, it’s relentless, leaving audiences breathless and gripping their seats.
Yet, the film’s 2-hour-50-minute runtime tests patience. Lengthy stretches of filler—including an abundance of scenes showcasing Cruise’s signature sprint—drag the pacing, with moments that could have been trimmed for a tighter narrative. The villain, Gabriel (Esai Morales), fails to embody the menace the story demands, and the script muddies the waters by pitting Ethan against both Gabriel and The Entity, leaving audiences unsure of the true antagonist. Plot holes and implausible scenarios abound, requiring viewers to suspend disbelief more than usual.
The supporting cast shines, with Hayley Atwell and Pom Klementieff injecting fresh energy alongside franchise stalwarts Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames. Their chemistry grounds the film’s quieter moments, even when the story meanders.
Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning is a quintessential summer blockbuster—exhilarating, fun, and occasionally flawed. Embrace it for its death-defying stunts and nostalgic charm, overlook its excesses, and you’re in for a thrilling ride. Just don’t expect a flawless mission.
Rating: 8/10
Lead image courtesy of Paramount Pictures/Skydance
