Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning review: Tom Cruise Goes Deep and Soars High to Save the World

Nearly thirty years have passed since Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt first made his iconic descent into a CIA vault, launching what would become one of Hollywood’s most enduring action franchises. In Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Cruise returns to headline a film packed with spectacle, danger, and a renewed threat. This time, Hunt finds himself battling not just human adversaries, but the immense and complex challenge of artificial intelligence.

The eighth installment in the franchise continues directly from the events of Dead Reckoning Part One. The global threat posed by AI looms larger than ever, with a rogue system known as Entity planning to manipulate nuclear-armed nations by seizing control of their encrypted data networks. The stakes are catastrophic—detonations that could trigger global warfare and potentially wipe out humanity. Tasked by the U.S. President, Hunt is once again drawn into a mission only he can undertake.

To counter the AI threat, Hunt reunites with his trusted allies: the ever-reliable Luther Stickell, the sharp-witted Benji Dunn, the resourceful Grace, and former assassin Paris. Their objective is to retrieve a key component known as Podkova, hidden within a sunken Russian submarine. The mission’s success depends on pairing this source code with a unique fail-safe developed by Luther, referred to as the “poison pill,” to neutralize Entity before disaster strikes.

As the team races against time, Hunt must undertake yet another series of impossible tasks. These include plummeting from aircraft into the frigid Arctic Ocean, plunging deep underwater to locate the sunken device, and surviving near-fatal encounters in unlikely situations—even one where he’s caught unarmed in his underwear. Cruise performs these feats with his trademark intensity, once again pushing the physical boundaries of the role.

At 62, Cruise still brings energy and physicality to the character, performing demanding stunts that continue to raise the bar for action cinema. Yet this time, the spectacle starts to lose its edge. While Hunt’s heroics remain gripping, the film’s action set pieces occasionally feel overly familiar and drawn-out. The lengthy mid-air plane sequence and underwater rescue, in particular, stretch believability even for a franchise known for its audacity.

Beyond the action, the narrative reveals signs of strain. While The Final Reckoning attempts to ground its story in the real-world implications of AI’s rise, it struggles to maintain balance. Director Christopher McQuarrie, also co-writer and co-producer, attempts to infuse the film with reflections on technological ethics, but the result is a somewhat disjointed blend of philosophical musings and pulse-pounding sequences. The first act moves slowly, bogged down by exposition, before regaining momentum during the team’s pursuit of the Podkova. However, the climax fails to sustain this pace, leading to an uneven conclusion.

Despite these issues, the film still offers moments of vintage Cruise magic—fight scenes that test endurance, escapes executed with precision, and the steely resolve of a man used to saving the world. These elements may not reinvent the formula, but they deliver enough thrills for long-time fans.

There remains uncertainty over whether this is truly the franchise’s swan song. No definitive statement has been made, but the sense that this chapter could close the series lingers. After decades of world-saving missions, perhaps it is time to allow Ethan Hunt to step away from the spotlight. A new era of heroes may be needed, ones capable of carrying the legacy forward in a world facing new threats.

Whether or not the series ends here, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning serves as a reminder of the franchise’s evolution—from its sleek beginnings in the 1990s to its tech-driven blockbusters of today. If this is indeed Ethan Hunt’s last mission, it’s a fitting, if imperfect, farewell.