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Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning arrives as the presumed final chapter in the long-running action franchise led by Tom Cruise’s iconic Ethan Hunt, but it lands with more fatigue than fireworks. What was once a high-octane saga of thrilling stunts and globe-trotting espionage now feels burdened by an overcomplicated plot, excessive exposition, and a surprisingly somber tone that struggles to justify its nearly three-hour runtime.
Picking up from where Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One left off, this eighth installment tries to tie together a web of storylines surrounding a malevolent Artificial Intelligence called the Entity. The AI has the potential to breach global security networks, destabilize governments, and bring the world to the brink of annihilation. Ethan Hunt must recover the Entity’s source code buried deep within a sunken Russian submarine, all while being hunted by Gabriel (Esai Morales), a ghost from his past and the current human agent of the Entity.
Hunt’s usual allies are back for the ride: Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames), Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), Grace (Hayley Atwell) — a nimble-fingered pickpocket turned agent, and Paris (Pom Klementieff), a reformed assassin. Together, they attempt to pair the source code with a “poison pill” developed by Luther to permanently neutralize the AI. The stakes are colossal, but the emotional and narrative impact is muted.
The Final Reckoning is riddled with extended conversations and overwrought philosophical musings about truth, trust, and the role of humanity in an increasingly mechanized world. These dialogues are less enlightening and more exhausting, slowing the pace between action scenes. Characters repeatedly articulate their motivations, fears, and intentions aloud — not just to each other, but to the audience, as if trying to compensate for gaps in the plot.
Visually, the film maintains the franchise’s high production values, with stunning cinematography by Fraser Taggart and fast-paced editing from Eddie Hamilton. Shadowy war rooms, claustrophobic underwater passages, and dynamic city chases offer plenty of stylistic flair. Yet, even the grandiose set pieces — including an underwater mission in the Bering Sea and a high-flying biplane fight — lack the jaw-dropping impact of previous entries.
Tom Cruise is once again front and center, performing death-defying stunts and embodying the relentless determination of Ethan Hunt. However, the script’s overemphasis on his near-mythic status begins to wear thin. The reverence with which characters speak of Hunt — “You’re the only one I trust to save the world” — borders on parody. His messianic portrayal risks making him feel less like a relatable hero and more like a cinematic relic.
The film’s structure — replete with flashbacks, fade-ins, recycled footage from earlier installments, and callbacks to long-forgotten characters — comes across more as a franchise retrospective than a cohesive story. While longtime fans may appreciate the nostalgia, it can also feel cluttered and disjointed, especially for viewers seeking a fresh narrative direction.
Even the thematic core of the movie — a warning against AI weaponization and authoritarian power — is treated with such repetitive seriousness that it begins to feel less like a spy thriller and more like a tech-dystopia sermon. The moments meant to evoke gravitas instead risk numbing the audience with their heavy-handedness.
That said, there are still bursts of classic Mission: Impossible energy. Atwell brings charisma and agility to her role, and Pegg offers moments of much-needed levity. The action, when allowed to breathe, still crackles with tension. But these highlights are too few and far between to elevate the film as a whole.
If this is truly the final mission, it’s a farewell that lacks the heart-pounding thrill and emotional resolution fans might have hoped for. It feels more like an epilogue stretched thin, not the climactic crescendo that the series deserves.
Verdict: A technically polished but narratively fatigued final chapter that trades excitement for exposition. Cruise is still compelling, but even he can’t save this mission from its overambitious weight.
