How do you sum up a movie like this? How do you sum up this series that started over some 30 odd years ago? Well you open it with a montage of ALL those 35 years of missions done by the one and only Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt. All his villians, all his losses. Everything we have all gone through together while watching this series. It’s almost like we’re family at this point.

To put the basics out first and foremost, let me cover them real quick. The new film picks up exactly where the previous part left off. Agent Ethan Hunt is in possession of the cruciform key, and the Entity is becoming increasingly powerful. As everyone anticipated, Ethan sets out to locate the submarine and destroy the Entity at any cost. However, the IMF chief and U. S. authorities are aiming to control the Entity rather than eliminate it. Standing against this is the Madam President Erika Sloane (Angela Bassett), who urges Ethan to save the country just one more time, along with General Sidney (Nick Offerman).

‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ is the 8th and yes, seemingly final film in the franchise. Pretty impressive that Tom Cruise has been steadily making these for 30 years, without ever over-saturating the film market with it unlike some franchise series. “Final Reckoning” is a direct sequel to ‘Dead Reckoning’, and we find Ethan Hunt in possession of said key to stop the malevolent AI called “The Entity”. Now the The Entiity can be a lot of things, and not to get political, but to me it meant Elon, Mark, Jeff. Period. Full Stop. With that being said, we move on with the plot. With this key, it means Ethan comes out of the shadows a bit once again with the plot being he has to retrieve something from a sunken submarine, which is arguably one of the most intense scenes in the film, as well as possibly the most unbelievable, but is expertly done. And that’s a running undertone in this film. It seems unbelievable, but if you really think about it, it’s also very believable and could – well, actually be someday. The CIA still doesn’t trust him. He’s still being chased by all kinds of people. And he and his team are once again doing these insane, almost impossible missions that somehow push the limits every time. The rest of the Ethan’s team seemed to get more screen time this time, and there were a few cool scenes where it cut between them fighting in their own dangerous situations-those parts were especially intense and exciting.

Speaking of this team, we get to see most of the team from the previous film back – long-timers Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames), Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), Kittridge (Henry Czerny), plus returnees Grace (Hayley Atwell), Paris (Pom Klementieff) and villian Gabriel (Esai Morales). Newcomer Tramel Tillman does a fine job as submarine Captain Bledsoe. The best call-back though is Donloe (Rolf Saxon), and how he’s important to the story as well, I would be remiss to not mention Shea Whigham as Jasper Briggs, and we know yes, we know who his dad was at the beginning of this series. As much as it’s all about Ethan, it’s always good to see the IMF team in action. I will give a quick shoutout to my old client from waaaay back in my APA days, the always wonderful, lovely, Holt McCallany reprising his role as Serling.

Similar to the last film, it’s shot around the world – London, Norway, South Africa. The stunts in the bi-planes flying over the South African coast are particularly stunning, and amazing to know that Cruise is literally hanging on those planes himself. There is one sequence, a 20-minute spectacle involving planes, that had us gripping the edge of our seats. Not because it was over-the-top, but because it felt so damn real. Remember when I said there are ‘undertones’, well, this one is right in front of your face. If you ever read the wonderful, brilliant Charles Schultz “Peanuts” comics. Snoopy thinks he’s a World War I pilot and flies The Sopwith Camel, and who is he fighting – well, The Red Baron of course. Did no one notice the colour of the planes? This was that. As well, the positioning of the cameras, the roaring sound of the engines, the barely visible tremble in Ethan’s muscles. All of it screams authenticity. You could feel the gravity. You could feel the weight. And you could tell Cruise was putting every drop of himself into it. It is art through adrenaline.

This film is not just about espionage, global threats, or saving the world. At its very core, it is a cinematic love letter to Tom Cruise. From the very first shot, the camera practically worships him. And honestly, we do too. There is no plastic surgery – there is no botox, this is ALL Tom Cruise in his graceful aging self. And what a self it is. This man is the Taylor Swift of the Film world. I implore, no wait, I beg you to stay for the end credits to see things like The Polar Bear handler and The Snake Wrangler that he employed in the different places he films. It’s mind blowing. He is Mission: Impossible. It’s almost as if the film pauses just long enough to let us appreciate the legacy he’s built. The real bruises, the real fear in his eyes, the real wind slamming against his face thousands of feet in the air. When they say he does his own stunts, this movie is the ultimate proof of that. Having been fortunate enought to have three close friends as stunt women/men in my life, there are times I can tell when he uses one a stunt double, but trust me, it’s rare. That speaks volumes about the man, the actor, the physic. Quick note for the women that read this review: Tom Cruise does a full fight scene in Boxer briefs. Sorry guys, I had to throw that in. It’s a sight to behold and it’s so legit. Like too legit to quit. (Thank you MC Hammer)!

As well, Cruise himself doesn’t give a rat’s poop what people think about him, his personal life, or anyone else’s for that matter. Sure, he is a Scientologist, make of that what you want, but at one point Hannah Waddingham’s character, Admiral Neely, hands him a St. Christopher medal. Esai Morales, a known anti-vaxxer, flashbacks of Jon Voight, a full MAGA, Simon Pegg – a walking, talking controversy. As we say, it is what it is. He wants a good movie and he makes a good movie. Period.

To know what happens next, you must watch the movie. The Final Reckoning is a heavy, brooding farewell that wants to honor Ethan Hunt and Tom Cruise with the gravitas of a cinematic eulogy. Because this feels like the last time we’ll see him this raw, this real. If this really is the end, and I think it is, The Final Reckoning isn’t flawless but it is fearless. Thank you, Tom Cruise for these past 30+ years of cinematic brilliance. Just thank you.

This film is an absolute adrenaline rush making the almost three hour runtime fly by, and pulling together the last 30 years of this insane franchise. At the end, there’s no new mission for Ethan. Maybe this really is the end of a franchise that’s lasted this long.

I shall miss this franchise – Mission: Impossible – I bid you a fond adieu.

Grade: A-

“MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE” IS OUT FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2025

Review Screening: Thursday, May 15, 2025 ~ Courtesy of Paramount Pictures