MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: THE FINAL RECKONING
(director/writer: Christopher McQuarrie; screenwriter: Erik Jendresen; cinematographer: Fraser Taggert; editor: Eddie Hamilton; music: Max Aruj, Alfie Godfrey; cast: Tom Cruise (Ethan Hunt), Hayley Atwell (Grace), Ving Rhames (Luther Strickell), Simon Pegg (Benji Dunn), Esai Morales (Gabriel), Pom Klementieff (Paris), Henry Czerny (Kittridge), Holt McCallany (Serling), Janet McTeer (Walters), Nick Offerman (General Sidney), Hannah Waddingham (Admiral Neely), Tramell Tillman (Captain Bledsoe), Angela Bassett (President Erika Sloane); Runtime: 169; MPAA Rating: PG-13; producers: Tom Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie; Paramount Pictures; 2025-in English, some French, subtitles)
“Not the best of the franchise films.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
This is the 8th and final “Mission Impossible” film and the 4th time Christopher McQuarrie (“Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation”/”Jack Reacher”) is directing a “Mission Impossible” film. He co-writes the silly script with Erik Jendresen, as they keep it exciting though it overstays its welcome by going on for too long at a 169 minutes. This episode is not the best of the franchise films in its 30-year history, but is somewhere in the middle of the pack despite its stilted dialogue, being humorless, and having too many subplots and flashbacks. It also comes with a strong anti-AI message and a magnificently staged stunt spectacle climax, whereby the futuristic Apollo spacecraft turns into a fireball as Cruise ascends the skies in a showdown battle. The always fit 62-year-old Tom Cruise is in all his glory doing all the daring stunts (like hanging from an airplane wing while it’s in flight), and going full-blast with his patriotic militaristic chatter and penchant for cliches.
President Sloane (Angela Bassett) gives the maverick IMF agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) the mission to save the world by finding the source code of the evil parasitic AI Entity and to disable its ability to control the world’s nuclear weapons. The Entity is located somewhere inside a sunken Russian submarine, in which a CIA agent locates. Meanwhile, Ethan’s villainous rival Gabriel (Esai Morales) goes all out to gain control of the entity for his own nefarious purposes to rule the world. He’s not a fully developed character, therefore he makes for a poor main villain.
Ethan partners with his regular team of Grace (Hayley Atwell), Luther (Ving Rhames) and Benji (Simon Pegg) in his final mission. He also introduces us to a new character, the US sub commander Capt. Bledsoe (Tramell Tillman), who gives a pleasing campy performance.
Since the franchise has such a big fanbase and it’s such a big box-office hit, I seriously doubt that this visually attractive film will be the last “Mission Impossible.”
It played at the Cannes Film Festival.
REVIEWED ON 5/18/2025 GRADE: B-
dennisschwartzreviews.com