Stunt freak Tom Cruise is back on screen as his cult agent Ethan Hunt, with Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning, the eighth and final installment in the saga. Does the result live up to the star's commitment to the role, as he once again nearly lost it by taking reckless risks on set? The reviews, as you will see, are mixed...
Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning: Ethan Hunt's swan song
Farewell, Ethan Hunt, and thank you for these decades of good and loyal service! The famous character, a member of the Mission Impossible Force team, returns to service for the eighth and final time in a Dantesque film lasting a colossal 2 hours and 49 minutes. In The Final Reckoning, the hero, still played by a more athletic Tom Cruise than ever at over 60, is the only one who can confront the Entity, a terrifying "anti-God." Still directed by Christopher McQuarrie, the film was presented this Wednesday, May 14, at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, as a preview and "out of competition." The first reviews have emerged on social media, and the least we can say is that they are mixed, despite the completely crazy budget allocated to this Mission Impossible 8...
Mission Impossible 8, a mixed film
On X, the lucky ones who discovered Mission Impossible 8 in preview certainly testify to an epic film, but very confusing, and fueled by the obsessions of its star, Tom Cruise.
Mission Impossible The Final Reckoning is the Avengers: Endgame of the Mission: Impossible. This film is an absolute spectacle to behold on the IMAX screen, with set pieces that are among the best in the franchise. It is action-packed, tense, and absolutely breathtaking. Unfortunately, the film can feel rather sluggish due to the accumulation of explanations and bizarre editing choices that make it feel like watching A New Hope. The finale is breathtaking, but when stripped down, it's just a grander version of the Fallout finale, which ends up feeling a bit unoriginal.
Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning is the biggest film in the franchise to date, as it feels like a stretched-out climax spanning nearly three hours of action and emotion. With a darker tone, the stakes have never been higher, and the action scenes are undeniably epic, starting with the spellbinding Sevastopol submarine sequence, which stands out for its sound design, score, and tension. The finale, which features Tom Cruise as a raving madman who soars, swings, and clings to a plane for survival, is also an adrenaline rush. However, bigger doesn't always mean better. As the culmination of a nearly 30-year saga, the film sometimes buckles under the weight of its ambition, getting bogged down in excessive callbacks, overstuffed exposition, unnecessary tie-ins, and forced reveals. Despite its flaws, this supposedly final mission for the IMF team, should we choose to accept it, serves as a satisfying conclusion to what was started with Dead Reckoning. What's next for the series? Only Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie know.
Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning is an absolutely captivating farewell to the franchise's legacy and what Tom Cruise gave Ethan Hunt. While the first 30 to 40 minutes are a little too exposition-driven, every sequence that follows is unbeatable.
"'MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - THE FINAL RECKONING' is the most satisfying tribute Tom Cruise could ask for. Cruise has raised the stakes for action, emotion, and impeccable storytelling.
— ScreenTime (@screentime) May 14, 2025
No M:I fan will walk away from the farewell feeling hard done by." pic.twitter.com/GlwOya0oHe
Mission Impossible The Final Reckoning is the most satisfying tribute Tom Cruise could ask for. Cruise has risen to the challenge of action, emotion, and impeccable storytelling. No M:I fan will come away from this farewell feeling cheated. Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning is one of the greatest action movies of all time. The tension, the stunts, the direction, the editing—everything is near perfection. Tom Cruise once again delivers a legendary performance, and the production value is simply insane. If you thought you'd seen it all in this franchise, this film redefines what's impossible. An absolutely breathtaking experience.
All that's left is to wait until May 21st to make up your own mind in theaters!
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