I wonder if Tom Cruise wakes up in the morning with a thought of doing something dangerous, then goes and tells his production team to put it in a movie, because, once again, the 8th and, possibly, final episode in the hugely successful Mission: Impossible series, The Final Reckoning, has the Cruise doing things that other movie stars get trained stunt people to do. Let’s face it, it’s the reason we keep going back for more in this incredibly exciting, if constantly ludicrous, franchise. If this is the last film, it’s not a bad way to go out, with Cruise hanging from a biplane.

It’s a race against time and possible world destruction as The Entity, the AI system, starts taking over the major nuclear powers’ launch controls. With the key he managed to get his hands on, Ethan Hunt becomes the only man who can stop the system but with the US government still not trusting him and his IM team having to break the rules to save the day, Hunt has to risk it all to find the submarine that holds the answer.

After Dead Reckoning in 2023, we awaited the story’s conclusion. Co-writer and director Christopher McQuarrie doesn’t waste a moment to continue what he left us with, with the world under martial law and confusion caused by the Entity, changing news to suit the powers’ needs and making leaders on the edge. Yet the IM team and Hunt are wanted by the government as they see him as dangerous as the AI system, by not handing over the key to stop the madness.

The past two movies have been breathtaking in their action sequences, and the pacing has been almost breathless. As this is a continuation of the previous film, McQuarrie has to allow the audience to catch up. While giving plenty of exposition about the last time we met, he has decided to round off everything by going through the series of films and linking them to where we are now. It’s a way to salute the series and those who participated.

However, because of the exposition, the film suffers from being quite talky for the first hour and a half. We get long scenes with the cast explaining the Entity, the importance of the key, Gabriel, the villain of the piece, the past history of Hunt, and his rule-breaking, which has led us to this film. It affects the pacing, and a longing for something exciting to happen. After the heart-stopping theme tune, which always gets the pulse pounding, we must wait a while for anything extraordinary to happen. It is, however, worth the wait, as McQuarrie and Cruise know how to excite the audience with set pieces that will leave you gasping.

The extended submarine scene is a masterclass in tension building, and the final act is as good as anything the team has produced in the past. Is it the best we have seen? Fallout is still the high benchmark of the series, and even the last film, with its lengthy running time, seems to fly, but this time, there are moments when it drags. Yet you cannot help but leave completely satisfied knowing that action films don’t come any better than the Mission: Impossible series.

The cast are committed to the nonsense they must do or say. Simon Pegg as Benji is given much more to do this time, and the introduction of Hayley Atwell’s Grace is a welcome addition to the series. This is, however, Tom Cruise’s party, and he delivers as he always does. No matter what you think of the actor, you have to applaud him for risking life and limb for the entertainment of others.

If this is the final entry, then we can doff our caps to a series that, at times, was more adventurous than Bond. It might not be the best film they have made, but it is undoubtedly entertaining, with moments to gasp, and room is there if they decide to make another.

4 out of 5

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Angela Bassett, Henry Czerny, Holt McCallany, Janet McTeer, Nick Offerman, Hannah Waddington, Tramell Tillman

Written by: Christopher McQuarrie, Erik Jendresen and (based on the TV series) Bruce Geller

Running Time: 169 mins

Cert: 12A

Release date: 21st May 2025