Review: MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE—THE FINAL RECKONING
Genre: Action, Thriller
Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames
Release Date: May 23, 2025
Platform: Theaters
Rating: 2.5/5
By Karl Simpson Jr.
“It’s a film that wants to be both a reflective farewell and a show-stopping finale, and it doesn’t always gracefully juggle those goals.”
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE—THE FINAL RECKONING is a strange mix of thrilling highs and frustrating lulls. On the one hand, it delivers exactly what fans have come to expect—big stakes, intense action, and Tom Cruise doing things no human should probably be doing. But on the other hand, the film feels weighed down by its own ambitions. It tries to tie together threads across the franchise, while pushing the story into darker, more reflective territory. Sometimes that works. Other times, it drags the whole film down. Depending on what you hope to get from this chapter, you’ll either walk out satisfied or wonder where the fire went.
There are definitely moments in THE FINAL RECKONING that deliver. The two major set pieces this film is clearly built around are standout sequences—high-stakes, beautifully choreographed, and full of tension. They’re what you came for, and they don’t disappoint. But the main problem is everything in between. The pacing feels as if the film constantly taps the brakes right after hitting the gas. For long stretches, it stops feeling like a thrill ride and starts feeling like a briefing.
The film followsEthan Huntand the IMF team as they race to stop The Entity, a rogue AI threatening to rewrite the balance of global power. That concept has weight but also creates one of the movie’s most significant challenges: no real villain to bounce off of. You can’t fight an idea. And unfortunately, the human stand-in—Gabriel—barely shows up. He’s supposed to be Ethan’s foil, someone tied to his past and present. But his limited screen time makes him feel like an afterthought. Without that tension, the stakes feel abstract. High, sure, but not personal.
One thing longtime fans might appreciate is the shift back toward old-school espionage. There’s more sneaking, more surveillance, and way more dialogue. The tone feels closer to the original Mission: Impossible than the recent high-octane installments. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. But if you came expecting the relentless energy of Fallout or Dead Reckoning, you may find yourself wondering when things are really going to kick back into gear. The tension here is more mental than physical—and that’s a tough sell when the movie’s runtime is over two and a half hours.
What the film does do well is bring the franchise full circle. There’s a throughline about consequence and legacy that adds a layer of introspection to Ethan’s arc. A quiet moment between him and Luther about choices and regret gives the film a heartbeat. It’s a rare, grounded beat that reminds you these characters aren’t just running and fighting—they’re living with the cost of every mission that came before. It’s thoughtful. It’s earned. But there’s not enough of it.
A lot of the runtime feels like one big debrief. The film spends a noticeable chunk of its early hours catching everyone up—linking past plots, explaining motives, and resetting the board. It’s meticulous, but also exhausting. At times, it feels more like an extended setup than its marketed conclusion. There’s just a lot of talking. And while some of it is interesting, not all feels necessary. That stop-and-go rhythm makes it hard to stay fully invested, until the big moments finally arrive.
When this movie works, it really works. Those big scenes—the ones you’ll hear people talking about—are legitimately thrilling. The tension hits. The music swells. The danger feels real. But those moments are spaced out by long stretches of buildup that don’t always justify the wait. It’s a film that wants to be both a reflective farewell and a show-stopping finale, and it doesn’t always gracefully juggle those goals.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE—THE FINAL RECKONING isn’t a bad film—it’s just not the explosive finale some fans might have hoped for. It’s packed with callbacks, layered with espionage, and still delivers the action that keeps this franchise alive. But it’s also bloated, talk-heavy, and strangely low on tension in spots where it should be peaking. If you’re here for the set pieces, they deliver. If you’re looking for a tightly paced, emotionally driven closer? MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE—THE FINAL RECKONING might feel more like a warm-up than a goodbye.
