Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning Movie Review

As we approach the summer season of cinema, where big blockbusters such as Superman, Fantastic Four: The First Steps and Jurassic World: Rebirth are set to light up the big screen, we cannot forget about the original action star and endorser of all things movies - Mr Tom Cruise. 

For twenty-nine years, Cruise has portrayed Ethan Hunt and has led his team on a series of impossible missions, resulting in eight superior action films which will stand the test of time. However, all good things must come to an end, and as the title suggests, Mission Impossible - The Final Reckoning is the conclusion to nearly thirty years of big-screen action. 

The previous film, titled Dead Reckoning: Part One, was released in 2023 and promised to be the final story split into two halves. However, The Final Reckoning, separate from the title of Dead Reckoning, it still continues the plot with the AI threatening villain known as The Entity planning to destroy civilisation as we know it. Also, there are returning cast members such as Hayley Atwell, who plays pickpocket Grace and is the companion to Hunt, replacing Isla Faust, played by Rebecca Ferguson, who departed in the previous film. Pom Klementieff returns as Paris, and unlike the last one, she has formed an alliance with Hunt since he spared her life, and she has now joined the team in their impossible mission. 

Like the other instalments, a strong focus is made on the team rallying together, and this film is no exception, and with it being the last mission, a big emphasis is on the previous missions, creating nostalgia for the audience who have been with these films since the beginning. The film features clips from the last seven movies, and brings in characters that have not been seen in this world since the first one - this is truly an accumulation of all the movies that came before it, and it's a joy to see on screen how they effortlessly connect with one another. 

In the promotion for the Mission Impossible films, big emphasis is put on the stunt set pieces that take place in the latest movie, rather than focusing on the story, which is mainly kept under wraps until it's released. As this is the final film, it is the last time you see Cruise as Hunt defy what is possible on the big screen and with the stunts in Final Reckoning - they are the biggest and most death-defying yet. A lot has been made about the stunt where Cruise is clinging to the wing of a vintage biplane going through the sky at 140 mph and travelling at 8,000 feet. However, the most impressive stunt is the underwater sequence where Cruise revealed it was the most gruelling stunt he has ever done due to the weight of his wetsuit and the lightning, making him unable to see, so he was performing the stunt blind. When you are watching both of these sequences, you have the realisation that Cruise is one of a kind and there will never be another action star like him - someone who is willing to put his life on the line just to entertain the audience.

Overall, it is an impressive feat to create a finale that is not only enjoyable but is a solid conclusion to a nearly thirty-year franchise, and Final Reckoning delivers this and then some. It provides not only the action that we expect from these films but also showcases the heart of these characters and their bonds, which sadly will be their last mission. However, as Cruise has said during the press for this film, he will be making movies until he is 100 - so Ethan Hunt may be finished, but it won't be long till we see our next Cruise adventure on the big screen.