I Watched Tom Cruise's 'Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning' and Only Had 1 Complaint

One of the very first movies I recall seeing in the theater as a kid was Mission: Impossible 2 (2000), the highly-anticipated follow up to the popular first installment from 1996. Fast forward 25 years later, and we're now officially saying goodbye to one of the most iconic action franchises of all time. If you’ve followed the Mission Impossible series over the decades, then you’re already aware of its evolution, as Tom Cruise’s character, Ethan Hunt, has gone from a superhero to a supervillain and everything in between. Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning brings it all home, albeit in a way more flashy style than how it started nearly 30 years ago.

Without spoiling too much, the movie requires you to revisit a plot point from 2006’s Mission: Impossible III. Now, rewatching the third film isn’t a requirement because everything is broken down in a way that jogs your memory, but it might be worth a rewatch in advance to help you make those connections a little bit easier.

That said, in III, Hunt steals something that is going to be vital in the plot line for this final installment, as it’s essentially an element of his past coming back to haunt him in unexpected fashion. Keeping that in mind, The Final Reckoning picks up two months after the events of 2023’s Dead Reckoning, and once again, Hunt is on a mission to destroy his antagonist "The Entity." Along the way there’s *a lot* of action, and honestly, some of it doesn’t make sense as it seems like some of these scenes are happening simply because it’s "Mission: Impossible" (like the knife fight with Ethan in his underwear). Similar to another favorite franchise of mine, Fast & Furious, I accepted Mission Impossible becoming "Hollywood" a long time ago, so I don't find it bothersome at all. Confused? Don't worry, there are plenty of reminders and flashbacks throughout the film of how it all started three decades ago. 

One of the highlights of the final installment is Cruise’s riveting performance as Ethan. Hayley Atwell is another callout, returning in her role as now-former thief Grace, and, of course, Angela Bassett does an excellent job as usual, coming back to the series after a seven year absence. Together, Ethan, Grace and their colleagues are on a mission to save the world from "The Entity."

Another element that I enjoyed is that you get answers to the many questions you’ve been wondering about (especially the ones Dead Reckoning left you with). Not to mention, the incredible action sequences. There’s one particular underwater submarine scene where you’ll get treated to classic stunts from a now 62-year-old Cruise (he hasn’t lost a step from his early 30s, by the way). In true Mission Impossible fashion, there’s also some pretty interesting plot twists that you won’t see coming.

The only thing I didn't like was the film's runtime, which is 170 minutes, to be exact. While I do appreciate getting to revisit pivotal moments from the previous films, the first half is paced slow, and it takes a while to start getting into the action.