Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning Review: Tom Cruise’s swan dive where the plot stumbles, the airplane doesn’t

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning Review: Story – Do watch Dead Reckoning again before you buy that ticket for the (most probably) last Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) mission. Two months after the climax of Mission: Impossible 7, MI8 begins. Ethan has the infamous key and is lying low until Madame President (Angela Bassett) reminds him of his duty towards the world and calls him back to the big, bad world to fulfill his final and deadliest mission. Now, Entity—the dangerous AI—threatens to destroy the world in four days. But there is also Gabriel (Esai Morales), who wants to control Entity and make the Anti-God AI his slave. In between stands Ethan, who must stop the world from getting destroyed one last time and embark on his deadliest mission yet (again).

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning Review:

Approximately an hour into Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Tom Cruise as Ethan is fighting a brainwashed young man in his underwear (all his chiseled glory on display). Somewhere midway through that hand-to-hand combat, Ethan says, “You spent too much time on the internet,” to the guy supporting Entity. This is the greatest action star of our time looking at his audience, giving them a message—telling stories about good versus evil the traditional way—and for all of that, risking his life again and again, numerous times, in eight movies spread across 29 years. Mission: Impossible stopped being just a film franchise long ago; it has become a legacy. A legacy of a star who, at 62, can hang onto an airplane, swim in ice-cold water (if he really did), and perform the most insane stunts himself—all to win our attention and validation.

It’s a star having a direct conversation with his fans through his films, and the fans responding with the loudest cheer. Reviews, numbers, and screen counts have no room in this dynamic—and this is not something we see every day. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is indeed flawed and even weak at certain parts (more on that later), but it is still glorious for the very fact that it sticks to serving a fanbase that has grown up and grown old with it. My earliest memory of Tom Cruise is from the MI movies, and I was born the same year the first one released. So, when you watch the eighth and final film this week, remember—you are not just watching a film, but the summation of a lifetime of someone’s work. Meanwhile, watch all these fresh releases on Lionsgate, Zee5, and more.

And well, writer-director Christopher McQuarrie, along with writer Erik Jendresen, won’t let you forget that. The first time you see Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible 8, Angela Bassett’s voiceover takes us through the thirty years of this legacy. A reminder that Tom Cruise has literally aged (not really, if you look at him in the aforementioned combat scene) with this franchise. This very much becomes a plot device. Now, if you haven’t seen the previous films and still bought a ticket for this one (seriously, why would you even do that?), there’s no way you’ll completely connect the dots.

The entire screenplay is written as an homage to the franchise, with many past characters returning, heavy jargon sprinkled throughout, and dynamics from earlier films referenced. The writing makes every effort to ensure the eighth and final film feels like a culmination of three decades as it attempts to connect every single film to this final 170-minute goodbye.

But that very plot device also works against the screenplay a bit. Being reminded of Ethan Hunt’s greatness at every turn becomes overwhelming—because you already know that. You’re in that theater seat because you’ve already seen him save the world six times. So the screenplay screaming at you to stand and salute him repeatedly isn’t a very welcome practice. Additionally, the first half of the film takes its time to establish the main conflict and get to the point. You can see how purposely the pace is slowed to highlight the hero who’s about to take you on a swim, a flight, and into combat. And if I can see it, the plot device hasn’t really worked.

Having said that, there’s a brilliant cast making sure you’re not too focused on the flaws. There’s humour where it’s needed and insane action that helps you forget everything else. The risks with the stunts only go up, and there’s so much DOP Fraser Taggart does—even in the most inconsequential sequences. The visuals are brilliant, and the underwater sequences, in particular, are breathtaking. That underwater scene will definitely be one of the highlights.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is a swan song for Ethan Hunt. He doesn’t get a John Wick-style sendoff (I know Baba Yaga isn’t dead), but instead, he’s told to relax and soak in the goodness of this world—the same goodness he’s taken these impossible missions to protect. The old-school storytelling has done wonders this week for two legacy franchises (Final Destination), and it makes the teenager who once fell in love with these films feel so happy. The fact that algorithms and trends aren’t dictating stories—but people with heart, talent, and a zest to tell them—makes this a great addition.

Final Reckoning is such an important movie when compared to the world around us now. We almost had a war, and AI fueled it with more hate. In these times, films like MI8 and characters like Tom Cruise give us hope—that someone invincible is out there doing everything they can to save us. Hope is what cinema should be selling, and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is exactly that kind of cinema. If this is goodbye, Ethan Hunt will forever be one of the most iconic saviours cinema has ever seen.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning Review: Final Verdict -

One of the greatest action stars, Tom Cruise, has risked his life to entertain us for 30 years through eight films—and this is his swan song. Even when flawed, there is a legacy on display, and Ethan Hunt deserves all your attention. He is literally hanging onto an airplane—what more do you expect him to do?

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning hits the big screen in India on May 17, 2025 (a week before the global release). Stay tuned to OTTplay for more information on this and everything else from the world of streaming and films.