Okay, so I just got out of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, and man, I’ve got some mixed feelings. I’ve been a huge fan of this series forever—sneaking into the theater for the first one back in ’96 is basically a core memory. So, going into this eighth movie, which dropped today, May 23, 2025, I was hyped to see Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt take on what they’re calling his last mission. Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, it’s got some jaw-dropping moments that had me glued to the screen, but also some parts that left me scratching my head. Here’s my take, straight from the gut.
The Stuff I Loved: Those Stunts Are Insane
Let’s start with the good, because when this movie goes hard, it goes hard. The action is classic Mission: Impossible—nobody does it like this crew. There’s this wild underwater scene in a wrecked Russian submarine that had me on the edge of my seat. Ethan’s dodging floating torpedoes and squeezing through tight spots, and I was legit holding my breath. Then there’s the big finale where Cruise, at 62, is hanging off a freaking biplane going 170 miles an hour. The guy’s a maniac, and I mean that in the best way. You can feel how much Ethan’s fighting for, and those stunts are worth the ticket price alone.
The cast is awesome, too. Simon Pegg’s Benji gets to step up, which I was all about, and Ving Rhames’ Luther had me choking up with some of his scenes. Hayley Atwell’s Grace is back from Dead Reckoning Part One, and she’s got this spark with Cruise that’s super fun, even if she’s mostly just staring at him all starry-eyed. I was bummed that Pom Klementieff’s Paris didn’t get more to do—she was so cool before, but here she’s kinda sidelined. Still, the team’s chemistry is what makes these movies work, and I was smiling every time they were on screen together.
Where It Lost Me: Too Much Talking, Not Enough Fun
Now, here’s where I started to zone out. This movie’s almost three hours long, and it feels long. The first chunk is a slog—way too much yakking about fate, choices, and this evil AI called the Entity that’s supposed to be scary but just feels like a generic movie villain. I kept waiting for the clever spy stuff—you know, the cool gadgets, the sneaky heists—but instead, it’s like a philosophy lecture. They lean hard into flashbacks and throwbacks to every other Mission: Impossible movie, which is cool for fans like me but also feels like they’re trying to wrap up the whole series in one go. It’s just… a lot.
The bad guy, Gabriel (Esai Morales), didn’t do it for me either. He’s supposed to be this big deal, but he’s kinda forgettable—no shade to Morales, but he’s no match for the villains we got in Mission: Impossible III or Fallout. And the Entity? It’s just a boring computer threat that makes everything feel so high-stakes it’s almost numbing. Worst of all, the movie’s so dang serious. Where’s the goofy charm? The snappy one-liners? I missed the vibe that made me fall in love with this series.
The Feels: It Hit Me, But Maybe Too Hard
I gotta say, the movie knows how to pull at your heart. There’s a montage near the end that goes through Ethan’s whole journey, and yeah, I got a little misty. As someone who’s been with this series for decades, it felt like saying goodbye to a buddy. Cruise is all-in as Ethan, making him this larger-than-life hero who’s given up everything. But sometimes it feels like they’re trying to make him a superhero or something, and it gets a bit much. I loved the nostalgia, but it’s almost like they’re too busy looking back to keep the story moving forward.
My Final Take: Fun, But Not Their Best
So, yeah, Final Reckoning isn’t a bad movie—not by a long shot. Those action scenes are unreal, and if you’re a fan, you’ll eat up the nods to the past. But it’s not the home run I was hoping for. The pacing’s off, the tone’s too grim, and it feels like they tried to cram 30 years of Mission: Impossible into one flick. I wanted to walk out buzzing like I did after Ghost Protocol or Fallout, but instead, I felt kinda bittersweet. It’s a love letter to Ethan and the fans, but I wish it had more of that playful, kickass energy.
If you love action or you’re a Mission: Impossible diehard, go see it—get the biggest IMAX screen you can for that submarine and biplane craziness. But if you’re expecting the tight, fun vibe of the best entries, you might feel a little let down like I did. I’m glad I saw it, but I’m crossing my fingers this isn’t really the end. Ethan Hunt deserves to go out with a bit more spark.
My Rating: 3.5/5