'Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning': Wait, This Is the Eighth One?
By Laurel Sanders
Mission: Impossible is a funny franchise. It has a lot of fans, the movies typically get good reviews, and they often make good money — yet, culturally, they’re surprisingly irrelevant compared to other big franchises like the MCU, Star Wars, or even James Bond. In fact, I think many viewers were surprised to learn that The Final Reckoning is actually the eighth film in the franchise.
The biggest thing these movies have going for them, and which they’ve rightfully exploited, is Tom Cruise and his insane commitment to practical stunts. You may not have seen a single Mission: Impossible movie, but you probably know that Cruise scaled Dubai’s Burj Khalifa or broke his ankle jumping across rooftops. And, for the most part, that’s all you really need to know. These films rarely require you to follow an ongoing storyline or watch them in any particular order… until now.
Image Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Many people may not have realized The Final Reckoning is actually the second part of a two-parter. The original title was Dead Reckoning: Part 2, and Part 1 was retroactively renamed simply Dead Reckoning. Why? Because the studio made one of the worst scheduling decisions possible: releasing Part 1 during the infamous Barbenheimer summer of 2023. As a result, outside of die-hard fans, hardly anyone went to see it.
So now, for Part 2, the studio made a smart move: rebrand it as The Final Reckoning. After all, why advertise it as “part two” of a movie most people didn’t see? The problem is, of course, that now you have an audience sitting down to watch a film with little to no idea what happened in Part 1.
Which brings us to this movie's biggest flaw. The first 45 minutes to an hour is essentially an elaborate recap, trying to reestablish every relationship and plot point not just from Part 1, but from the entire franchise. It’s a strange collage of flashbacks and half-explained conversations. As someone who’s seen all the films, even I found it confusing. I genuinely wonder if casual viewers could even follow what was happening. An hour in, I was getting worried. The trailers kept repeating Cruise’s line: “I need you to trust me one last time.” And at that point, I was starting to feel like the answer might be: “No, Ethan, I can’t.”
Image Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
But then Tramell Tillman appears as a mysterious (and yes, sexy) submarine captain. His role is small, but his entrance marks the start of this movie finally becoming absolutely awesome.
The next two hours are packed with some of the most spectacular sequences ever put on screen. The submarine sequence alone (a solid 45 minutes of nearly wordless tension) is masterful. The climactic plane sequence features some of the most beautiful, jaw-dropping shots in the franchise’s history. This film cements itself in the Mission: Impossible legacy by delivering some of the most insane stunts in modern cinema. Whether you’re a fan or a casual viewer, you’ll likely have a great time watching these feats on the big screen.
Spoilers ahead:
Image Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
From a fan’s perspective, I will say the plot and character dynamics feel a bit messier than previous entries. Ethan is quickly separated from his team—a team that, at this point, consists mostly of characters he’s randomly assembled over time. Without Ethan present, their relationships feel thin. Ving Rhames’ Luther and Simon Pegg’s Benji, the long-time fan favorites, are always expected to return. But here, Luther gets killed off early, and Benji, despite being called the "team leader," is sidelined.
Grace (Hayley Atwell), introduced in Dead Reckoning, originally served as the “fish out of water” newcomer who helped onboard new viewers. Now she’s mainly reduced to a romantic interest, which feels forced and far less compelling. That said, she does get a big Mission: Impossible moment at the end that had my entire theater clapping.
Paris (Pom Klementieff), also introduced in Part 1, works better in her role as the intimidating, mysterious assassin, mostly because there’s less expectation for character depth. But still, I found myself wanting more from these side characters. The film is already long, so adding more scenes would’ve been difficult, but I think they should have trusted that viewers familiar with the franchise didn’t need such an extensive recap and could have used that time to further develop these relationships.
Plot-wise, Mission: Impossible villains have always been cartoonishly evil, but Esai Morales’ Gabriel takes it to another level, almost twirling his mustache. He’s really just a stand-in for the real villain: an AI known as “The Entity.” I actually liked the idea of Ethan facing a villain he can’t physically fight, though they kind of waste a promising sequence where Ethan is trapped in a simulation. Still, audiences come for Cruise punching people, and they deliver on that.
What adds some surprising flavor is the religious iconography sprinkled throughout: Gabriel the messenger, "saving Grace," a literal cross-shaped key, the "anti-god" AI, the three-day countdown to apocalypse; it’s a bit on the nose, but it ramps up the drama and fits the over-the-top, fate-versus-destiny vibe these movies have always walked a fine line with.
Ultimately, if you’re going to see Tom Cruise run fast, do huge stunts, and battle AI, you’ll have a great time. And if you have time, maybe catch up on the first seven films beforehand.
