Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning: A Flawed Farewell

Despite a plodding first act, M:I - The Final Reckoning’s set pieces are stunning

After a decade of pulse-pounding highs, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning lands not with a bang but with an apologetic shrug. If you’ve been with us through every instalment of our Mission: Rewatchable journey, you’ll know that from Ghost Protocol onwards, this franchise hit a streak few other series can match. The bar wasn’t just high. It was practically in orbit. Which makes this supposed swan song all the more frustrating.

We went into it buzzing. After Dead Reckoning Part One (or whatever we’re calling it now - don’t get me started on the title change), expectations were sky-high. And yet, for the first time in this series, I found myself doing something I’ve never done in a Mission: Impossible film: looking at my watch.

The First 90 Minutes: Exposition Overload

The opening half of the film is a plodding, dialogue-heavy trudge through the lore and consequences of past missions. We get exposition on top of exposition, characters explaining things, re-explaining them, and then other characters reacting to those explanations. Often with baffling emotional beats that fall flat because the script doesn’t trust us to remember anything. It breaks the golden rule: show, don’t tell. And when it finally tries to show, it’s all fake-outs and simulations. A parade of “what if” nuclear nightmares that mean absolutely nothing because the stakes aren’t real.

Even Hannah Waddingham’s impressively straight-faced American general can’t save that first act. And don’t get me started on that baffling montage where one sentence is split between eight characters across three scenes. What were they thinking?

Where’s the Mission? Where’s the Team?

One of the great joys of this series has always been the sense of camaraderie. The team dynamic. This time round, it felt like the Ethan Hunt show. Everyone else is scattered, sidelined, or stuck delivering stilted monologues. Sure, Benji and Grace bring a bit of spark, and Hayley Atwell is an absolute joy, but even she can’t fight off the film’s sluggish tone on her own.

The humour, the banter, the quick-fire energy - it’s all muted. What we’re left with is a film that feels colder than it should, weighed down by a plot that wants desperately to tie every loose end together, but ends up suffocating under its own ambition.

The Stakes Are High. But Are They?

This time, the enemy is a rogue AI known as The Entity. And yes, it’s as vague as it sounds. The threat is supposedly global, but we never see that impact. Just a few flashing red maps and a lot of panicked generals standing around. It’s hard to feel tension when everything is being explained in abstract. No grounded threat. No visceral consequences. And by the time they actually show us anything, it's so overblown it borders on parody.

Also, let's talk about Luther. A character we’ve followed for eight films. His final moments feel rushed and undercooked. The setup wasn’t there, the emotional weight was missing, and instead of gut-punch sadness, I just felt slightly confused. For a man who’s been part of Ethan’s core team since day one, he deserved more.

And Yet... When It Works, It Really Works

Now that I’ve had a proper moan, let’s give credit where it’s due. Once the film finally shifts gear, the action is still breathtaking. The submarine sequence is utterly gripping, even if the physics are wildly off. The biplane set piece at the end? Classic Mission: Impossible brilliance. It’s Tom Cruise doing what he does best: risking life and limb in the name of spectacle. And yes, he flew that plane himself. Of course he did.

The cinematography is gorgeous. The score, the sound design, the editing during those key sequences - flawless. And despite the film’s wobbles, Atwell’s Grace is a welcome addition. She injects warmth, humanity and just enough levity to keep you engaged.

So… Is It a Good Film?

That’s the tough part. It’s not a bad film. There’s so much talent behind the camera. Every frame looks expensive. The craft is undeniable. But as a finale, it just doesn’t stick the landing. Too much time spent explaining. Not enough time spent showing. The story wants to be profound, but forgets to be fun.

After the sheer excellence of the last four films, this feels like a misstep. It tries to do too much, loses its way in the middle, and ends up feeling bloated and emotionally distant.

And still, I’ll probably go and see it again. Because when it works, it reminds you just how good this franchise can be. I just wish they’d trusted the audience more. Trusted the characters more. Trusted the mission.