--- title: "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/mission-impossible-the-final-reckoning/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/mission-impossible-the-final-reckoning" critics_score: 64 critics_reviews: 9 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (2025): what the critics said Critics' score 64 from 9 reviews: 4 positive, 3 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics agree on where this one earns its keep: the practical set pieces. The flooded-submarine raid and the closing biplane chase are praised across almost every review, from the warmest to the coldest, and Tom Cruise’s willingness to put his own body on the line is treated as the main reason the film works when it does. Several reviews note that the best sequences play out nearly silent, and the ensemble, Simon Pegg in particular, is credited with keeping the plot bearable. The reservations gather around the first hour: exposition, recaps and callbacks that most critics find solemn and self-important, and a few find plainly dull. The villain is thought thin. The spread is wide. The Telegraph and Variety treat it as a triumphant finale; the Evening Standard finds it an incomplete celebration without a stunt to match the last entry, and Polygon calls it a disaster while still naming the plane stunt as Cruise’s greatest sequence. ## The Telegraph Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 21 May 2025. This is a dazzlingly ambitious finale in which Ethan Hunt faces a challenge of biblical proportions. The critic singles out the tense submarine raid and climactic dogfight sequences, including a mid-air plane jump, as masterful and real-feeling action. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/mission-impossible-final-reckoning-tom-cruise-review-deranged/) ## Empire — John Nugent Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 14 May 2025. The film serves as a fitting victory lap with two of the franchise's best set pieces, including an extraordinary biplane sequence, though the lengthy setup is exposition-heavy. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/mission-impossible-the-final-reckoning/) ## Total Film — James Mottram Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 14 May 2025. It wraps up the franchise spectacularly with Tom Cruise at his peak amid stunning stunts and real jeopardy, though the main villain falls short as a compelling antagonist. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/action-movies/mission-impossible-the-final-reckoning-review-tom-cruise) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 14 May 2025. The film suffers from excessive solemnity, endless callbacks, and portentous exposition in its first hour that weigh it down, but it recovers with inventive, silent stunt sequences like the submarine infiltration and biplane climax that showcase Cruise's physicality. Overall it's a messy but entertaining entry undermined by franchise mythology overload. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-tom-cruises-mission-impossible-8-is-a-huge-mess.html) ## Evening Standard — Nick Howells Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 14 May 2025. The film offers a sentimental, nostalgic tone with solid underwater action but lacks the expected explosive payoff and a standout stunt to match the prior entry, leaving it feeling like an incomplete celebration. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/mission-impossible-the-final-reckoning-review-tom-cruise-hayley-atwell-b1227550.html) ## Los Angeles Times — Amy Nicholson 15 May 2025. Festival review. Stunts thrill but the endless exposition and over-editing stifle momentum, turning dialogue into bullet-point plans. The cast, including delightful turns from Pegg and others, keeps it watchable for fans despite the flaws. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2025-05-15/mission-impossible-the-final-reckoning-review-tom-cruise-christopher-mcquarrie-simon-pegg-hayley-atwell-ving-rhames) ## RogerEbert.com — Brian Tallerico 23 May 2025. Festival review. The film stumbles in a clunky, repetitive first hour heavy on exposition and self-seriousness that undercuts the franchise's usual fun. It recovers with spectacular underwater and aerial action sequences that deliver breathtaking stunts. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/mission-impossible-the-final-reckoning-movie-review-2025) ## Sight and Sound 23 May 2025. The critic highlights the film's spectacular practical set-pieces in a flooded submarine and biplane chase as Ethan defies gravity once more. It notes the story's sense of providing closure to the series while questioning whether this is truly the end. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/mission-impossible-final-reckoning-could-this-be-ethan-hunts-last-hurrah) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney 14 May 2025. Festival review. The critic finds the film convoluted with too much exposition, recaps, and callbacks that make long stretches dull and self-serious, bordering on self-parody. The standout elements are the bold, original stunt sequences, including a destabilized sunken submarine and a biplane chase, thanks to Cruise's commitment. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/mission-impossible-the-final-reckoning-review-tom-cruise-christopher-mcquarrie-1236215149/) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis 14 May 2025. Festival review. Cruise defies mortality and gravity once more in an enjoyably unhinged entry that pits Ethan Hunt against an all-powerful AI threatening planetary destruction. The film benefits from a strong ensemble keeping the nonsense grounded amid the escalating stunts. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/14/movies/mission-impossible-final-reckoning-review-tom-cruise.html) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Rating Critic's Pick. 14 May 2025. Festival review. The most enveloping entry since Ghost Protocol, it makes the impossible elating through high-stakes doom and Cruise's unmatched stunt work in the thrilling climax. A few patchy moments are outweighed by the visceral set pieces. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2025/film/reviews/mission-impossible-the-final-reckoning-review-tom-cruise-1236396671/) ## Deadline — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 14 May 2025. Festival review. The critic finds the film holds up as a stand-alone despite callbacks, with spectacular action sequences on a submarine and in a biplane chase that top previous entries. It wraps up storylines with a showman's flourish but leaves the door open for more, dwelling on the hero's burden in a serious tone. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2025/05/mission-impossible-the-final-reckoning-review-tom-cruise-cannes-1236394481/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 14 May 2025. The review notes spectacular stunts like the biplane chase but criticizes the convoluted script, self-referential plotting, and excessive adulation of Cruise. It delivers what fans want in action and callbacks but ends on an adequate note overall. [Read the review](https://thewrap.com/mission-impossible-final-reckoning-review-tom-cruise) ## /Film — Chris Evangelista Rating 5/10. 14 May 2025. The film is too messy, overlong and inert despite strong action sequences. It feels like the series is running out of steam even as it delivers a jaw-dropping finale stunt. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1859165/tom-cruise-mission-impossible-the-final-reckoning-review/) ## Polygon — Matt Patches Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 14 May 2025. The critic calls the film a disaster overall, criticizing its excessive flashbacks, leaden dialogue, convoluted plotting, and boring stretches that make it feel like a clip-show finale. They single out the climactic plane stunt as the greatest sequence Cruise has ever committed to film. [Read the review](https://polygon.com/review/599224/mission-impossible-final-reckoning-review/) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime 14 May 2025. The critic views it as a bloated but mostly fitting celebratory send-off to the franchise that praises everything the series has accomplished. They single out the action sequences, particularly the climactic plane stunt, as a brilliant showcase for Cruise. [Read the review](https://collider.com/mission-impossible-the-final-reckoning-review/) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 3 out of 5. 14 May 2025. The film strains the franchise formula with self-importance and less playfulness than prior entries, functioning more as a reluctant swan song than a true finale. It still delivers as a stunt spectacular with charming team moments and standout sequences like the biplane climax. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/mission-impossible-the-final-reckoning-review-tom-cruise/) ## NME — Lou Thomas Rating 4. 14 May 2025. It offers an epic farewell with spectacular stunts that hark back to silent-era spectacle, including standout submarine and biplane sequences, plus fan-pleasing callbacks. An overly long opening stretch of dialogue-heavy scenes delays the thrills. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/mission-impossible-the-final-reckoning-review-a-fitting-farewell-to-tom-cruises-all-action-hero-3862570) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/mission-impossible-the-final-reckoning.md