Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning first reactions are mixed, and that's disappointing
In the trailer for Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt asks someone to trust him one last time. Judging by the first reactions on social media, Cruise is now asking the audience to trust him that he still delivered an action spectacle.
The social media embargo lifted for Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning on May 12. The initial reactions are mixed, which comes as a surprise considering how much praise the last few entries have received.
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Erik Davis of Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes said Cruise takes The Final Reckoning to the next level. 'It's the biggest, wildest, and most consequential Mission movie yet,' Davis wrote on X.
Director Chris McQuarrie and star Tom Cruise truly take #MissionImpossible to the next level with #TheFinalReckoning. Absolutely astonishing action moments meet a sprawling story w/ many nods to past MI films. It's the biggest, wildest and most consequential Mission movie yet.… pic.twitter.com/ocHkxwcv7P — Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) May 13, 2025
Good Day's Chicago Jake Hamilton called the plane sequence 'one of cinema's greatest stunts.' Hamilton wrote, 'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning is a love letter to fans who just rewatched the entire series.'
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING is a love letter to fans who just rewatched the entire series.
It ties the entire series together as one story rather than 8 entries.
First time I've cried in the series.
Plane sequence is one of cinema's greatest stunts.
I loved it. pic.twitter.com/3HxWtsY3HY — Jake Hamilton (@JakesTakes) May 13, 2025
Indiewire's David Ehrlich had a more negative reaction, calling it 'dull and dysfunctional.' Despite praising the set pieces, Ehrlich was ultimately disappointed by The Final Reckoning, calling it a 'massive heartbreaker.'
Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning is dull and dysfunctional in a way i didn't think this franchise was capable of. setpieces are obviously incredible, but as someone so supportive of Cruise's crusade to save the movies and whatnot this was a massive heartbreaker. — david ehrlich (@davidehrlich) May 13, 2025
Griffin Schiller compared Final Reckoning to The Rise of Skywalker, saying it 'plays like an egregious franchise greatest hits.'
While not as bad as TROS, FINAL RECKONING is undoubtedly cut from the same cloth. Plagued by insecurity, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 8 plays like an egregious franchise greatest hits. Scenes have no beginning or end, it's scatterbrained nonsense – a constant flow of exposition &… pic.twitter.com/uCOclGGAsl — Griffin Schiller (@griffschiller) May 13, 2025
Mission: Impossible is the gold standard for action franchises, so it's disappointing to read about the mixed reactions. Cruise's action sequences, including the death-defying plane stunt, will certainly be a highlight. However, the conflicting reception is not ideal, especially for a franchise that might have to disappear for the foreseeable future before Cruise returns or another actor steps in as the new lead.
Cruise headlines The Final Reckoning as Ethan Hun, the IMF agent who must race to find the Entity and destroy it before it gets into the wrong hands. The ensemble includes Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny, Mariela Garriga, Holt McCallany, Janet McTeer, Nick Offerman, Hannah Waddingham, Tramell Tillman, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Charles Parnell, Mark Gatiss, Rolf Saxon, Lucy Tulugarjuk and Angela Bassett.
Christopher McQuarrie directs from a screenplay he co-wrote with Erik Jendresen.
Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning opens in theaters on May 23.
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