by Hudson Moura
Three decades after Tom Cruise first took on the role of Ethan Hunt, Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning directed by Christopher McQuarrie arrives as both a high-octane farewell and a surprisingly meditative reflection on fate, technology, and human agency. This latest installment—technically a sequel to the previous chapter but accessible on its own—pits Hunt against “The Entity,” a malevolent AI whose capabilities blur the line between technological domination and spiritual mythology.
While the premise of an evil computer controlling the world is familiar territory in science fiction, the film gives it unsettling contemporary resonance, aligning with fears of mass surveillance, digital collapse, and conspiracy-fueled societal divisions. The tone veers apocalyptic, with dystopian monologues and melancholic musical cues underscoring the existential threat: humanity’s annihilation at the hands of its own creation.
Cruise’s Ethan Hunt is once again the lone figure capable of stopping catastrophe, but the film doesn’t shy away from implicating him in its origins. There’s even a haunting spiritual thread, punctuated by the recurring line “It’s written”—a fatalistic worldview Hunt ultimately rejects with his defiant “Nothing is written.” This metaphysical tension gives the film an unusual gravity for the genre.
Visually, McQuarrie amplifies tension through parallel action sequences, with Hunt and his team each navigating separate, high-stakes missions. These simultaneous threads, woven through dynamic cross-cutting, double the intensity of the set pieces while shortening their duration—creating an impression of relentless momentum and unpredictability.
Despite its occasional overindulgence in gloomy exposition and an underwhelming use of the franchise’s iconic score, The Final Reckoning remains a fitting, if brooding, closing chapter. Its most enduring message? That hope—and humanity—may still lie in collective action, not algorithmic control. 
3.5/5