‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ audience review — Tom Cruise film leaves fans with mixed feelings

Tom Cruise is all set to reprise his role as Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, the upcoming and final instalment of the iconic franchise. 

Ahead of its global release on May 17, early screenings have sparked mixed reactions, with some fans raving about the film, while others have expressed disappointment with how the series wraps up.

Audience reactions to the film on X

To quash the negative reviews, many fans also hilariously made conspiracy theories, stating that the Entity, a character from the franchise, is the one behind them. While one fan wrote, “The Entity is producing fake negative Mission: Impossible reviews.” Another person wrote, “Reviews for Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning are saying it’s bad. What if that’s what the entity wants us to think?”

A third person wrote, “How it feels to ignore all the negative/mixed reviews of The Final Reckoning and still go in with the highest expectations because I love Tom Cruise and Mission: Impossible.”

Praising the film, a user commented, “MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING absolutely rocks. It cranks the stakes higher than ever before and masterfully fuses white-knuckle espionage with relentless action sequences. All hail Tom Cruise, who is once again a force of nature & the final 45 minutes? My GOD.”

Another person wrote on X, “When it's not overloading you with nostalgia-bait archival montages and baffling editing choices, #MissionImpossible proves to be a fun, albeit underwhelming conclusion to the saga. Tramell Tillman is a certified scene stealer, and Simon Pegg is my MVP this time around.”

Highlighting the film's issues and its high points, a person wrote, “#MissionImpossible: The Final Reckoning is oddly the least action forward entry in the franchise. It’s long, it’s plotty, it’s repetitive, but when those scenes do hit? Holy shit. They’re incredible. So i’m pretty mixed on it overall. High highs, low lows.”

ABOUT THE MISSION IMPOSSIBLE FRANCHISE

Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is set to make its much-anticipated premiere at Cannes this year. Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, the latest instalment in the long-running franchise is the biggest Hollywood blockbuster to land at the 78th edition of the festival. Following its world premiere in Tokyo last week, the film is scheduled to hit North American cinemas on May 23.

The Mission: Impossible series—known for its globe-trotting adventures and jaw-dropping stunts—has kept audiences on the edge of their seats for over 30 years and remains one of Hollywood’s most enduring franchises.

The franchise originally began as a television series that ran from 1966 to 1973. A short-lived revival aired in 1990 but failed to leave a lasting impression. It wasn’t until 1996, when Tom Cruise took on the role of Ethan Hunt, that Mission: Impossible truly found its stride on the big screen, transforming into a global cinematic phenomenon.