Episode three of the Top 25 of 2025 lineup brings Cade and Kit to Mission: Impossible â The Final Reckoning, and the big question is: is this actually the final one? (Theyâre not convinced.) What is clear is that itâs exactly what you think it isâglobal catastrophe, three days to save the world, AI gone rogue, and Tom Cruise running at full speed toward the apocalypse.
This time the threat is artificial intelligence taking control of nuclear systems, forcing Ethan Hunt and company to locate the original source codeânaturally buried at the bottom of the ocean inside a destroyed submarine. The premise is timely, and Kit gives the film credit for making AI feel genuinely dangerous without leaning into campy âevil robot voiceâ territory. Visually, the threat feels massive. The spectacle works. The cinematography is strong. The submarine sequence in particular stands out as tense and beautifully shot, even if much of the film lives in shadows and whispered exposition.
And thereâs a lot of whispering.
For nearly three hours, itâs hushed strategy sessions, dark corridors, ticking clocks, and last-second saves. Cade points out that the structure becomes repetitive: explain the impossible plan, insist it canât be done, Ethan says it can, then he proves everyone wrong in the nick of time. Rinse. Repeat. Add another location. Add another obstacle. Add another returning character from a previous installment for nostalgia. It all connects neatly, and the callbacks are appreciatedâbut it also feels padded. As they put it, itâs a journey. A very long journey.
The AI angle does introduce a clever twist: since the system has predicted every likely move based on data, the team must act against their own instincts. That idea is smart and current. But instead of tightening the storytelling, the film stacks side villains and extra hurdles on top of the main conflict. For Cade, it starts to feel like an action-adventure trilogy compressed into one movie. For Kit, it becomes predictableâof course heâs going to save the world. Of course itâs at the last second. Thatâs the franchise promise.
They also debate who this movie is really for. Action fans likely appreciate the tactical government intrigue, globe-trotting locations, and Cruiseâs physical commitment to stunts (yes, the deep-sea sequence is impressive). But as critics sitting between audience and Rotten Tomatoes consensus (80% critics / 88% audience), they find themselves lukewarm. Itâs not terrible. It delivers what it promises. It just doesnât surprise.
In the end, they land together on a 2 out of 5. Not because it fails technicallyâthe spectacle is strong and the production value is undeniableâbut because neither of them would rewatch it or actively recommend it. If you love Mission: Impossible, youâll get exactly what you came for. If youâre hoping for something fresher or structurally daring, this one plays it safe.For a franchise about impossible missions, they were just hoping for one unexpected move.
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