Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

🎬 Basic Info

• Title: Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
• Release Dates: UK – May 21, 2025; US – May 23, 2025 Movieposters.com+15Wikipedia+15posterspy.com+15The Times of India+2BlackFlix+2Future of the Force+2GamesRadar+
• Director & Writers: Christopher McQuarrie (co-wrote with Erik Jendresen) posterspy.com+15Wikipedia+15Rotten Tomatoes+15
• Production & Studio: Paramount Pictures, Skydance, TC Productions; producers include Tom Cruise & McQuarrie Wikipedia+1Gadgets 360+1
• Runtime: ~170 minutes (2 h 49 m)
• Budget: $300–400 million (one of the most expensive films ever) Newsweek+11Wikipedia+11Indiatimes+11
• Box Office (Global): ~$584.6 million, incl. $191M in US Wikipedia

👥 Cast & Characters

• Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt (likely his final portrayal) The Times of India+15Wikipedia+15Newsweek+15
• Returning Key Cast: Ving Rhames (Luther), Simon Pegg (Benji), Hayley Atwell (Grace), Angela Bassett (Erika Sloane), Henry Czerny (Kittridge), Vanessa Kirby, Pom Klementieff The Times of India+11Wikipedia+11Hindustan Herald+11
• New Additions: Esai Morales (Gabriel), Hanna Waddingham, Nick Offerman, Katy O’Brian, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, etc. The Times of India+6Newsweek+6The Times of India+6

🔍 Plot & Storyline

• A direct sequel to Dead Reckoning Part One
• Ethan Hunt and IMF team race to stop “The Entity”, a rogue AI threatening nuclear catastrophe
• Key missions: retrieve AI source code from a sunken submarine (Sevastopol) and secure Luther’s “poison‑pill” device from villain Gabriel BlackFlix+4Hindustan Herald+4The Times of India+4People.com+7GamesRadar++7The Times of India+7

🎭 Key Themes & Highlights

• Blends nostalgia, callbacks to earlier films, and emotional beats (e.g. tribute to Luther)
• Emotional farewell to Ethan Hunt – a culmination of ~30 years of Ethan’s arc The Washington Post+1moviesphilosophy.com+1
• Spectacular practical stunts (e.g. biplane scene, underwater submarine dive) showcasing Cruise’s dedication imdb.com+15The Washington Post+15EW.com+15

🎥 Production & Visuals

• Filming: March 2022 – Nov 2024, paused by SAG-AFTRA strike; shot across UK, Malta, Norway, South Africa castartists.com+5Wikipedia+5moviesphilosophy.com+5
• Effects: Mix of practical effects and CGI, over 1,500 VFX shots; Submarine and aerial sequences shot with realism in mind BlackFlix
• Score: Music by Max Aruj & Alfie Godfrey (replacing Lorne Balfe), featuring Lalo Schifrin’s classic theme Gadgets 360+3Wikipedia+3moviesphilosophy.com+3

🗣 Reviews & Reception

• Rotten Tomatoes: 80% critics, 88% audience (as per Popcornmeter) Rotten Tomatoes
• Critics praised scale, Cruise’s stunts, emotional depth; criticisms around convoluted plot and long runtime The Washington Post+5EW.com+5GamesRadar++5
• Runtime (~170 min) felt bloated with heavy exposition, though standout action sequences resonated EW.com+1The Times of India+1

🌍 Cultural & Box Office Context

• Despite franchise fatigue, it emerged as the only major Hollywood box-office hit in India in 2025 The Times of India
• At Cannes 2025, Tom Cruise appeared in person, scaling publicity events and highlighting intense marketing activity Indiatimes
• Cruise confirmed this could be his last Ethan Hunt, though he intends to continue working beyond this franchise The Washington Post+3Newsweek+3New York Post+3

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