Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning has long been marketed as the final installment in Tom Cruise’s beloved action franchise, but for the most part, I’d been holding out hope that Ethan Hunt would return in some form in the future. The series has simply been too commercially successful to end fully, with the possibility of sequels and spin-offs seeming higher than ever. However, following the early reactions to The Final Reckoning, I’m no longer convinced that the franchise needs to keep going.

The Final Reckoning was originally conceived as the second part to 2023’s ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Reckoning, which followed Ethan Hunt and his friends as they searched for two parts to an important key that holds the secret to defeating a sentient artificial intelligence known as The Enтιтy. The ending of ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Reckoning saw Hunt finally get his hands on the completed key, with Pom Klementieff’s redeemed ᴀssᴀssin giving him the final information he needed to understand its true purpose. This is exactly where The Final Reckoning picks up, and judging by the early reactions from critics, it’s going to be Hunt’s most intense adventure yet.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’s Reactions Suggest A Fitting Ending

Ethan Hunt May Finally Get The End He Deserves

Though plot details are being kept firmly under wraps, the early reactions to The Final Reckoning seem unanimous about one thing – the movie offers a very clear and definitive ending to this franchise. Not only will it conclude Ethan’s fight against Gabriel and the Enтιтy, but it’s also confirmed that several aspects from previous sequels will come back and prove important once again. The Final Reckoning’s trailer revealed that the Rabbit’s Foot from Mission: Impossible III will be making a return, and there’s bound to be other key connections that haven’t been revealed yet.

All of this indicates that The Final Reckoning will be a more general, holistic ending to the Mission: Impossible franchise, not just this particular story. It’s clearly a narrative that’s rooted in Ethan Hunt’s past, resolving plot threads that were left hanging decades ago, so it would seem unusual for Mission: Impossible to continue in any form after such a concrete ending. As much as I don’t want to see Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie step back from this brilliant series, it definitely feels like the right time.

It’ll Only Get Harder For Mission: Impossible To Beat Tom Cruise’s Stunts

There’s Only So Much Action This Franchise Can Take

Another key aspect that’s earning praise in the early reactions to The Final Reckoning is the stunts, which are getting progressively bolder and more dangerous with each pᴀssing sequel. ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Reckoning included moments like the iconic motorcycle jump and the final-act runaway train, but critics are saying that The Final Reckoning gets even more ambitious with its authentic stunt work. As impressive as this sounds, it’s not even that surprising; the stunts have always been the talking point of this franchise, so it’s no shock that Cruise and McQuarrie have something special up their sleeves for the final movie.

If Mission: Impossible continued after The Final Reckoning, there would be way too much pressure to make the stunts bigger and better, which doesn’t seem possible judging by The Final Reckoning’s reactions. While I don’t doubt Cruise and McQuarrie’s ability to push the boundaries of action filmmaking, it would ultimately reach a point where the films become too concerned with their stunts that the narrative is left behind, which is a surefire sign of a franchise losing its touch.

The reason Mission: Impossible’s stunts are so great is because they always serve a purpose in the story: the Burj Khalifa sequence in Ghost Protocol helps build tension for the nuclear code exchange, the motorcycle chase in Rogue Nation complicates the dynamic between Ethan and Ilsa, etc. They’re never gratuitous, but if Mission: Impossible continued past its expiration date, the series would run that risk. Then there’s also the chance that Mission: Impossible could get repeтιтive and underwhelming, which isn’t something Cruise wants for this series.

I’ve Accepted That Mission: Impossible Has Already Peaked

Nothing Will Be Able To Top Rogue Nation And Fallout

Every franchise reaches a point where its best entries are in the past, and it seems like Mission: Impossible has finally gotten there. Fallout is widely regarded as the best Mission: Impossible movie, while most audiences would agree that Rogue Nation and Ghost Protocol follow closely behind. While there are definite strengths to ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Reckoning, this sequel marked a slight drop in quality that took audiences by surprise, and it seems like The Final Reckoning is going to be the same. Very few reactions call it “bad” outright, but there aren’t many saying it outshines Fallout either. In fact, the responses are somewhat divisive.

However, this doesn’t have to be a bad thing. We’ve moved past the apparent peak of Mission: Impossible, and these final two movies serve as a fitting conclusion that may not be as objectively impressive, but is equally rewarding for long-time fans who’ve followed the franchise from the beginning. The Final Reckoning may be messier and less streamlined than movies like Fallout, but it serves a very different purpose – as long as it actually is the final movie.

Will The Final Reckoning Really Be The Last Mission: Impossible Movie?

Can This Franchise Actually End After 30 Years?

Ultimately, it’s impossible to say whether or not Mission: Impossible will return in some form in the future. Both Cruise and McQuarrie, the undeniable figureheads of this action franchise, have claimed that The Final Reckoning is going to be the end, but it’s no secret that IPs don’t stay ᴅᴇᴀᴅ for long in Hollywood. Whether that’s an immediate spin-off or some kind of legacy sequel further down the road, there’s every possibility that audiences haven’t seen the last of the IMF.

The Final Reckoning reportedly needs to succeed at the box office by a significant margin in order to break even, so it’s most likely that a decision on the franchise’s future won’t be made until the box office report has been finalized. If audiences come out in droves for The Final Reckoning, breaking these commercial records and making the sequel a financial success, it’s much more likely that Mission: Impossible will stay alive. And it’s no secret that marketing something as the “final” entry usually offers a boost to the box office, so there’s every possibility this installment will come out on top.