Tom Cruise’s Final Mission Wows Cannes: A Grand Exit for Ethan Hunt

Tom Cruise returned to Cannes on May 14 with Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning, the eighth and reportedly final installment of the long-running action franchise. Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, the film kicks off with heavy exposition about a rogue AI called the Entity, setting a darker, more serious tone, as Vanity Fair reports. While it lacks the sleek pacing of earlier entries like Fallout or Ghost Protocol, Cruise’s signature intensity eventually takes over, pulling the film out of its early slump.

What Final Reckoning may lack in tight storytelling, it makes up for in spectacle. From a claustrophobic deep-sea dive to a dazzling biplane chase above South Africa, the set pieces deliver the kind of jaw-dropping action fans expect. Cruise's commitment to practical stunts remains unmatched, and these sequences are a testament to his dedication—even if the film sometimes pauses too long to reflect on its own legacy.

If this really is Cruise’s last mission, he leaves on a high note. Though Final Reckoning doesn't quite reach the franchise's peak, it’s a worthy send-off—ambitious, over-the-top, and unapologetically grand.