The initial reactions to Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning are varied, which is disappointing.

      In the Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning trailer, Tom Cruise, portraying Ethan Hunt, urges someone to trust him one last time. Based on early reactions on social media, Cruise seems to be asking the audience to believe that he has delivered another action-packed spectacle.

      The social media embargo for Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning was lifted on May 12, revealing mixed initial reactions, which is unexpected given the acclaim received by the previous films in the franchise.

      Erik Davis from Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes remarked that Cruise elevates The Final Reckoning to an unprecedented level, describing it as “the biggest, wildest, and most consequential Mission movie yet” on X.

      Jake Hamilton from Good Day in Chicago referred to the plane sequence as “one of cinema’s greatest stunts,” stating, “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning is a love letter to fans who have just rewatched the entire series.”

      Indiewire's David Ehrlich provided a less favorable opinion, labeling the film as “dull and dysfunctional." While he commended the set pieces, he ultimately found The Final Reckoning disappointing, calling it a “massive heartbreaker.”

      Griffin Schiller likened The Final Reckoning to The Rise of Skywalker, remarking that it feels “like an egregious franchise greatest hits.”

      While not as poor as TROS, FINAL RECKONING is clearly cut from the same cloth. With an air of insecurity, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 8 resembles an egregious collection of franchise highlights. Scenes lack clear beginnings or ends, resulting in chaotic storytelling – a continuous stream of exposition, as he noted.

      Given that Mission: Impossible has set the benchmark for action franchises, it is disappointing to see the mixed reviews. Cruise's action scenes, including the breathtaking plane stunt, are sure to be standout moments. However, the varying responses are unfortunate, especially for a franchise that may need to pause before Cruise returns or another actor takes over as the lead.

      In The Final Reckoning, Cruise stars as Ethan Hunt, an IMF agent racing against time to locate and eliminate the Entity before it falls into the wrong hands. The cast features Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny, Mariela Garriga, Holt McCallany, Janet McTeer, Nick Offerman, Hannah Waddingham, Tramell Tillman, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Charles Parnell, Mark Gatiss, Rolf Saxon, Lucy Tulugarjuk, and Angela Bassett.

      Christopher McQuarrie directs the film from a screenplay he co-wrote with Erik Jendresen.

      Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning is set to be released in theaters on May 23.