Tom Cruise Faces AI Threat in Epic Mission: Impossible Finale

LOS ANGELES, CA — Tom Cruise battles a self-generating artificial intelligence in the highly anticipated film, ‘Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,’ which opens nationwide on May 23, 2025. This flick marks the eighth and reportedly final installment of the franchise.

At 62, Cruise showcases his signature intense performances throughout the new film, which is filled with thrilling stunts and dramatic confrontations. In a recent retrospective, the star discussed his career as a series of calculated moves, expressing a continuous desire to evaluate and improve his skills as an actor and producer.

‘The Entity,’ a malevolent AI, serves as Cruise’s adversary, threatening human existence with its plan for global domination. Former CIA director Erika Sloane, played by Angela Bassett, puts faith in rogue IMF agent Ethan Hunt, portrayed by Cruise, to stop this imminent threat.

The film features an ensemble cast, including Luther (Ving Rhames), Benji (Simon Pegg), Grace (Hayley Atwell), and Paris (Pom Klementieff). Together, they strive to locate and eliminate The Entity’s source code.

Despite its philosophical undertones regarding humanity’s challenges in an AI-driven world, the film leans heavily on action sequences, taking audiences through various locations, including the Arctic and South Africa. Atwell described unexpected challenges during filming, including halting production due to wildlife encounters.

‘We had to stop shooting because a polar bear walked across the set,’ Atwell recalled, adding a humorous note about a tortoise obstructing their vehicle during a shoot in South Africa.

Director Christopher McQuarrie aims to raise the stakes, merging action with emotional narratives, though critics note that the film maintains the franchise’s focus on daredevil stunts over intricate plots.

Among the action highlights is a tension-filled scene involving a dive to a submerged Russian submarine, which occurs well into the film. Critics have praised this sequence while pointing out that the first major action set piece comes nearly two hours into the movie.

The film culminates in thrilling aerial battles in bi-planes, evoking nostalgic memories of Cruise’s previous roles. The dynamic between Cruise and his character’s nemesis, Gabriel (Esai Morales), showcases the stunning physicality and high stakes characteristic of the series.

As for the ultimate conclusion, neither Cruise nor the franchise seems ready to let go entirely, hinting at potential for more stories to be told.

‘If it was any other movie, I’d be fazed by the polar bear story,’ said Atwell. ‘But because it’s Mission, it just sounds like another day at the office.’