If there's one thing Tom Cruise and Mission: Impossible fans agree on, it's this: the man doesn't just push boundaries—he smashes them with a sledgehammer. The Super Bowl LIX teaser for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025) gave us exactly what we've come to expect: Cruise's Ethan Hunt dangling upside-down from a 1930s biplane at 10,000 feet, wind ripping at 130mph, and zero CGI in sight. But this time, the stunt nearly broke Cruise himself.
The Stunt That Almost Broke Tom Cruise
Let's cut to the chase: Yes, that's really Cruise clinging to the plane. No green screens, no stunt doubles—just pure, unadulterated adrenaline. In an interview with Empire, Cruise admitted he passed out multiple times during filming. “When you stick your face out… you're not getting oxygen,” he said, describing how he trained to breathe at supersonic speeds. Director Christopher McQuarrie called it “the most difficult thing” they've ever filmed, teasing an even bigger stunt that left him “wanting to puke”.
But why? For Cruise, it's about authenticity. “No one asked Gene Kelly why he did his own dancing,” he once quipped, channeling old-school Hollywood showmanship. This ethos defines Mission: Impossible—a franchise built on practical stunts so wild they've become mythic. Scaling the Burj Khalifa? Check. HALO jumps? Done. Now, a biplane sequence that's less “action scene” and more “daredevil documentary.”
The $400M Gamble: Can ‘Final Reckoning' Save the Franchise?
Let's address the elephant in the room: Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) underperformed at the box office despite rave reviews. Enter The Final Reckoning, originally titled Dead Reckoning Part Two. Paramount retooled the sequel into a standalone finale, trimming the “Part Two” label and doubling down on Cruise's star power. With a rumored $400M budget and an 18-month shoot plagued by delays, the stakes couldn't be higher.
The cryptic synopsis—“Our lives are the sum of our choices”—hints at a narrative payoff to Ethan Hunt's 30-year arc. Returning cast members like Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, and Hayley Atwell anchor the emotional core, while newcomers (Hannah Waddingham, Nick Offerman) add fresh intrigue. But let's be real: audiences are here for the stunts. And McQuarrie promises brain-melting action, including a submarine breach and a mystery sequence “bigger than anything before”.
Is This Really Cruise's Last Mission?
“You gotta see the movie,” Cruise coyly told Empire when asked if this is Ethan Hunt's swan song. McQuarrie, however, calls it the “satisfying conclusion to a 30-year story arc”. Rumors swirl about Cruise continuing into his 80s (à la Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones), but for now, The Final Reckoning feels like a curtain call. As Hunt pleads in the trailer: “Trust me one last time”.
Personal Take: Spectacle vs. Substance
Let's not kid ourselves—Mission: Impossible thrives on spectacle. Cruise's plane stunt is awe-inspiring, a testament to his masochistic commitment to cinema. But after eight films, does the formula risk feeling repetitive? The Dead Reckoning AI storyline (“The Entity”) was intriguing but drowned out by set pieces. If The Final Reckoning wants to stick the landing, it needs to balance heart-stopping action with emotional stakes.
That said, Cruise's dedication is infectious. In an era of CGI overload, his practical stunts are a rebellion—a middle finger to complacency. As McQuarrie put it: “Tom would do something that topped anything he'd ever done before… every day”. Whether that's enough to justify a $400M gamble? We'll find out on May 23, 2025.
Do you think practical stunts like Cruise's plane sequence are worth the risk, or should Hollywood pivot to safer, CGI-heavy action?
