WHEN EVEN TOM CRUISE CAN'T SAVE THE SCRIPT

When Hollywood’s most well-preserved action star, Tom Cruise, looks you earnestly in the eyes and implores, “You need to trust me one last time,” there’s a good chance you’re ready to donate half a kidney to this magnificent specimen. With Mission: Impossible — Final Reckoning — dubbed his glorious farewell and swan song from the iconic action franchise —we felt the onus of loving the film. | mean, where else do you find actors who take such madcap, adrenalinefuelled risks like scaling the Burj Khalifa or swinging off zany planes, narrowly missing craggy cliffs?

- By Manjusha Radhakrishnan Entertainment Editor

But nostalgia and fan-service can’t keep a franchise afloat forever. And with great trepidation, | must admit: there were moments when Ethan Hunt — the world’s ultimate saviour, who single-handedly saves us from certain annihilation — felt a bit like ..a snooze fest. Hear me out, don’t kill the messenger.

LACKS VISCERAL PUNCH

The plot? The world teeters on the brink of doom (again) — this time thanks to a rogue Al (because of course). Much of the action unfolds underwater in a sunken submarine, and for practical survival reasons, Hunt is in a full-body suit and helmet. While technically justified, it creates a frustrating disconnect — we don’t see or feel Cruise. There are layers, literally and figuratively, between him and us. And that’s a problem when your biggest asset is his star power.

There were a few moments | shamefully glanced at my phone — and that’s cinematic sacrilege. To have a megastar like Cruise hidden under an unrecognisable suit and helmet for long stretches was a bold creative gamble ... one that didn’t quite pay off. The film lacked the visceral punch of its predecessors.

But all is not lost. The camaraderie within Hunt's team crackles with energy. Their banter and emotional beats are what keep the film — and our interest — alive. Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, Simon Pegg et al — the band of brothers and sisters who are Cruise's eternal cheerleaders — are in great form.