He might be a freak, but he sure can jump off things.

Ask me why I'm a fan of Tom Cruise, and I'll say, 'It's complicated'.

Like the Meryl Streep movie, my love and intrigue for a Tom Cruise project is complex and riddled with lore.

Because on the one hand… well, you know.

But on the other hand, he's a bona fide movie star.

Not only is Cruise committed to his own work, almost demanding box-office success with the effort he puts into the creation of his projects and the worldwide promo he pulls off, but he also actively supports the work of other artists as often as possible. The dude just loves Hollywood.

Front row at the Sinners premiere? He's there! Enroling Glen Powell in his own personal film school? He's done it! Chatting to the local cinema employees instead of living the glamorous life at his own premiere? Yes, of course.

It's fair to say cinema is Cruise's purpose. And the thing is, he's so damn good at it. 

Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning is his magnum opus. It's the (alleged) final instalment of his Mission: Impossible franchise, which has charted Ethan Hunt's journey from handsome spy to the only man who can save the planet from certain doom.

Nobody loves jumping out of planes like this man. Image: Paramount Pictures.

In preparation for the eighth and final film, I did something very cutting-edge and important: I re-watched the past seven films in a week. Never been done before, surely! (If you're reading this article, and you're a film bro, that was a joke).

Dead Reckoning was one hell of a film to end my binge-watch — arguably the best in the franchise. So, I walked into that IMAX theatre amped up on the adrenaline. I was ready to see some butt-kicking, gravity-defying stunt work — and I was met with the most wonderfully absurd and over-stuffed action film the franchise has yet to offer.

"Wait, what's the plot?" you may ask. 

"Do you actually care?" I would answer. 

This is a high-octane 169-minute love letter from Cruise to his iconic character, with every wild stunt and wayward plot detail you could imagine jam-packed into each scene. We're not here for complex storytelling, we're here for a good time.

But, allow me to quickly walk us through it. 

Following on from the events of Dead Reckoning, this film delves into the aftermath of an Artificial Intelligence program, known as The Entity, taking over the world.

Using its intelligence for evil, the Entity has been spreading misinformation around the globe in an attempt to cause chaos, confusion and mass disruption, with the ultimate aim of turning the world's leaders against each other. It wants everyone to die, via mutual nuclear destruction. Oh, goodie! 

The only way to stop the Entity is to send Ethan Hunt on a chaotic mission to the depths of the ocean, where he finds a sunken Russian submarine containing the original source code for this particular AI.

Once that one impossible mission is complete, Hunt and his group of misfit pals and political enemies must band together to try to destroy the Entity against… you guessed it… all odds. 

Watch the trailer for Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning. Article continues below.

I will say, this film lacks some of Cruise's signature sparkle and silliness, which is usually woven throughout the franchise — like Cruise making erectile dysfunction jokes when his car wouldn't start in Dead Reckoning, or the entire 'dangling from a building' scene with Jeremy Renner in Ghost Protocol.

Simon Pegg offers a few little giggles as he reprises his role as Benji Dunn, but this movie mostly involves a lot of male pondering about the meaning of life.

I guess the destruction of all humanity didn't render itself well to 'silly mission moments'. Instead, this movie leans into earnest warmth in place of humour. Yuck!

While the film's plot becomes a little muddled whenever the action is done, but it doesn't matter because it's the eye-watering stunts that make The Final Reckoning worth your screen time.

The loosely woven plot makes way for what I believe to be the most stressful and impressive stunt of the franchise: an underwater sequence, set in real time, that sees Hunt working his way through a submarine in search of the AI source code. 

It's silent, it's stressful, it's tense as hell. I was squirming in my seat… my boss was like 'girl, calm down' and I simply would not. I highly recommend you watch the movie for this scene alone (while simultaneously hoping I never have to sit through it again).

Cruise makes filming an underwater nightmare seem easy. Image: Paramount Pictures.

Then there's the flight sequence, presented to the audience by the over-the-top caricature of a villain: Gabriel (Esai Morales).

As Gabriel attempts to flee in one scene, Hunt pulls off extraordinary moves that see him driving a plane with his foot as he dangles from outside the aircraft.

There are jumps between planes! There are on-board fights! He may be harnessed in for safety during filming, but it doesn't make it any less impressive that this man is in the damn sky pulling off these moves.

He may be a freak who enjoys pushing his body to the absolute limits for our entertainment, but boy, is it a treat for the eyes. And on the big screen? Not to sound like Tom Cruise himself, but this is indeed a cinematic experience.

Get down, Tom! Image: Paramount Pictures.

Putting the overwrought plot aside — because honestly, what did you expect? — this is a classic, entertaining action flick that brings us some of Cruise's best stunt-work (even if it's not his best acting performance).

At the age of 62, it's impressive to see him still leading the way in Hollywood when it comes to practical effects and stunts. Especially in a film industry that celebrates CGI above Hollywood magic; one that is quickly descending into AI madness.

And perhaps the real message of Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning is to stop using ChatGPT and start spending more time outside. To radically oppose the infiltration of our daily lives by AI nonsense.

Or… you know, to just enjoy seeing Tom do some weird stuff. 

Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning is in cinemas now.