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The Cinematropolis
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    Cinematropolis Podcast Featured The Cinematic Schematic

    Amazing Stunts Can’t Keep ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ From Botching the Ending – The Cinematic Schematic

    May 28, 2025
    Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning
    https://media.blubrry.com/thecinematicschematic/www.thecinematropolis.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/25-09-Mission-Impossible-8-Review_Final.mp3

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download

    Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

    This is your podcast…if you choose to accept it. The Cinematic Schematic returns to review what is being billed as Tom Cruise’s final outing as Ethan Hunt, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.

    It’s been two years since Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1. After the film underperformed at the box office, Cruise and his creative muse, writer/director Christopher McQuarrie, aren’t taking any chances. They are pulling out all of the stops, going as far as to market the movie as the “final” entry in the nearly 30-year-old film franchise. Cameos. Nods. Retcons. Cruise and McQuarrie are pulling every narrative lever imaginable to earn back the film’s massive $300–$400 million budget.

    The film picks up months after Dead Reckoning (they’ve since dropped “Part 1” from the title), and Hunt is still playing a game of cat and mouse with the all-powerful, rule-evading AI “The Entity,” and its trusty sidekick Gabriel (Esai Morales). In addition to all of the new players, Hunt reunites with a long line of returning cast members, including Luthor (Ving Rhames), Benji(Simon Pegg), Grace (Hayley Atwell), Kittridge (Henry Czerny), Paris (Pom Klementieff), and even the long-lost William Donloe (Rolf Saxon) last seen in Mission: Impossible (1996).

    Airplanes, submarines, callbacks. There’s so much to break down. Has the Tom Cruise & Christopher McQuarrie creative duo done it again, or should we take the word “Final” more seriously? Tune in for the verdict from our panel of disavowed podcasters.

    This episode will self-destruct in 5… 4… 3… 💥


    The Disavowed Podcasters

    GoodTrash Media’s Dalton Stuart rejoins hosts Caleb Masters and Laron Chapman to accept this mission.

    Left to Right: Dalton Stuart, Laron Chapman, and Caleb Masters.

    Ice-Breaker Question

    Time Stamp: 7:11

    What is your favorite “series finale” and why? 


    Spoiler-Free Review

    Time Stamp: 16:11

    In our spoiler-free review, we discuss:

    • Our overall thoughts on the movie
    • How well The Final Reckoning works as a series finale
    • Our letter grade verdicts
    • Alternate media recommendations
    • The series ranked from worst to best

    Spoiler-Filled Analysis

    Time Stamp: 1:06:52

    To land this biplane, we talk about:

    • Our favorite and least favorite retcons in The Final Reckoning
    • Where should the Mission: Impossible franchise go next?

    Special Guest

    Dalton Stuart

    Dalton Stuart

    Co-host of GoodTrash Genrecast and GoodTrash Media co-founder

    Check out Dalton’s mini-reviews on Letterboxd @dollywoodsqures

    Follow Dalton on Instagram @ dollywoodsquares


    About Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

    According to IMDB, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is described as:

    Our lives are the sum of our choices. Tom Cruise is Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.


    Follow The Cinematic Schematic Podcast

    Hear all of this and more of our past and future episodes by subscribing to The Cinematic Schematic on your preferred podcast app and leaving us a rating on Apple Podcasts!

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    Christopher McQuarrieMission: ImpossibleMission: Impossible - The Final ReckoningParamountThe Cinematic SchematicTom Cruise
    Caleb Masters
    Caleb Masters is a film critic, podcast host, and producer with more than fourteen years of experience in media and film criticism, fueled by a lifelong love of pop culture and a passion for media production. As editor-in-chief of The Cinematropolis, he oversees the site’s editorial direction while hosting and producing the podcast The Cinematic Schematic, where he reviews new releases, interviews filmmakers, and explores other prominent voices in entertainment alongside co-host Laron Chapman. He previously served as president of the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle (OFCC) and currently lives in Seattle, Washington with his wife and three dogs. Follow him on Letterboxd or Instagram @CMastersTalk
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