Tom Cruise’s ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ Test Screening Reactions Explained

If there is one thing guaranteed for anyone watching a Mission: Impossible movie, it is that Tom Cruise
is going to do his absolute best to take your breath away and increase your heart rate. According to long-term franchise director Christopher McQuarrie
this year’s Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
has potentially gone a little too far with its intense action sequences…but that is exactly what the director wanted to hear.

The movie is not arriving in cinemas until May 23, but according to McQuarrie, a small test screening resulted in one viewer saying the movie almost “gave them a heart attack,” something that he is immensely happy about. Speaking to Empire Magazine, McQuarrie explained:

“We had a small screening and someone said, ‘I was suffocating throughout the entire sequence. I almost had a heart attack.’ And I thought, ‘I guess we did something right.’”

Fans of the franchise really did not need any kind of proof that Cruise’s potentially last Mission: Impossible is going to deliver big stunts, breathtaking action, and more than a little jeopardy for its leading man. However, this kind of news can only help boost the earnings of the eighth movie in the franchise, which will be needed to recoup that stratospheric reported budget of $400 million.

‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ Is Not the End of the Franchise

Currently, it is quite unclear as to what happens next to Ethan Hunt after The Final Reckoning. When the movie was originally announced along with its predecessor, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoningthe film was to be a continuation of that film, even having a “Part 2” tag. With Dead Reckoning not quite living up to its full potential, Paramount quickly severed ties between the two Movies. Now, everyone is hyping the new film and teasing what could come next.

Last year, franchise star Simon Pegg shared his glowing praise for the movie, calling it “the best one ever” thanks to the “mind-boggling” things that Cruise was able to do in the new film. He said:

“I have just finished shooting, I’ve got one day of pick-ups to do. I’ve seen some of it. It’s bananas. It’s absolutely bananas. What he does in this one, it boggles the mind. I think this one is the best one ever. And I’m not just saying that because it’s like, ‘Oh you’ve got to say it.’”

This bodes well for The Final Reckoning’s assault on the box office in May, but also for reported plans of Cruise’s next phase for the Mission: Impossible franchise beyond Ethan Hunt’s current timeline. Late last year, it was rumored that Cruise is currently looking for someone to play a young Ethan Hunt in a short flashback appearance in The Final Reckoningto then make them a big part of a ninth movie. Currently, though, this is just a rumor, as so far Paramount has not announced plans for Mission: Impossible 9. After the disappointing haul of Dead Reckoningit is likely that any future entries in the franchise will all depend on May’s release.