"Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" starring Tom Cruise made its grand premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. Initial reviews suggest that the film, to say the least, lives up to the hype surrounding it.

"What a thrill!" declared The Guardian in its five-star love letter to Cruise's $400 million blockbuster, calling him a modern "superhuman action hero... forever young, forever fit, never giving in to the absurd Armageddon."

The Hollywood Reporter quoted critics who had seen the first screenings, calling the action scenes "surprising," "stunning," and "just crazy."

After some film experts expressed concerns that the nearly three-hour epic—the eighth in the high-octane franchise—might be the last, Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie gave conflicting hints about its future.

The two embarked on an exhausting world tour to promote one of the most expensive films ever made after its premiere was delayed due to strikes in Hollywood.

But it seems that all the blood, sweat, and money were worth it — even though European film website Screen complained that the film had "more stunts than substance."

A few hours before the premiere, McQuarrie revealed that Cruise, who performs his own stunts, had taken too many risks during filming in South Africa.

The crew feared that the 62-year-old star had fainted after climbing onto the wing of a stunt biplane he was piloting himself. | BGNES, AFP