Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning Review - The ultimate action franchise sticks the landing

Chase Gifford
May 14
4 min read

“I need you to trust me… one last time.” - Ethan Hunt

The very involvement of Tom Cruise acts as its own kind of advertisement for whatever project he’s attached to. Knowing the lengths he goes to create exhilarating sequences can almost feel bigger than the film itself. Swinging from the tallest building in the world. Performing a HALO jump from a military airplane. Flying helicopters, jets, airplanes, death defying underwater stunts. It all boggles the mind and to see it on such a massive scale is never anything short of breathtaking. And so much of it is because of that man and his willingness to capture as much as possible in camera, often incorporating entirely new tech that without would have left these amazing concepts as nothing more than brilliant “what ifs” criminally never brought to life.

In my humble opinion, one of the greatest collaborations of the last twenty years in cinema is the partnership between Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie. From smaller projects like Jack Reacher to bigger fare like Top Gun: Maverick, this duo has helped create some of the most recent and iconic imagery in cinema.

I think more than anything, they are a wealth of brilliant ideas from uncredited rewrites on Ghost Protocol, to taking over the ship for four of arguably the best of the M:I franchise: Rogue Nation, Fallout, Dead Reckoning and now The Final Reckoning. They seem to understand the significance of the theatrical experience creating content built entirely with that idea in mind. Just Cruise’s commitment as an actor, stunt performer and even producer are practically legendary at this point. And their dedication is all over the screen for The Final Reckoning.

As great as the stunts are in these films, the best aspect of the last two particularly is the story that plays out with such grandiose expectations and aspirations. With Dead Reckoning and The Final Reckoning they have managed to fully capture the feeling of finality that radiates from a complex and timely storyline. Between the expansive story, phenomenal acting and massive musical score you can almost feel the reverberation of humanity’s last moments if Ethan Hunt actually falls short. Put all of this on an IMAX or Dolby screen and you have the perfect recipe for cinematic magic. And as every Mission before it (Not you, M:I 2) has, The Final Reckoning is no exception delivering some of the most riveting and mesmerizing action sequences and story elements of the entire near thirty year franchise.

I still think Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is Hunt’s most vicious foe but The Entity has quickly become one of my favorite villains and its state of being everywhere all at once is genuinely terrifying considering its motivations and ultimate goals. Any physical shortcomings it inevitably encounters are remedied by the brilliantly maniacal Esai Morales as Gabriel, the man of mystery so prevalent and important to Hunt’s past. In a more rogue position this time, Gabriel seems more resolute than ever to destroy and rebuild humanity in his image. His god complex has become unstable at best.

At the end of Dead Reckoning we already somewhat understand what Ethan must face in the next chapter. With the two-piece key finally in hand, Hunt must now locate the long lost submarine where The Entity’s physical hardware has resided since it sunk and killed its crew beneath the ice of the Bering Sea. This will be Hunt’s greatest challenge yet facing a ticking clock that threatens literal Armageddon should he fail. As each moment passes The Entity grows stronger and smarter and evermore elusive gaining control of the world’s nuclear arsenal country by country.

As with every aspect of The Entity’s existence, there are an endless amount of hazards, obstacles and hidden motivations always forcing its pursuers, Hunt and every superpower on the planet, to find the answers to its downfall in a now analog reality.

This analog reality enveloping its victims forces primarily Cruise’s character to physically be in rooms filled with everything from water five hundred feet beneath the surface of the ocean to some of the most deplorable, reprehensible human beings on Earth. And they are cunning, manipulative and merciless. This creates brilliant and thrilling sequences requiring Cruise’s blind bravery facing everything from water stunt work to unbelievable aerial choreography between two propeller biplanes. He further solidifies his status as one of the greatest movie stars that has or will ever live. His perseverance is unmatched in practically every regard and The Final Reckoning features some of his most harrowing work ever put to screen.

Watching Cruise dangle thousands of feet in the air perilously from an antiquated biplane chasing down his worst enemy is jaw dropping but it is the underwater sequences that left me truly speechless. Between massive stakes all threatening his imminent death and a musical score that blares in severity and impending doom heightens these scenes to near unbearable, anxiety inducing moments that will leave you wanting to quietly celebrate his every small victories and to stand and scream for his larger triumphs.

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning is the franchise at its best. It is endlessly entertaining featuring breathtaking visual splendor from on location settings to unimaginable action sequences performed by the biggest star in the world. With impeccable direction and a fearless sense of fortitude, Cruise, McQuarrie and company join forces to create one of the best cinematic experiences of 2025. It is a concoction of thrilling, unprecedented cinematic history-in-the-making, go-for-broke perseverance with an unwillingness to sacrifice quality entertainment in the face of anything that might otherwise interfere with something so implausibly, so impossibly magnificent.

(Say hello to one of the best movies of the year. See it on the biggest screen possible and then see it again. Let these streamer assholes see that the theatrical experience is nowhere near dead.)