Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (2025)
Few modern franchises have had the longevity and consistency of the Mission: Impossible films. Beginning with Brian De Palma's original film in 1996, the franchise saw multiple jumps in tone and direction until Christopher McQuarrie would latch on as the main voice for the franchise, launching it into its largest era, starting with Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation in 2015. Now on its eighth feature, the franchise seeks some semblance of conclusion with Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.
Continuing the events of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, The Final Reckoning sees Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team continue to fight against the Entity, an infectious AI program which aims to destroy all of mankind. While Hunt seeks to kill the Entity, others have argued that it is best to try and control the program, using it to build a better world. The space for these nuanced debates, however, is drastically hurt by the Entity rapidly infecting and taking control of the world's nuclear arsenal, with only a handful of countries left with their programs online and secure. It is obvious that it is a matter of days until the Entity takes full control of these last remaining bombs and uses them to end the world. Unless Hunt and his team can figure out how to stop the Entity, there is no escaping the end of human life as we know it.
If these stakes seem abnormally large for a Mission: Impossible film, it is because they are. While the franchise has danced with these large-scale threats to humanity before, none have felt so directed and pressing as the threat within The Final Reckoning. It is undoubtedly jarring, especially in the film's first 30 minutes, to see a franchise that has remained so grounded evolve its world to be one of this much chaos. The film is truly absurdist in its size and scale, with McQuarrie seemingly asking how he can make every single scene as big and thrilling as possible. Make no mistake that The Final Reckoning is a blockbuster that prioritizes grandiose fun and set pieces, leaving nothing on the table and ultimately being unconcerned about jumping the shark. This is a dangerous game to play. For example, the Fast & Furious franchise has fallen apart for many with a similar approach, with many audiences struggling to care or engage with the preposterous developments of each new entry. Unlike Fast & Furious, The Final Reckoning is able to, somehow, hold itself together and never feel like it truly loses itself in this bombastic identity.
There are two major reasons for this. The first is simply how excellent the action and technical ability of the film are. While McQuarrie has sometimes struggled with the emotional connections within his Mission: Impossible films, he has always thrived as an action director, and the set pieces within The Final Reckoning are some of the franchise's best. From a breathtakingly tense underwater sequence, as Ethan has to maneuver a sunken submarine, to some of the most fun aviation combat in recent memory, every action scene lands, and the film truly demands to be seen on the largest screen possible. While McQuarrie deserves praise for his direction of these sequences, the cinematography of Fraser Taggart and the editing by Eddie Hamilton are also essential to the success of these scenes, as they feel truly inspired and at the very top of their game.
The other important element of the film is its heart. While the actual plot and stakes often feel comedically large, the film has an inner core that is far more substantial and worthy. The film is a celebration of the franchise to come before it, using narrative elements from multiple other films to create a film that truly feels like the closing chapter of a story that has been building since 1996. It is obvious that everyone, both on screen and behind the camera, truly loves these characters and the world they have built. For fans of this franchise, the film's fan service and references will land wonderfully and give a moving and defining feature in this franchise. This is not simply digging Hunt back out for another show like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny did for its titular character; there is something far more poignant to the closure found for this film and its world. Cruise especially delivers massively throughout the film's runtime, blending the charm of Hunt with a more profound emotion that echoes something deeper and more purposeful for the effort being put into this entry.
These big swings will lose some who have a very specific vision for what they want in a Mission: Impossible film, but the silliness of the film feels quite in line with much of the series earlier identity. There is something beautiful to be found about a film of this technical quality that is so dedicated to having fun and giving every scene everything it has. There are no concerns about saving something for a future sequel, and there is no going through the motions; the effort to make a defining and grand entry is obvious and is so wholesome that the entire 170-minute runtime lands. Even the opening act, which uses quite a bit of narration to set up the stakes for the film and give context for those who might not remember the story up to this point, ultimately feels aligned with the overall identity of the film and the direction it is going.
It is hard to think of any action blockbuster in recent memory that feels as daring as The Final Reckoning. Completely accepting itself to be huge, fun, silly, and emotionally rewarding, the film doesn't at any point try to restrain itself or hide the statement it is trying to make. This is a blockbuster of a lost era, and the results are one of the most fun theatrical experiences of the last decade. If one is able to radically accept this jump in direction and voice and enjoy the ride, The Final Reckoning is quite possibly the greatest Mission: Impossible film to date and is one of the best action blockbusters of the modern era.
Continuing the events of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, The Final Reckoning sees Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team continue to fight against the Entity, an infectious AI program which aims to destroy all of mankind. While Hunt seeks to kill the Entity, others have argued that it is best to try and control the program, using it to build a better world. The space for these nuanced debates, however, is drastically hurt by the Entity rapidly infecting and taking control of the world's nuclear arsenal, with only a handful of countries left with their programs online and secure. It is obvious that it is a matter of days until the Entity takes full control of these last remaining bombs and uses them to end the world. Unless Hunt and his team can figure out how to stop the Entity, there is no escaping the end of human life as we know it.
If these stakes seem abnormally large for a Mission: Impossible film, it is because they are. While the franchise has danced with these large-scale threats to humanity before, none have felt so directed and pressing as the threat within The Final Reckoning. It is undoubtedly jarring, especially in the film's first 30 minutes, to see a franchise that has remained so grounded evolve its world to be one of this much chaos. The film is truly absurdist in its size and scale, with McQuarrie seemingly asking how he can make every single scene as big and thrilling as possible. Make no mistake that The Final Reckoning is a blockbuster that prioritizes grandiose fun and set pieces, leaving nothing on the table and ultimately being unconcerned about jumping the shark. This is a dangerous game to play. For example, the Fast & Furious franchise has fallen apart for many with a similar approach, with many audiences struggling to care or engage with the preposterous developments of each new entry. Unlike Fast & Furious, The Final Reckoning is able to, somehow, hold itself together and never feel like it truly loses itself in this bombastic identity.
There are two major reasons for this. The first is simply how excellent the action and technical ability of the film are. While McQuarrie has sometimes struggled with the emotional connections within his Mission: Impossible films, he has always thrived as an action director, and the set pieces within The Final Reckoning are some of the franchise's best. From a breathtakingly tense underwater sequence, as Ethan has to maneuver a sunken submarine, to some of the most fun aviation combat in recent memory, every action scene lands, and the film truly demands to be seen on the largest screen possible. While McQuarrie deserves praise for his direction of these sequences, the cinematography of Fraser Taggart and the editing by Eddie Hamilton are also essential to the success of these scenes, as they feel truly inspired and at the very top of their game.
The other important element of the film is its heart. While the actual plot and stakes often feel comedically large, the film has an inner core that is far more substantial and worthy. The film is a celebration of the franchise to come before it, using narrative elements from multiple other films to create a film that truly feels like the closing chapter of a story that has been building since 1996. It is obvious that everyone, both on screen and behind the camera, truly loves these characters and the world they have built. For fans of this franchise, the film's fan service and references will land wonderfully and give a moving and defining feature in this franchise. This is not simply digging Hunt back out for another show like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny did for its titular character; there is something far more poignant to the closure found for this film and its world. Cruise especially delivers massively throughout the film's runtime, blending the charm of Hunt with a more profound emotion that echoes something deeper and more purposeful for the effort being put into this entry.
These big swings will lose some who have a very specific vision for what they want in a Mission: Impossible film, but the silliness of the film feels quite in line with much of the series earlier identity. There is something beautiful to be found about a film of this technical quality that is so dedicated to having fun and giving every scene everything it has. There are no concerns about saving something for a future sequel, and there is no going through the motions; the effort to make a defining and grand entry is obvious and is so wholesome that the entire 170-minute runtime lands. Even the opening act, which uses quite a bit of narration to set up the stakes for the film and give context for those who might not remember the story up to this point, ultimately feels aligned with the overall identity of the film and the direction it is going.
It is hard to think of any action blockbuster in recent memory that feels as daring as The Final Reckoning. Completely accepting itself to be huge, fun, silly, and emotionally rewarding, the film doesn't at any point try to restrain itself or hide the statement it is trying to make. This is a blockbuster of a lost era, and the results are one of the most fun theatrical experiences of the last decade. If one is able to radically accept this jump in direction and voice and enjoy the ride, The Final Reckoning is quite possibly the greatest Mission: Impossible film to date and is one of the best action blockbusters of the modern era.