Early on in Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, a character says of Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt that “You never followed orders, but you never let us down.” That’s absolutely true of Hunt, and of what Cruise has done with this franchise over the last 30 years. As movies have become more reliant on special effects and CGI, Cruise has run full speed in the other direction, risking his life over and over again to create some of the best action films ever. He’s hung onto the side of a plane while it takes off in Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation, climbed the tallest building in the world for Ghost Protocol, and piloted a helicopter for Fallout. It’s almost unheard of for an A-list actor like Cruise to legitimately go as far as he has for the sake of making a thrilling film, rarely following the rules of where conventional filmmaking is going.
As the title implies, The Final Reckoning certainly sets itself up like a potential goodbye to the franchise for Cruise if he wants it (even though we’ve had a few of those in the past as well). At almost three hours, The Final Reckoning is the biggest, longest, and often, most ridiculous M:I so far, celebrating this franchise that has continuously awed, shocked, and kept audiences on the edge of their seats. It’s also bloated, over-the-top (even for this series), and occasionally veers away from the action for long periods in a way that seems surprising for a theoretical conclusion to a series that lives or dies by its action sequences.
As The Final Reckoning reminds us through its many flashbacks, rapid-fire montages, and callbacks to the previous seven films, this is very much a victory lap, a reminder of how truly impressive this franchise has been since the mid-‘90s. And while this might not be as tight and flawless as some of the best films in this series, The Final Reckoning has earned the opportunity to be celebratory about itself; to go a bit cheesy and overlong, and be a bit self-indulgent after all these years. If The Final Reckoning is, in fact, the goodbye for at least Cruise in the Mission: Impossible franchise, he has proved once more that he will never let us down.
What Is ‘Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning’ About?

Continuing two months after the events of Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning, The Final Reckoning begins with Ethan Hunt still trying to find a way to take down the sentient AI known as the Entity, which has infiltrated the world’s technology. Now armed with a key that could be the means to which he can take down the Entity, Hunt is now at the center of a quandary about how to deal with the situation, including whether he can trust his government with a power that would put them in control of the world’s information.
However, Hunt finds himself with only 72 hours to figure out what to do about the Entity, whether he gives in to the AI and allows the human race to become enslaved by this technology, or potentially lead to actions that could destroy all of mankind. It’s easily Hunt’s most important mission yet, one that all his previous actions have led to, but, of course, he has his trusty team by his side. This time around, Ethan is joined by his usual crew of Luther (Ving Rhames) and Benji (Simon Pegg), as well as new IMF recruit, Grace (Hayley Atwell), as well as old acquaintances and new friends. Together, they’ll have to work together to save the world, but if anyone can do it, it’s Ethan Hunt.
‘Final Reckoning’ Is a Celebration of the Mission: Impossible Franchise

Final Reckoning knows that it could very well be the finale of this series, and it certainly feels like a culmination of everything these films have done up until now. Yet, depending on the viewer, that could be a good or bad thing. On the one hand, we get moments that tie into the rest of the series in often clever ways that are a bit of fan service to those who have loved the franchise for all these years. Mysteries are explained, characters return, and ties to things from the past come to light. On the other hand, it’s also a film that often prioritizes big monologues about what is happening and Ethan Hunt’s importance in the world, which can be a bit too much at times. There are several discussions about how everything Ethan has done has prepared him for this mission, with examples of how that’s true. For those looking for yet another action-packed IMF adventure, that’s absolutely part of this story, but there are long stretches where the nostalgia takes the wheel instead.
That being said, this reflection on the history of these films works. Written by Christopher McQuarrie and Erik Jendresen, who also co-write Dead Reckoning, The Final Reckoning is having a larger discussion about how our actions take us to where we need to be, how there are people all over just trying to do the right thing, and an extremely optimistic view of the future that things will work themselves out. A common refrain within the team is that they’ll “figure it out,” even in the many times when they’re faced with nuclear bombs possibly blowing up in their faces. But The Final Reckoning’s viewpoint that things will work out the way they need to is strangely refreshing, especially when most action films don’t attempt to make a larger statement about the state of the world. Again, these are moments that could come off as cheesy, but like Hunt’s optimism, it’s more contagious than it is off-putting.
It’s also a film that feels like it’s directly speaking to Cruise’s thoughts on the film industry in a very broad way. It’s probably not a coincidence that Cruise, who has shown time and time again that he prefers doing his own absurd stunts instead of overly-CGI’ed action sequences, has put himself into a story where the world has returned to a more analog world, less reliant on technology. While this is a series that has always relied on technology for these unbelievable missions, The Final Reckoning pulls back on that entirely, allowing for an even more intense, solid thriller that relies entirely on the trust of his teammates and what Hunt is capable of. What better way for Cruise to show off what he can do one last time?
‘Final Reckoning’ Shows Why the Mission: Impossible Franchise Is One of the Best Action Series Ever

Image via Paramount Pictures

Even though The Final Reckoning isn’t non-stop action like some of the other installments have been, when it does focus on an action sequence, it’s still truly unbelievable. As his fourth film in this series, McQuarrie knows how to heighten the tension of an action sequence, building and building until we’re clawing our seats and gasping for air. It’s truly a testament to this series that eight films in, we know what Hunt can do, and we know he’s likely going to walk away mostly unscathed from these scenarios, and yet, these action scenes manage to remain as tense as ever.
Much of the film leads to one extraordinary underwater sequence that McQuarrie does a great job of building towards. Even though much of the film is discussing what Hunt needs to do for this mission, and how he’ll handle it in detail, that slow, simmering tension explodes once we actually get to the moment. We also get yet another brilliant showcase for Cruise’s daring and talents as an action star in the much-publicized plane sequence, which, even after all these years and remarkable action moments, ranks as one of Mission: Impossible’s best. It’s incredible what Cruise is pulling off in these moments, and considering that, once again, this is being called the “final” reckoning, we’re more nervous about whether Hunt will get out of this situation than ever. It’s a phenomenal sequence that is a perfect punctuation for this iconic action series.
‘Final Reckoning’s Cast Remains a Key Part of What Makes This Series So Great

Image via Paramount Pictures

Even though this already gargantuan cast is now even bigger, with actors like Henry Czerny, Angela Bassett, Pom Klementieff, Shea Whigham, and Greg Tarzan Davis all returning, this series also adds characters played by Holt McCallany, Janet McTeer, Nick Offerman, Hannah Waddingham, Katy O’Brian, and Tramell Tillman, just to name a few. This is a packed cast list with a ton going on, and yet, it never feels like it’s biting off more than it can chew. Each character gets their own moment that speaks to what makes them great, and every character feels like an integral piece in the puzzle that Ethan Hunt is trying to solve. This is a three-hour Mission: Impossible that is full to the brim, but these characters earn the standout moments we get here.
Unfortunately, the one character who doesn’t quite fit into all of this is Esai Morales’ Gabriel, who continues his villainous story from Dead Reckoning, but is largely relegated to the failed henchman of the all-encompassing Entity. Considering how major the Entity’s threat is, Gabriel can’t help but feel minor in comparison. And while Dead Reckoning hinted at a dark past between Gabriel and Ethan, The Final Reckoning never pays that off in any substantial way. In a franchise that has had truly brilliant villains, like Sean Harris’ Solomon Lane and Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Owen Davian, not enough is done with Gabriel to make him feel like a true threat, nor can he live up to the danger that is the Entity.
As the presumed conclusion to at least this version of this franchise (it certainly feels that way), The Final Reckoning is stuffed, convoluted, and ludicrous at times. But it’s also mostly a great send-off to this universe, a deserved celebration for everything this series has accomplished, and one final (again, seemingly) showcase for Cruise as one of the greatest action stars of all time. Mission: Impossible deserves to go down as one of the best action franchises to ever exist, and while this might not be the greatest mission this series has had, it’s a fitting tribute to everything this series has been, and I’m grateful they accepted this mission.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning comes to theaters on May 23.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

Final Reckoning potentially ends the Mission: Impossible franchise with an installment that praises what will go down as one of the great action movie franchises.

Release Date

May 23, 2025

Runtime

169 Minutes

Pros & Cons

The Final Reckoning feels like a fitting culmination to this series.
Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie are still knocking these action sequences out of the park.
Fans of the series will appreciate all the nods to this world throughout.

The Final Reckoning gets away from the action a bit too much.
Esai Morales just isn’t as compelling of a villain as he should be.