MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING: A Force to be Reckoned With on the Big Screen!

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING is directed by Christopher McQuarrie. The film stars Tom Cruise, Esai Morales, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Pom Klementieff, Hayley Atwell, Henry Czerny, and Angela Bassett. It’s the eighth installment in the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE film series, which is based on the classic television series of the same name.

Impossible Mission Force (IMF) agent Ethan Hunt is back in action, as an AI force simply known as “The Entity” continues to grow, taking control of the world’s nuclear sites, plunging the world into uncertainty and chaos. Teaming up with his allies and putting his plan to save the world into action, Ethan finds himself facing insurmountable odds and hostility in a world on the verge of self-destruction.

When the first MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE hit theaters back in 1996 (nearly three decades ago!), many people likely passed it off as another flash-in-the-pan cinema adaptation of an old TV show. Here we are, eight films later, with the naysayers having been proven wrong time and time again. How many film series even get this many installments, let along ones that are actually good? It’s the rare franchise that’s gotten better as it’s gone along, with a fantastic core cast, and in the case of the latter four films, direction from Christopher McQuarrie, who has turned this franchise from merely good into a global juggernaut.

THE FINAL RECKONING is the immediate sequel to its predecessor, DEAD RECKONING PART ONE. The previous movie left audiences with a massive cliffhanger they’ve been waiting two years to see unfold. And this critic is pleased to say that, this latest mission, should you choose to accept it, is an epic on-screen conclusion to this story, with thrills around every corner, and the cast and crew alike throwing in everything but the kitchen sink. Pushing the three-hour mark, it’s perhaps a bit too long, and plausibility is largely thrown out the window, but when we as an audience are this thrilled by what’s unfolding, losing track of the time in the process, do we even care?

One can’t talk about THE FINAL RECKONING or the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE franchise as a whole without mentioning its leading man: Tom Cruise. This is a man who’s been entertaining audiences for over four decades now, and Ethan Hunt may very well be the man’s definitive on-screen role. Over the course of these movies, we’ve seen Ethan engaging in death-defying stunts and missions, but the filmmakers always bring a sense of levity to it all as well, humanizing him and not being afraid to show losses and how it impacts him as a character and a human being. THE FINAL RECKONING is heavier on exposition and flashbacks than previous chapters, which goes a long way in showing how far along this franchise and its leading man have come. The action and spectacle are as great as they’ve ever been, but it’s Mr. Cruise who brings it on home and keeps this character from feeling like caricature or parody. If this were to be the last time he ever plays Ethan Hunt, this would certainly be going out on top.

The supporting cast members are no less excellent, including IMF teammates Luther (Ving Rhames) and Benji (Simon Pegg), with whom Cruise’s Hunt has a great chemistry, largely giving this film its human element. Angela Bassett reprises her role from MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT, having gotten a promotion since we last saw her on screen, sharing some great scenes with Hunt and struggling with a personal crisis amid a world falling apart before her very eyes. Hayley Atwell and Pom Klementieff reprise their roles from DEAD RECKONING, getting some great scenes as well. And for the main human villain (I say “human” since “The Entity” is technically the main villain) is Esai Morales as the mysterious Gabriel, again, a role he reprises from the previous film. The guy who played Ritchie Valens’ brother in LA BAMBA back in the day has certainly come a long way, playing this part in such a creepy and enigmatic way that he’s the villain you love to hate.

And what unfolds on screen? Just about everything. Christopher McQuarrie’s MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE films hold nothing back. Does plausibility take a back seat at times? Most certainly, but if you want action and amazing stunts on screen, the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE series does it better than most. Whether Ethan Hunt is deep beneath the seas of the Arctic searching for a lost nuclear submarine or engaged in an antique airplane chase in the skies above Africa, there are no dull moments here. This is Oscar-worthy stunt work that doesn’t come at the expense of a plot of character development, and bless the folks on both sides of the camera for that. It sounds a good as it looks, and is a movie that demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible, whether we’re hearing explosions, gunshots, or new arrangements of Lalo Schifrin’s classic theme music (I bet you’re humming the theme music to yourself as you read this review). My screening of MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING took place in the recently-renovated IMAX theater in Regal Red Rock here in Las Vegas, and to say this one rocked my world would be an understatement. Do yourself a favor and see this one on the biggest screen possible. Visually, aurally, and in terms of storytelling, THE FINAL RECKONING is a true epic.

The flaws in THE FINAL RECKONING are thankfully minor. The movie is a bit heavy on exposition and flashbacks, likely done as sort of a tribute to Tom Cruise having played this character for nearly 30 years, but the efforts to tie this together can be a bit tiresome and overwhelming at times. Likewise, the movie at times does struggle to find its footing, throwing a few too many characters (some old, some new) at the viewer. However, at the same time, I found the storyline and the plot twists of THE FINAL RECKONING to be easier to follow than some of the earlier installments, which is a good thing. Slightly tighter editing could’ve given us a more streamlined but no-less-effective film, but the movie won’t disappoint long-time fans of Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt.

Is THE FINAL RECKONING the final word in the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE film series? Unlikely. It’s been one of Paramount’s most successful and longest running film series. But director Christopher McQuarrie has pulled out all the stops (he having now directed half of the films in the series) to unleash a modern-day epic on the big screen that hits close to home, largely due to its AI-fueled plot line. The action scenes and stunt work are among the best ever seen in a film. Cruise and the rest of the cast are at the top of their game in a high-stakes cinematic experience. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING is a force to be reckoned with, and one of the best films of 2025. Absolute highest recommendations… but if you choose to accept this mission, see it on the biggest screen possible!