Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning

For thirty years, Tom Cruise has been saving the world from countless enemies—and literally, risking his life for our entertainment. When Mission: Impossible came out in 1996, it was based on a TV series and gave the studio a chance to play in the same sandbox as Bond—James Bond. As the years have passed, it’s done that and more, becoming the definition of an event movie, always seeming to go bigger. Now, on its eighth film—and umpteenth time Cruise has done a stunt that looks like death is just inches away—we get the final chapter in a series that has been building up to this. And let me tell you, it’s a very satisfying finish.

After the events of Dead Reckoning, Ethan (Tom Cruise) has the key, but now must find the missing sub in order to end The Entity—and whatever plan it has. Ethan, of course, is already working on a plan. After tracking down Gabriel (Esai Morales), he learns that his options are starting to narrow. So he and Benji (Simon Pegg) reconnect to find Luther (Ving Rhames), and the team starts mapping out what exactly they need to do to save the world once again. For the plan to work, puzzle pieces have to fall into place at the exact time with almost no room for error. But Ethan has the best crew, and together, there’s no mission that’s truly impossible for them.

When it comes to pace, none in the series moved like Dead Reckoning, which kept the adventure driving forward and made you feel how little time was left. Final Reckoning, written by Erik Jendresen and Christopher McQuarrie (who also directs), slows the pace down. The characters are given space to deal with everything happening around them, and the film brings out the exposition big guns. At times, it feels like they really want to make sure you’re following the plot, repeating key stakes again and again—which, to be fair, are the literal fate of the entire world. The slower first half might lack the big set-piece action scenes, but there’s a rhythmic cadence to it all. And when the action does hit, the sequences delivered will simply take your breath away.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning delivers the global spectacle you both expect and want from this series—in the most immersive way. Cruise once again defies reason and risk, delivering the intense physical performance you came for. His commitment—especially in performing his own stunts—only adds to the experience. There are at least two sequences here that will leave you agape and clutching your seat’s armrest, as they are simply breathtaking in their audacity.

For all that’s great in this installment, The Final Reckoning may not be the very best chapter, but it proves that when it comes to blockbuster action movies, there’s still nothing quite like Mission: Impossible. After eight movies, this series will go down as one of the greatest franchises in cinema history, because the people behind it understand the assignment. Despite a few limitations, it still gives us an event film—and few movies truly feel like that anymore.

I hope this isn’t the end for Cruise in this role, because I selfishly want him to keep making these and topping each seemingly impossible stunt. But if this is the end for Ethan Hunt, it’s been one hell of a ride—and the easiest “yes” you and I will ever give to accepting a mission.