Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning (A PopEntertainment.com Movie Review)

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING (2025)

Starring Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Henry Czerny, Angela Bassett, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Mariela Garriga, Pasha Lychnikoff, Holt McCallany, Janet McTeer, Nick Offerman, Hannah Waddingham, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Charles Parnell, Rolf Saxon, Tommie Earl Jenkins, Katy O'Brian, Mark Gatiss and Tramell Tillman.

Screenplay by Erik Jendresen & Christopher McQuarrie.

Directed by Christopher McQuarrie.

Distributed by Paramount Pictures. 170 minutes. Rated PG-13.

Two years ago, the Mission: Impossible franchise released their last film, Dead Reckoning – Part One. And, somewhere along the line, the promised Part Two which was supposed to be released months later never quite came. (Don’t leave us hanging guys!)

Well, I suppose that The Final Reckoning is supposed to be the second part of that story, but somewhere along the line, the title branding and schedule has been changed. If you look now, the filmmakers are trying to downplay the “Part One” in the last title, now just referring to the last film as Dead Reckoning. But we remember.

Okay, since there are rumblings that this may be the last Mission: Impossible movie, maybe Final Reckoning does make some sense as a subtitle. Although, this film ends with the not-so-subtle hint of future adventures, so I rather doubt that this will really be the final reckoning.

But let’s stop obsessing about the title. The real question is simply this: in its eighth edition in just about two decades, does the Mission: Impossible machine still deliver the goods? For the most part, it does.

Final Reckoning is nearly three hours of spectacular stunts, beautiful settings, goofy costume changes and nearly non-stop death-defying action sequences. Cruise still is apparently doing all of his own stunts, which is quite impressive, although one fight scene is all done off-camera with sound effects, so maybe we’re getting a little lazy occasionally.

The film’s end is just a tiny bit heavy-handed, but then again, this series was never known for its subtlety.

Final Reckoning tells (or continues to tell) a complicated story of AI, world destruction, hidden secrets, international subterfuge and teamwork amongst spies. However, again, this series has never been about the details, it’s mostly about the action.

Luckily, like in Dead Reckoning, Cruise again allows his character of Ethan Hunt to act his age and show a bit of humility, ennui and doubt. After all, the dude is in his 60s, he can’t be as blasé about super stunts as he once did. Then again, the guy can still hang on to the wing of an airborne biplane with panache. 

Is there nearly three hours’ worth of story here? Quite probably not, but although the film drags a bit periodically, it is never too long before the next wild action scene.

If this is indeed the final reckoning of the Mission: Impossible universe, it could go out on a lot worse footing.

Jay S. Jacobs

Copyright ©2025 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: May 22, 2025.