REVIEW: “Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning” (2025)

Mission: Impossible--The Final Reckoning (2025) 

As the second-half of an epic, two-part finale that began with 2023’s Dead Reckoning (which you’ll need to see first to understand this one), Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning picks up with Ethan Hunt’s pursuit of a source code in a secret case that can only be unlocked by a dual set of keys, to bring down a malevolent AI program known as the Entity. And to silence the source’s “cult” followers and prevent a nuclear Holocaust (again). The three-day deadline that ensues involves Ethan and his team tracking down a submarine in the below-freezing Arctic (specifically the Bering Sea in the Northern Pacific) and a vault in South Africa, all while contemplating what is on their hands (past or present) and what isn’t. 

One of the reasons each installment of Mission: Impossible worked as a standalone chapter (mostly) was that subtle references were made to previous missions while focusing primarily on the respective narratives and arcs in each film. One of my issues with the conclusion of this three-decade long series is it seems like a recap of the entire franchise, using archival footage for roughly a third of its 169-minute runtime. The Final Reckoning (originally titled, Dead Reckoning Part Two) would’ve—and should’ve—worked stronger and more self-contained without those clips. (This is something that Marvel Studio’s Thunderbolts* similarly accomplished more recently.) An alternative would’ve been to just reference those moments or use stills (er, profiles or snapshots). The sequence where Ethan communicates with the Entity, I guess, could’ve been an exception, considering flashes of moments to come later (a unique play on the iconic opening credits). 

Another issue I have with this unquestionable but mixed blockbuster, despite intriguing themes of destiny as well as choices over actions, is how a key character (who was strong in the last film, intellectually and psychologically) feels reduced to a hammy, over-the-top performance, especially at the homestretch. (“That’s such a cliché,” I said to the screen.) Like this film overall, it felt like a letdown. Even the way the story references/reveals connections to elements like the “Rabbit’s Foot” (from the 2006 threequel) and Jim Phelps (from the 1996 original) seem kind of contrary to what director Christopher McQuarrie described in a recent interview as “fan service” (a la Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker). 

On the other hand, the way The Final Reckoning takes its time to wrap up the arc of Ving Rhames’ expert hacker Luther Stickell is, like Max Aruj and Alfie Godfrey’s epic score, unexpected and profound. (“Our lives are the sum of our infinite choices,” the man tells us.) Plus, the movie benefits from committed performances and characterizations by Pom Klementieff (as assassin-turned-ally Paris), Hayley Atwell (as expert pickpocket Grace), Simon Pegg (as IT wizard Benji), Greg Tarzan Davis’s (as US Intelligence agent Degas), and Angela Bassett (as former CIA director, now U.S. President, Erica Sloane). And just as Dead Reckoning brought back Henry Czerny’s CIA director Kittridge, so too does this final chapter bring back another famous character from that inaugural feature (one of the highlights here). The filmmakers even bring back a recurring quote from the previous installment: “We live and die in the shadows for those we hold close, and for those we never meet.” 

But the real highlights of The Final Reckoning are its large-scale set pieces and practical action. The underwater submarine sequence (mesmerizing, haunting, and jaw-dropping, with an immersive and thrilling surround sound design) recalls James Cameron’s The Abyss and Titanic, while the advertised bi-plane chase will leave you slack-jawed and gripping your seat. Both segments represent bold cinema, carrying quiet tension and suspense that anything can happen in the blink of an eye. Not to mention Cruise hanging on for dear life. Like Buster Keaton and Jackie Chan before him, I don’t know what’s more amazing: how many crazy stunts Cruise has performed in his career in recent years, or the fact that he survived them all. Considered by some reports to be “the last movie star” in Hollywood (a title he respectfully disagrees with), this may likely be the last time we see Cruise, as well as McQuarrie and company, on such daring and risky Missions around the globe. And they literally go out on a high note on that practical, cinema-going end. (Speaking of which, didn’t Cruise say he was filming a future movie in space?)