Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning (2025) Paramount/Action-Adventure RT: 169 minutes Rated PG-13 (sequences of strong violence and action, bloody images, brief language) Director: Christopher McQuarrie Screenplay: Christopher McQuarrie and Erik Jendresen Music: Max Aruj and Alfie Godfrey Cinematography: Fraser Taggart Release date: May 23, 2025 (US) Cast: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny, Angela Bassett, Holt McCallany, Janet McTeer, Nick Offerman, Hannah Waddingham, Tramell Tillman, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Charles Parnell, Max Gatiss, Rolf Saxon, Lucy Tulugarjuk, Katy O’Brian, Stephen Oyoung.
Rating: *** ½
IMF agent Ethan Hunt returns to save the world one last time in Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning which Tom Cruise himself says will the final installment of the series. We all know the word “final” typically comes with an asterisk attached so we’ll see.
The stakes are higher than ever in this continuation of 2023’s Dead Reckoning. The world is on the brink of complete nuclear annihilation and only Hunt can stop it. He’s in possession of the key that can unlock a chamber containing the source code for “The Entity”, the sentient AI program that is gaining control of the world’s nuclear weapons. It wants to destroy humanity. The device containing the source code is on a sunken Russian submarine at the bottom of the Bering Sea. Hunt and his team- tech guy Benji (Pegg, Shaun of the Dead), Luther (Rhames, Pulp Fiction) and new IMF agent Grace (Atwell, Agent Carter)- have to get to it before it falls into the wrong hands, namely Gabriel (Morales, Bad Boys), a baddie who wants to control the Entity.
Ethan has a few new team members watching his back. Paris (Klementieff, Guardians of the Galaxy 2 & 3), the French assassin formerly working with Gabriel, changed sides after he betrayed her. Now she’s looking for payback. Theo (Davis, Top Gun: Maverick), one of the agents sent to capture Hunt in the previous film, is now in Hunt’s corner too. The other guy (Whigham, Joker) is still in pursuit of Hunt as is CIA director Kittridge (Czerny, Ready or Not). The President, former CIA director Sloane (Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), agrees to let Hunt try and save the world. He has only a few days before the world becomes engulfed in a nuclear catastrophe.
That’s really all you need to know about Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning. Despite its epic length of nearly three hours, it’s not that complicated. There are a few nifty plot surprises throughout- a burning question from the third movie is finally answered- but I’m not giving anything away. What I will say there’s one quote from the movie that perfectly sums it all up: “Everything you were, everything you’ve done, has come to this.” The extended intro is basically a recap of the previous film as well as significant events from a few of the others. Some have complained it interferes with the movie’s momentum. I say it adds gravitas to Hunt’s last mission.
One thing the previous Mission: Impossible movies have in common is that they’re fun, escapist-type actioners. They don’t take themselves seriously at all. They exist merely to wow audiences with impressive action set-pieces and death-defying stunt work. There is no shortage of either thing in Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning, but it’s not quite as much fun as its predecessors. Director Christopher McQuarrie, director of the three previous M:I outings, takes things a little more seriously this time which makes sense given the stakes involved- i.e. the destruction of the world by rogue AI. It’s not just a matter of taking down a spy network; Hunt has to pull humanity from the brink of extinction. He’s not playing and neither are the government officials breathing down his neck. Given his history with IMF and his tendency to go rogue, they don’t trust him to hand over the Entity if he acquires it. The President authorizes him to do his thing then spends the rest of the movie fretting over making the most difficult choice any world leader might have to make if the proverbial s*** hits the fan. This impossible mission is intense.
Things get dark in Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning, but it’s still an entertaining ride. The action sequences are well orchestrated. There’s an underwater bit that has to be seen to be believed. Cruise is still at the top of his game as the hero who never hesitates to risk his life for the greater good of his country. This time, he climbs around on an airborne plane in pursuit of Gabriel. As somebody who’s deathly afraid of heights, this bit gave me major vertigo. The whole cast does a good job, especially Rhames who brings a new level of gravitas to his character. Atwell is a great addition to the team as is Klementieff. I wouldn’t mind seeing a M:I spinoff starring these two ladies.
I think I’m going to end my review of Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning here. I don’t want to accidentally drop any spoilers. I’ll leave it at this. It ends the series on a high note. That is, if it is indeed the Final Reckoning. Like James Bond once said, never say never again.
