I Saw 'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning' Twice — It's the Best Action Movie of the Decade

I'll be honest: I went into Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning with low expectations. Not because I thought it would be bad — the series has been consistently excellent since Ghost Protocol — but because I thought there's no way they could top Dead Reckoning. That movie had the train sequence, the car chase in Rome, the airport scene. I figured Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie would play it safe, give us a solid finale, and call it a day.

I was wrong.

I saw it opening night on June 21 at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. The audience was electric. People cheered when the Paramount logo appeared. They applauded during action sequences. When the credits rolled, there was a standing ovation. I knew I had to see it again to process what I just witnessed. So I went back the next day, this time in IMAX. And I can now say with confidence: this is the best action movie of the decade, and possibly the best Mission: Impossible film ever made.

Let's start with the plot — without spoilers, I promise. Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is racing against time to stop a rogue AI called the Entity (from Dead Reckoning) that has gone fully sentient. It can manipulate global markets, launch nuclear weapons, and control every digital system. The only way to stop it is to find a key — literally a physical key — that can access the Entity's core code. The chase takes Ethan from the deserts of Namibia to the streets of Venice to the top of a skyscraper in Dubai. Classic M:I structure, but the stakes feel real. The movie opens with a flashback to Ethan's early days in the IMF, revealing something about his past that changes everything. I won't spoil it, but it's emotional in a way the series has never attempted before.

The action is, predictably, insane. There's a sequence set on a cargo plane that's crashing into the ocean that had me gripping my armrest. Cruise and McQuarrie filmed it practically — they actually crashed a plane into a water tank for real. The behind-the-scenes footage (which you can find online) shows Cruise hanging upside down in a harness as water floods the cabin. He's 62 years old. He does his own stunts. I don't know how he's alive.

But the highlight is a fight scene set on a moving train — again, filmed practically. Cruise and his co-star, newcomer Dev Patel (who is fantastic as a rogue hacker), fight through a tilting train car that's hanging off a collapsed bridge. The choreography is brutal and real. You can feel every punch. No shaky-cam, no quick cuts. Just two people trying to kill each other in a physics-defying location. It's one of the best fight scenes I've ever seen in any movie.

I should also talk about the cast. Rebecca Ferguson returns as Ilsa Faust, and she gets a moment that genuinely made me tear up. Hayley Atwell is back as Grace, and her character arc is satisfying — she goes from reluctant ally to full-on agent. Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames provide the comic relief and heart, as always. And Vanessa Kirby's White Widow has a bigger role this time, and she's deliciously evil. But the real standout is Esai Morales as Gabriel, the villain. He's cold, calculating, and actually scary — not just a mustache-twirling bad guy. He has a personal connection to Ethan's past, and their final confrontation is emotionally charged.

But does it stick the landing? Yes. Oh, yes. The final 30 minutes are a masterclass in tension. There's a countdown, a betrayal, a sacrifice — and an ending that's both satisfying and bittersweet. I won't say more, but I will say I heard sniffles in the theater. Multiple people. Tom Cruise made me cry. I didn't expect that.

Is it perfect? No. The movie is 2 hours and 45 minutes, and it drags slightly in the middle. There's a subplot involving a submarine that feels underdeveloped. And some of the dialogue is clunky — characters literally say things like "We have to stop the Entity before it's too late." But when the action is this good, you forgive the flaws.

I've already bought tickets for a third viewing. If you're a fan of action movies, this is required viewing. If you've never seen a Mission: Impossible film, start from the beginning — but know that this finale is worth the journey.

Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning is playing in theaters now. See it on the biggest screen you can find. Thank me later.