Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning Review: A Perfect Sendoff?

I'm a Mission: Impossible fan from way back. I remember watching the first one in theaters in 1996, thinking, 'This is cool, but it's no James Bond.' 30 years later, the franchise has not only surpassed Bond — it's become the gold standard for action cinema. So when I walked into the theater for Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning on June 23rd, I had high expectations. And somehow, Tom Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie delivered. This movie is a triumph. It's also exhausting, overstuffed, and about 15 minutes too long. But I loved every second of it.

The Plot: A Sprawling, Confusing Conclusion

Picking up directly after Dead Reckoning Part One, The Final Reckoning follows Ethan Hunt (Cruise) as he races to stop the Entity — a rogue AI — from falling into the wrong hands. The plot is convoluted, involving a stolen submarine, a mysterious key, and a villain (Esai Morales) who's somehow both underdeveloped and menacing. Let's be honest: you don't watch Mission: Impossible for the plot. You watch for the stunts. And the stunts here are insane. The first 20 minutes feature a chase through the streets of Rome that involves a Fiat 500, a motorcycle, and a helicopter. It's ridiculous in the best way.

The Stunts: Tom Cruise Is Not Human

I'm convinced Tom Cruise has a death wish. For this movie, he reportedly: 1) hung off a cargo plane as it took off, 2) rode a motorcycle off a cliff in Norway (no CGI), and 3) performed an underwater escape from a sinking submarine. The submarine sequence — shot in a real decommissioned sub — is claustrophobic and terrifying. You can feel the water rising. Cruise does all of this at age 63. I'm 34 and I get winded walking up stairs. The man is an alien, and I respect it.

Performances: The Cast Is as Strong as Ever

Hayley Atwell returns as Grace, and she's fantastic — her comedic timing is perfect, and she holds her own in the action scenes. Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg provide the usual levity. But the standout is Pom Klementieff, who plays the villain's henchwoman. She's terrifying and hilarious in equal measure. There's a fight scene in a nightclub that's one of the best in the series. Rebecca Ferguson's Ilsa Faust is sorely missed — her absence is felt — but the new characters fill the gaps well.

The Action: Peak Set-Piece Cinema

McQuarrie is a master of action. The Rome chase is frenetic and funny, the cliff dive is breathtaking, and the finale — a showdown on a moving train — is pure spectacle. The train sequence alone is worth the ticket price. It's chaotic, with characters running atop carriages, dangling from cliffs, and fighting in tight corridors. It goes on for 25 minutes and never gets boring. This is how you do action. No shaky cam, no quick cuts. You see every punch, every fall, every near-miss.

Is It Too Long? Yes, But It Earns It

The movie is 2 hours and 53 minutes. There's a subplot about Ethan's past involving a mentor figure that drags. Some dialogue scenes feel like they're explaining the plot to us, because the plot is so complex. I checked my watch once, around the 2-hour mark. But then Cruise dives off a cliff, and I forgot about the runtime. Is it self-indulgent? A little. But after 7 movies and 30 years, this franchise has earned the right to be a little indulgent.

Should You See It in IMAX? Absolutely.

I saw it in standard format first. Then I went back two days later for IMAX. The difference is massive. The sequences shot with IMAX cameras — the plane scene, the cliff dive — fill the entire screen. The sound is incredible, especially the score by Lorne Balfe. The movie was made for the biggest screen possible. If you can, spend the extra money. You won't regret it.

Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning is not just a great action movie. It's a love letter to practical stunts, to old-school filmmaking, and to a character who's been defying death for three decades. If this is truly the end for Ethan Hunt, he went out on top. Go see it. And stay for the mid-credits scene — it hints at a spin-off that I'm actually excited about.