The Wasteland Reviewer

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025) Written Review

Is this the end? Is this the final mission? Is this the mission to end all missions? The hype and vibe around Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning certainly points towards this being the final time for Tom Cruise to saddle up as his iconic hero, Ethan Hunt. A fiercely loyal, unrelenting, and resource man who will stop at nothing to protect his team and save the world. But it is hard to see a mission bigger than an all knowing and omni-present artificial intelligence (The Entity) pushing humanity to the brink with a nuclear holocaust. That is the story set up in Dead Reckoning. The key in hand. A submarine to find. An AI to destroy. Strap-in. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is an epic action spectacular. 

Does Christopher McQuarrie’s directorial effort live up to his last three efforts (arguably the three best entries in this legendary action franchise)? The action and the stunts are nothing short of remarkable. There are two major set pieces, the submarine and the biplanes. Cruise continues to do amazing things, and McQuarrie certainly knows how to capture it. There is a roughly 20-minute sequence underway that is nothing but camerawork, rotating spaces, and Cruise athleticism. McQuarrie captures the tension, suspense, and thrills of the scenario perfectly. Every action sequence (big or small) is intense and impressively captured. The camera captures intimacy with tact and intensity. Cinematographer Fraser Taggert works perfectly with McQuarrie to capture scale, drama, and high energy thrills. The cherry on top of this wild ride must be the score from Max Aruj and Alfie Godfrey. You have the classic Mission: Impossible theme of course but there is so much more to the score this time. There are tinges of Russian influences at times as well as African. Music underlies every sequence and delivers plenty of emotion and energy. The overall epic feeling of this film is one of its best features. This truly feels like a climactic entry into such a storied franchise. 

This film isn’t perfect though, is it? Fallout will probably stand tall as the masterpiece of them all. The Final Reckoning can get bogged down by some of its choices to make it feel so epic and a giant love letter to the whole franchise and Ethan’s greater story overall. There are plenty of moments (and montages) and clips from previous films which can get a bit tiresome. There are also long tracks of expositional sequences that must do tons of heavy lifting. This can slow down the first act of the film a bit, but all the background information comes in handy when the film goes wild. There are also tons of characters in the film (plenty of them played by talented and well-known performers). Some of them feel under-utilized but it does make every minor character feel significant. Then The Final Reckoning recontextualizes many of the characters and plot points from previous films to fit them all together. This is not new for the franchise, but it does make some things feel a little too convenient. 

Does McQuarrie and Erik Jendresen deliver a script that captures the needed scale for this epic tale? Scale is certainly present in every aspect of The Final Reckoning. This also feels like a truly impossible mission with everything needing to go perfectly right. This might frustrate some not as well versed with this franchise, but it captures the right feeling for Mission: Impossible. The story is also globe-trotting and epic in every way, which captures the spirit of this franchise. You get the sense that the whole world is in danger and that is very much the case. There might be a lot of expositional dialogue at the beginning of the film, but the structure of the story moves it along well making this almost three-hour film feel so quick. There are plenty of twists, turns, surprises, and unexpected occurrences. There are big emotional beats including elements early on in the film that give the final stakes and emotional weight. There are plenty of elements in the film that will grab those connected with the franchise and draw them deeply. The script offers plenty of roadblocks, conflicts, and tension throughout. Layers upon layers for sure. There are plenty of signature elements to a Mission: Impossible film and you can tell how much love and care was written in by McQuarrie. 

Does the cast bring the goods this time around? Cruise does it again…and more. The emotional stakes of the film lean on the shoulders of Cruise. There are a few great moments where Cruise lets out plenty of emotion that sells these scenes perfectly. His penchant for expressive facial reactions come into play quite a few times. The physicality is where it is though. Every stunt has so much authenticity thanks to the work that Cruise puts in. Hayley Atwell is such a pleasure to see on screen as she is so charming and has electric chemistry with Cruise. You can feel the connection between Ethan and Grace so poignantly. Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames are stalwart elements of this franchise with each bringing personality. But this time around, Rhames brings a whole new level of emotion as well. Esai Morales as the villainous Gabriel still lacks personality but does have a cold, calculating nature that works for the film (mostly). Pom Klementieff, Tramell Tillman, Lucy Tulugarjuk, and Rolf Saxon are some of the big standouts in this film in supporting roles. But the cast boasts the likes of Angela Bassett, Shea Whigham, Henry Czerny, Holt McCallany, Nick Offerman, and Hannah Waddington…which is quite incredible. 

Is The Final Reckoning a satisfying conclusion for Cruise and company (if this really is the end)? This is epic in every sense of the word. This eighth entry embodies everything that this franchise has become and lovingly wears it on its sleeve. This might be a little too self-serious and tries to do too much in connecting everything together, but it will be a crowning achievement for fans of this franchise. The action, stunts, performances, and music bring the goods and live up to the lofty expectations of this iconic franchise. This is one of the greatest action film franchises ever…and The Final Reckoning is a spectacular possible conclusion for Hunt’s story.