There’s something a little poetic about a franchise that started in the ‘90s - long before the modern blockbuster boom - culminating in a globe-trotting finale built on practical death-defying stunts, big sincere emotional swings, and the kind of audacious theatricality that feels all but extinct in today’s IP-hungry landscape. 

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning arrives as the eighth entry in a series that’s only grown more inventive and thrilling over time, an increasingly rare feat in an age where most long-running film series tend to stall out, fizzle, or be reborn in increasingly bastardized ways. And while this final chapter isn’t without its share of bloat, messiness, or questionable edits, it’s still a wild, impressive, and deeply satisfying farewell to one of cinema’s most enduring action heroes - and to the man who’s embodied him with tireless fervor for nearly three decades.

I didn’t grow up on these movies. In fact, I hadn’t seen a single Mission: Impossible until a trusted friend and an unforgettable trailer soundtracked by Imagine Dragons’ “Friction” convinced me to see Fallout on opening night in IMAX. That experience quite literally blew me away - enough that I immediately went back to watch all the previous films and found myself falling in love with a franchise I had once overlooked and dismissed.

Not only are these movies masterclasses in high-stakes spy storytelling and physical stunt work, but they’re also surprisingly emotional, smartly constructed, and bolstered by a team of characters you actually want to follow from mission to mission.

The Final Reckoning tries to be many things at once: a direct continuation of the previous entry Dead Reckoning, a climactic showdown against a villainous AI, a character send-off, a full-series retrospective, and a meta-commentary on the state of cinema and the larger world itself. It doesn’t quite land all of those elements smoothly, but when it works, it really works - and more often than not, it soars.

What’s most admirable is how earnestly the film plays all of this. There’s no cynical deconstruction here, no snarky winking at the audience. Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise, still sprinting like a man possessed) is as selfless and morally unwavering as ever, and Cruise’s performance continues to be one of the franchise’s most underrated assets. Behind the daredevil energy and legendary stunt work is an understated, soulful performance - a deeply principled man constantly risking everything for the greater good. There’s something almost mythic about it, and The Final Reckoning leans into that legacy in ways that feel fitting and genuine.

The film’s structure is admittedly uneven, and its opening hour is where the cracks show most. With Dead Reckoning originally envisioned as a two-part story, the pivot to make The Final Reckoning a more self-contained franchise finale is clearly felt. Scenes are chopped together in clunky ways, some transitions are jarring, and a barrage of flashbacks - not just from previous films, but earlier scenes within the same movie - occasionally give the impression of a series finale recap reel. It’s understandable given the stakes, but there’s a noticeable loss of fluidity in this stretch. Once the plot finds its footing, though, the film hits that familiar Mission: Impossible rhythm and rarely lets go.

Christopher McQuarrie, now four films deep into his run as this franchise’s director, continues to refine his own brand of blockbuster spectacle. The stakes may be global and the set pieces massive, but McQuarrie never loses track of the characters or the human scale of the drama. That balance is part of what’s made these later M:I entries so special, and it holds true here - especially during two standout sequences that rank among the franchise’s best.

First, a hauntingly gorgeous underwater mission plays like a near-silent thriller, drenched in religious and apocalyptic imagery. Then, the finale delivers a heart-in-your-throat aerial set piece between a pair of biplanes that feels like Indiana Jones meets classic silent-film slapstick by way of pure Cruise madness. These sequences are filmmaking at its most precise, kinetic, and awe-inspiring, and they’re the kind of thing you want to see on the biggest screen possible.

One of my favorite beats, though, is a midpoint brawl that crosscuts between Ethan in a claustrophobic knife fight aboard a submarine and his IMF teammates taking on Russian soldiers in an Alaskan cabin. It’s fast, brutal, and perfectly timed with character beats galore - exactly the kind of smart, layered action editing this series does better than almost anyone.

Hayley Atwell makes a strong return as Grace, slotting seamlessly into the team with charm and gravitas. Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames both shine in what feel like appropriate and moving swan songs for their characters, especially Rhames’ Luther, who has been by Ethan’s side since the very first film. Pom Klementieff’s Paris gets an expanded arc that fully pays off her enigmatic turn from Dead Reckoning. Esai Morales as villain Gabriel is something of a wild card - veering between menacing and almost cartoonishly theatrical - but whether you love or hate the performance, he’s undeniably memorable.

Severance star Tramell Tillman, in a small but pivotal role, nearly steals the whole movie. His screen presence is magnetic, and if there’s one takeaway from this film I hope people act on, it’s casting him in everything from now on.

There’s plenty to nitpick in The Final Reckoning: It’s too long, the editing is patchy, and its attempts to tie up all loose ends are often clumsy. But there’s a warmth and sincerity to it that cuts through all of that. This isn’t a cynical brand extension. It’s a genuine victory lap for a character and a franchise that have consistently gone above and beyond for audiences - not just in stunt work, but in story, craft, and heart.

It may not be the cleanest entry, or even the most thrilling (Fallout still holds that title for me), but The Final Reckoning is a bold, beautiful, and fitting conclusion to one of modern cinema’s greatest action sagas. A heartfelt send-off for Ethan Hunt and a thunderous final bow for Tom Cruise’s cinematic crusade to keep the theatrical experience alive.

'Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning' is now playing in theaters.