A familiar tune begins to play—one that many in the audience recognize as the Mission: Impossible theme song, while others recall the original TV series before the rise of Tom Cruise. Blazing words slam onto the screen: “MISSION IMPOSSIBLE” and beneath, in crimson red, the screen reads, “The Final Reckoning.”
Billions of fans said goodbye to Ethan Hunt as their beloved star in the Mission: Impossible series. Highlighting dangerous stunts, dramatic flair, and a dazzling cast, Tom Cruise’s portrayal of Ethan leaves behind a legacy lasting generations.
On May 23, 2025, The Final Reckoning ran straight through records in its opening week. According to Screen Rant, the movie grossed nearly $64 million over the three-day weekend, marking a franchise-best start after 30 years.
The Impossible Missions Force (IMF) is a highly specialized agency operating outside of the government for cases of the highest classification. Ethan Hunt, an exceptionally talented field agent, joins the IMF after being offered a choice: either join the IMF or face imprisonment. For the past year, Ethan has worked under the IMF to track the Entity, a superpowered Artificial Intelligence that has turned rogue. Originally developed for the sole purpose of gathering intelligence and hacking into enemy systems, it quickly evolved into an entity with access to all technologies, launching cyberattacks worldwide.
From the moment that the opening scenes began to the rolling credits, I was on the edge of my seat. Not only did this movie provide a new fan-favorite, but it also provided a thrilling sense of closure to the series finale. Even at the age of 62, Tom Cruise has been known for performing all of his own stunts, and these stunts did not fail to disappoint. Scenes spanned over ten minutes, featuring Cruise holding his breath in an abandoned submarine at the depths of the ocean, running alongside and jumping up onto a flying biplane, or even sprinting to save his friend, Luther, at an underground facility in London. Collider explains the immersive feel with “an 8.5 million-liter water tank with a rotating set that collapsed around Tom Cruise in real time.”
In his interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Cruise explains that the plane was moving 145 miles per hour, and some scenes even required the aid of the U.S. Navy.
I vividly remember watching Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and immediately asking when the next movie would be released. After sitting in the theater for the three-hour finale, the theater cheered, cried, and breathed sighs of relief with Ethan and his friends as the director brought the idea of “show, not tell” to life.
Ultimately, Mission: Impossible was never just about the explosions or fast-paced action. Instead, it was about making sacrifices, loyalty, and doing what is right no matter the cost. More than just a movie, The Final Reckoning marked the end of an era —an epic conclusion to a saga that spanned decades, inspired countless imitators, and finally redefined what it meant to pull off the impossible.
