Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is finally here. It might seem like Tom Cruise's swan song as Ethan Hunt, but so far, it's not totally clear if this is his last outing or not. Regardless, he's brought us one action-packed film for what could be the last Mission: Impossible installment.
Below, you'll find everything you need to know about Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, from the lowdown on the reviews to the plot and much more besides. That means you'll find spoilers ahead, so turn back now if you're not up to date.
This was one of the year's most exciting upcoming movies, and it didn't disappoint. So, run on down Tom Cruise-style for the full picture.
For even more, see our guide to watching the Mission: Impossible movies in order or our ranking of the best Mission: Impossible movies.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning release date
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning was released in theaters on May 21, 2025 in the UK, and May 23 in the US.
The original plan had been for the movie to arrive much earlier in 2022 with Cruise planning to film it back-to-back with Mission: Impossible 7. However, that didn't end up happening and filming on the second part only began in March 2022. Production was put on hold during the writers' strike and actors' strikes of 2023, resuming in 2024 and finally wrapping that summer.
Everything you were, everything you've done, has come to this. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. See you at the movies May 23, 2025. pic.twitter.com/KDt7LbOdTCFebruary 9, 2025
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning trailer
A new trailer for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning was released on April 7, 2025 and it's a beauty. In the clip above, we see tons of stunts, action, and get more insight into all the drama that's awaiting Ethan and his team after the fallout of the previous movie.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning cast
Most of the major surviving cast from Mission: Impossible 7 returned for the latest outing, including Cruise back as Ethan Hunt alongside Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, and Hayley Atwell, alongside Esai Morales as Gabriel.
Alongside the returning cast, some new faces joined, including Lucy Tulugarjuk, Katy O'Brian, Tramell Tillman, Hannah Waddingham, and Stephen Oyoung. However, one cast member who didn't come back was Rebecca Ferguson, after her character Ilsa Faust was killed in Mission: Impossible 7.
Check out the full confirmed cast list below.
- Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt
- Ving Rhames as Luther Stickell
- Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn
- Hayley Atwell as Grace
- Esai Morales as Gabriel
- Pom Klementieff as Paris
- Henry Czerny as Eugene Kittridge
- Mariela Garriga as Marie
- Holt McCallany as Bernstein
- Nick Offerman as Sydney
- Angela Bassett as Erika Sloane
- Shea Whigham as Jasper Briggs
- Greg Tarzan Davis as Degas
- Frederick Schmidt as Zola Mitsopolis
- Rolf Saxon as William Donloe
- Tommie Earl Jenkins as Colonel Burdick
- Tramell Tillman as Captain Bledsoe
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning plot
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning picks up the fight against The Entity, which is seizing the world's nuclear arsenals. Once again, Ethan faces off against Gabriel with the help of his friends – though, tragically, Luther is killed early in the movie by a bomb set by Gabriel.
The race to stop The Entity from unleashing nuclear armageddon leads Ethan and co. to the Sevastopol, and Ethan undertakes a death-defying dive to extract the key to defeating The Entity: its original source code. Along the way, they meet William Donloe again, after he was exiled for the CIA break-in from the first movie.
After narrowly escaping a watery demise, Ethan heads to the Doomsday Vault, where he plans to trap The Entity with help from Luther's Poison Pill. The catch is, Gabriel stole the Poison Pill after setting the bomb that killed Luther – luckily, though, Gabriel is already waiting for them at the vault.
A fight ensues, and Gabriel goes to escape on a plane. Naturally, Ethan follows suit. A thrilling aerial battle then takes place, and Gabriel is killed trying to flee with a parachute. Ethan survives with help of an emergency parachute and the plan to trap The Entity is successfully completed, meaning the world is saved from nuclear annihilation.
We then see Ethan and his friends silently bid each other goodbye in London, ready either for retirement... or more adventures?
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning reviews
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning reviews are generally positive, with the movie holding a 79% Rotten Tomatoes score.
Our own Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning review gave the film 3.5 stars, with our verdict reading: "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning brings both the Dead Reckoning storyline and the franchise as a whole to a satisfying close. As ever, Cruise is in peak condition, front and centre amid some looney stuntwork. If only his antagonist Gabriel was a more worthy opponent."
But first reactions were decidedly mixed. "Kind of a big, beautiful, chaotic mess," Inverse's Hoai-Tran Bui wrote. "But it’s got a sequence so nerve-shreddingly tense I almost threw up, and Tom Cruise in peak Buster Keaton mode. Looney Tunes antics. I loved it."
"This does not feel like a 'grand finale' at all," Discussing Film's Andrew Salazar said. "Even when trying to look at the positives, this comes nowhere near the highs of the last 4 movies combined. I'm really disappointed, first time I've seen an M:I movie and felt nothing."
For more, check out our guide to the year's biggest movie release dates.
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