Tom Cruise is a global cultural icon who has made an immeasurable impact on cinema by creating some of the most memorable characters of all time. Having achieved extraordinary success as an actor, producer, and philanthropist in a career spanning across five decades, Cruise is a three-time Oscar nominee whose films have earned over $13 billion in worldwide box office – an incomparable accomplishment. Fueled by a lifetime goal to entertain audiences around the world, Cruise has worked over the last 40 years to produce and star in movies that stand the test of time.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented Cruise with an Honorary Academy Award at the 16th Governors Awards in November 2025 “for his unwavering commitment to the filmmaking community, his vital support of the theatrical experience and his unmatched body of work.”
Next up is DIGGER, a film directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, which comes out this Fall and shot in VistaVision. The first trailer and poster were dropped today.
The most powerful man in the world embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity’s savior before the disaster he’s unleashed destroys everything.
Cruise stars in the title role, alongside Oscar winner Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Oscar nominee Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Oscar nominee Jesse Plemons. Robert John Burke, Emma D’Arcy, Burn Gorman and Sophie Wilde also star.
Cruise has received Academy Award nominations for Best Actor for Born on the Fourth of July and Jerry Maguire and was a Best Supporting Actor nominee for Magnolia.
Will he finally win the much-deserved Oscar? We’ll find out when the film is released in theaters and IMAX on October 2, 2026.
Iñárritu directed from a screenplay by Iñárritu & Oscar-winners Alexander Dinelaris & Nicolás Giacobone, and Sabina Berman, story by Iñárritu & Berman. The film is produced by Iñárritu, Oscar nominee Mary Parent, Cruise and Michael Sharp, and executive produced by Joshua Grode, Berman, Dinelaris, Giacobone, Jez Butterworth and Emmanuel Lubezki.
Joining Iñárritu behind the camera are previous collaborators Oscar-winning director of photography Emmanuel Lubezki; editors Conor O’Neill and Oscar winner Stephen Mirrone; Oscar-nominated costume designer Jacqueline West; Oscar-winning makeup and hair designer Alessandro Bertolazzi; and Oscar-nominated casting director Francine Maisler; along with Oscar-winning production designer Dennis Gassner and production designer Richard Johnson, Oscar-winning prosthetic makeup designer Kazu Hiro, and composer Cosmo Sheldrake.
Before audiences and fans get a first look at the brand new trailer for DIGGER, which debuts on July 13, Warner Bros. Pictures has released a video profiling the works of the biggest movie star on the planet – Tom Cruise!
It’s a great video showing Cruise’s movies before transitioning into a first look at director Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s latest film. Kudos to whoever cut this teaser!
“everything you’ve done has come to this…”
Cruise’s latest film is a sure bet for Best Picture, Best Director, and several technical categories, including editing, sound, and cinematography. The actor could finally walk away with a Best Actor Oscar for the film.
If you feel the need…Two films. One big screen. Back in theatres, May 13th, for one week only.
A class of elite, hot shot Navy pilots at the Fighter Weapons School known as Top Gun push their aircraft and each other to the limits as they compete to be the best of the best. Tom Cruise stars as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in the iconic 1986 blockbuster that defined a generation.
Directed by Tony Scott and also featuring Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards and Tom Skerritt, check out the special trailer.
This will be GREAT!
TOP GUN 40TH ANNIVERSARY IS IN THEATRES MAY 13, 2026 FOR ONE WEEK ONLY! IN DOLBY CINEMA, 4DX, SCREENX, PREMIUM LARGE FORMATS AND IMAX
Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) has announced its slate of three major screening series for the summer, linked by the theme of big-screen moviegoing.
From late June through August, MoMI will present the 22-film retrospective Tom Cruise, Above and Beyond, which captures the full range of his charismatic star performances from the 1980s to present; its annual See It Big: 70mm! summer festival, with Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey as its centerpiece; and the weekly Summer Saturdays with Dolby Atmos, featuring a wide-ranging selection of films, from science fiction to musicals, to demonstrate the spectacular audio and visual upgrades to its Sumner M. Redstone Theater.
Tom Cruise, who is both producer and star of the Mission: Impossible films, is also a main attraction in the Museum’s exhibition Mission: Impossible – Story and Spectacle. The exhibition explores how the series combines technical ingenuity, personal discipline and artistic commitment, all in service of storytelling, character development, and performance – with a focus on practical stunts.
It was announced on Tuesday that Cruise will receive an Oscar at The Governors Awards in November.
Watch as he opens the 2002 Oscars as only this ultimate actor can.
SUMMER 2025 SCREENING SERIES AT MOMI: Screenings take place at the Sumner M. Redstone Theater and/or the Celeste and Armand Bartos Screening Room at Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35 Ave, Astoria, NY 11106. Schedule and tickets are available at https://movingimage.org/
Tom Cruise, Above and Beyond
June 20–August 17
Tom Cruise has been so central to our conception of Hollywood for so many decades that he’s more than a movie star—he encourages us to ask: what is it that makes a movie star? He was instilled with an undaunted charisma and confidence that became the metatext of his early star-making 1980s roles (from Risky Business and Top Gun to The Color of Money and Cocktail). Then, at the end of that decade, Cruise began to select parts that deftly subverted his golden-boy image, from his galvanizing, Oscar nominated role in Born on the Fourth of July to the homoerotic horror of Interview with the Vampire and the end-of-the-millennium one-two punch of Eyes Wide Shut and Magnolia—all movies that still drift through the cultural consciousness. He has long been a mainstay of elegantly constructed crowd-pleasers working with major directors (A Few Good Men, The Firm, Jerry Maguire, Minority Report), while in the 21st century Cruise has become increasingly dedicated to the physical spectacle of action cinema, producing and performing his own stunts in the Mission: Impossible films and beyond. Cruise’s entire captivating career speaks to his legacy as a singular movie star, and all the contradictions—of mystery and emotional transparency, of relatability and untouchability, of strength and vulnerability—that entails.
Films: Risky Business (Dir. Paul Brickman. 1983, 35mm), The Outsiders (Dir. Francis Ford Coppola. 1983, 35mm), The Color of Money (Dir. Martin Scorsese. 1986, 35mm), Legend (Dir. Ridley Scott. 1985), Cocktail (Dir. Ronald Donaldson. 1988, 35mm), Born on the Fourth of July (Dir. Oliver Stone. 1989), A Few Good Men (Dir. Rob Reiner. 1992), Rain Man (Dir. Barry Levinson. 1988), Jerry Maguire (Dir. Cameron Crowe. 1996), Edge of Tomorrow (Dir. Doug Liman. 2014), The Firm (Dir. Sydney Pollack. 1993, 35mm), Interview with the Vampire (Dir. Neil Jordan. 1994, 35mm), Eyes Wide Shut (Dir. Stanley Kubrick. 1999, 35mm), Magnolia (Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson. 1999, 35mm), Minority Report (Dir. Steven Spielberg. 2002, 35mm), Collateral (Dir. Michael Mann. 2004, 35mm), War of the Worlds (Dir. Steven Spielberg. 2005, 35mm), Top Gun (Dir. Tony Scott. 1986, 70mm), Top Gun Maverick (Dir. Joseph Kosinski. 2022), Days of Thunder (Dir. Tony Scott. 1990, 70mm), Tropic Thunder (Dir. Ben Stiller. 2008), Jack Reacher (Dir. Christopher Mc Quarrie. 2012).
Tom Cruise plays Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in Top Gun: Maverick from Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Jerry Bruckheimer Films.
Summer Saturdays with Dolby Atmos
June 28–August 30
In May 2025, Museum of the Moving Image’s Sumner M. Redstone Theater unveiled a major, newly renovated audio system, featuring Dolby Atmos surround sound capability, and a new laser projector. With 63 output channels, featuring Dolby speakers and amplification, the Redstone is now an even more spectacular place to watch and hear movies, giving films an unprecedented level of aural detail, creating a spatial atmosphere of immersive realism. Put simply: everything looks and sounds better with these upgrades. To celebrate and demonstrate the theater at its best, the Museum will present a summer series of movies mixed or re-released in Dolby Atmos – every Saturday this summer from June 28 to August 30. Prepare to be overwhelmed by a science-fiction blockbuster or a rousing musical or a psychological drama with brilliantly layered sound design or even a reconstituted classic!
Films: Blade Runner 2049 (Dir. Denis Villeneuve. 2017), Titanic (Dir. James Cameron. 1997), Edge of Tomorrow (Dir. Doug Liman. 2014), Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (3D) (Dirs. Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman. 2018), West Side Story (Dir. Steven Spielberg. 2021), Top Gun Maverick (Dir. Joseph Kosinski. 2022), A Star Is Born (Dir. Bradley Cooper. 2018), Uncut Gems (Dirs. Josh Safdie and Benny Safdie. 2019), The Wizard of Oz (Dir. Victor Fleming. 1939), Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood (Dir. Quentin Tarantino. 2019)
Peni (Kimiko Glen), Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld), Spider-Ham (John Mulaney), Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), Peter Parker (Jake Johnson), Spider-Man Noir (Nicolas Cage) in Sony Pictures Animation’s SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE.
See It Big: 70mm! (2025)
Presented by MUBI
July 31–August 24
MoMI’s annual summer tradition returns with a thrilling selection of films screening in 70mm prints. With a larger frame size that captures more detail and light, 70mm offers the biggest, brightest image—the ideal film format for ambitious cinematic spectacle. The centerpiece remains 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), and there’s nowhere better in New York to watch Stanley Kubrick’s monolithic masterpiece than in the Sumner M. Redstone Theater, which was designed with an eye towards its space-age aesthetic. The series also includes Tom Cruise classics that feel the need for speed (and size), Top Gun (1986) and Days of Thunder (1990), and Alfred Hitchcock’s grand-scale suspense thriller North by Northwest (1959), a work of genius best experienced large and loud. And this year, with the Redstone Theater’s new major upgrade to Dolby Atmos sound, these spectacular films will also sound better than ever. Additional title to be announced.
Keir Dullea (as David Bowman) seen in closeup inside HAL 9000 in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (Dir. Stanley Kubrick. 1968). Image courtesy of Warner Bros.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today that its Board of Governors voted to present Academy Honorary Awards to Debbie Allen, Tom Cruise and Wynn Thomas, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Dolly Parton. The four Oscar® statuettes will be presented at the Academy’s 16th Governors Awards event on Sunday, November 16, 2025, at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood.
“This year’s Governors Awards will celebrate four legendary individuals whose extraordinary careers and commitment to our filmmaking community continue to leave a lasting impact,” said Academy President Janet Yang. “The Academy’s Board of Governors is honored to recognize these brilliant artists. Debbie Allen is a trailblazing choreographer and actor, whose work has captivated generations and crossed genres. Tom Cruise’s incredible commitment to our filmmaking community, to the theatrical experience, and to the stunts community has inspired us all. Beloved performer Dolly Parton exemplifies the spirit of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award through her unwavering dedication to charitable efforts. And production designer Wynn Thomas has brought some of the most enduring films to life through a visionary eye and mastery of his craft.”
Allen’s indelible impact on screen spans nearly five decades as a choreographer, actor, and producer. She choreographed the Academy Awards® ceremony seven times, as well as films including “Forget Paris,” “A Jazzman’s Blues” and “The Six Triple Eight.” Her producing credits include “Amistad” and “A Star for Rose.” Allen made her mark as an actress with “Fame,” “Ragtime” and “Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling.”
Paul Archuleta/Getty Images
One of the most recognized and highest-grossing actors of all time, Cruise has been a committed advocate of the theatrical experience, and he helped to usher the industry through a challenging time during the COVID-19 pandemic. Showcasing a deep commitment to his craft – including performing all of his own stunts – his expansive body of work includes his Oscar-nominated acting roles in “Born on the Fourth of July,” “Jerry Maguire” and “Magnolia,” and the Oscar-nominated “Top Gun: Maverick,” for which he earned a Best Picture nomination as producer. His other notable film credits include “Risky Business,” “A Few Good Men,” “Interview with the Vampire,” “Eyes Wide Shut,” “Vanilla Sky” and the “Mission: Impossible” film series.
95th Oscars® nominee Tom Cruise arrives at the Oscar Nominee Luncheon held in the International Ballroom at the Beverly Hilton on Monday, February 13, 2023.
Parton is an international icon whose remarkable career spans seven decades. A renowned musical artist and one of the most accomplished in history, with 49 studio albums and more than 100 million records sold worldwide, she has starred in such films as “Nine to Five” and “Steel Magnolias.” She has earned two Oscar nominations in the Original Song category for “Nine to Five” and for “Travelin’ Thru” from “Transamerica.” With this Governors Award, a Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, Parton will be recognized for her decades-long humanitarian efforts. She has founded various charitable and philanthropic organizations, including the Dollywood Foundation, which was created in 1988 to inspire the children of East Tennessee – her home state – to achieve educational success. Additionally, her literacy program, “Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library,” launched in 1995 in honor of her father, has provided children with 285 million books. It evolved into an international movement and remains the signature program of the Dollywood Foundation.
Dolly Parton performs “Travelin’ Thru,” from the film Transamerica nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, during the 78th Annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, March 5, 2006.
Acclaimed production designer Thomas began his career working on Spike Lee’s “She’s Gotta Have It,” which would be the first of several collaborations between the two. Thomas’s film credits include Lee’s “Do the Right Thing,” “Malcolm X” and “Da 5 Bloods.” Other notable credits from his career include the Best Picture-winning “A Beautiful Mind,” as well as “Cinderella Man” and “Hidden Figures,” to name a few.
Alfre Woodard, Academy Governor Wynn P. Thomas and Nate Parker at the 2022 Governors Ball held at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Hollywood, CA on March 25, 2022.
The Honorary Award, an Oscar statuette, is given “to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences in any discipline, or for outstanding service to the Academy.”
The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, also an Oscar statuette, is given “to an individual in the motion picture arts and sciences whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry by promoting human welfare and contributing to rectifying inequities.”
The 16th Governors Awards are presented in partnership with Rolex, the Exclusive Watch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
An Oscar statue is seen during the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 14th Annual Governors Awards at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Los Angeles on January 9, 2024. (Photo by Robyn BECK / AFP) (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)
With schools going on break and summer holidays in full swing, it’s also the summer movie season and so far, it’s been stellar. Box office numbers have been up, and people are going back to the cinemas in droves. We’ve seen in 2025 such juggernauts as A MINECRAFT MOVIE, LILO & STITCH, SINNERS … but one of our absolute favorites has been MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING. Tom Cruise proves once again his movie star charisma brings audiences out to witness the spectacle. No one can entertain like he does. In her review, Cate Marquis says, “The stunt sequences are the major appeal of the series, and this one delivers. Thrilling, physics-defying sequences are abundant in this nearly three-hour long action thriller extravaganza.” Thus far, the film has grossed worldwide $506,816,000. (Box Office Mojo)
If you’re in New York City for your summer vacation, a visit to the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) is a must.
They have launched a major initiative celebrating the phenomenon of Paramount Pictures’ thrilling MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE franchise, and the release of the eighth film in the series, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE—The Final Reckoning. The exhibition will spotlight star and producer Tom Cruise’s exceptional commitment to practical stunt work, and explore how the series combines technical ingenuity, personal discipline, and artistic commitment, all in service of storytelling, character development, and performance.
The MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE experience at MoMI will be anchored by MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – Story and Spectacle, an exhibition that immerses visitors in the breathtaking stunts and key dramatic moments of the series, pulling back the curtain to allow insight into story and character development and the planning and execution of action sequences. The exhibition and related programs will provide a focal point for fans of the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE franchise, both those in New York and worldwide through virtual and/or livestreamed events.
Sections of the exhibition will be devoted to each film in the series, with a focus on that film’s key stunt or action sequence, along with unique behind-the-scenes content that offers insight on how the remarkable stunts were prepared for and filmed, complemented by related production artifacts.
“For almost 30 years, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE films have thrilled audiences with suspenseful stories and unparalleled practical stunts,” said Barbara Miller, Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs. “MoMI is excited to partner with Paramount Pictures on this major exhibition to explore the series’ unique achievements and create a fun, illuminating experience for fans and visitors.”
Access to MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – Story and Spectacle will be included with general Museum admission tickets during its run.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – Story and Spectacle and related programs are supported by a Market New York grant from Empire State Development and I LOVE NY, New York State’s Division of Tourism.
Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie on the set of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
“There is never an easy day on Mission: Impossible. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Cruise’s legendary superspy Ethan Hunt has by now made both their names synonymous with achieving the unimaginable. But in The Final Reckoning, an eighth entry that is the jaw-dropping, satisfying arc to a now 30-year story, the pair of them are facing their most dangerous and narratively complex challenge ever. Simply put the film is EPIC!
The 9th movie is the culmination of Hunt’s journey, bringing back characters and plot threads from the franchise’s very beginning while delivering the spectacular action fans have come to expect.
Here are a few of the brilliant highlights from MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING.
Tom Cruise’s Unmissable Theatrical Experience: This is why we go to the movies! As always with “Mission: Impossible,” the film is designed for the big screen. The scale of the stunts and the immersive nature of the filmmaking demand a theatrical viewing. Cruise is truly a global cultural icon who has made an immeasurable impact on cinema by creating some of the most memorable characters of all time. The star issued this statement on Tuesday morning.
The “Mission: Impossible” franchise is renowned for its practical and breathtaking stunts. The previous installment, “Dead Reckoning Part One,” featured a highly publicized motorcycle jump off a cliff and a massive train sequence. The new film has some of the most daring set pieces in cinema.
The aerial sequence against Gabriel: The basis of the story in the aerial sequence in The Final Reckoning finds Esai Morales’ Gabriel has just flown off in a classic Stearman biplane, forcing Ethan to give chase in a second one, transfer to its undercarriage and climb onto the wing of Gabriel’s plane, to fight him. In the real world, this staggering sequence was filmed at 10,000 feet above sea level, with Cruise battling hurricane-force winds, and a pilot trying his very best to throw him off. Co-star Henry Czerny probably says it simplest. “What Tom does up there is something you’ll never forget, for the rest of your life.”
Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
Diving The Sevastopol: For Cruise, shooting The Sevastopol sequence was physically exhausting, to a level that he could only really discover by getting in the tank and finding out firsthand. McQuarrie says, “Despite their best-laid plans, the sequence proved to be a scheduling nightmare, with them able to set aside ten days to shoot. For the director and star and producer, that number wasn’tnearly enough to put what they knew they were truly capable of up on screen. “The accepted limit for shooting underwater was six shots per day. So, I designed a sequence that would comprise twenty shots total. This ensured that ten days was more than enough time. It also ensured Tom would have to work much harder and hold his breath longer to get the shots required. Such is Mission.”
Historic Box Office: “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” had a strong opening, and “The Final Reckoning” is the conclusion of Ethan Hunt’s story. THR reported that the film opened to a series-best $79 million domestically and a franchise-high $191 million globally, according to weekend actuals (M:I’s final domestic tally was up from Sunday’s estimate of $77.5 million). The numbers include a three-day weekend gross of $64 million for Final Reckoning. “
Music Score: The music for “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning (and by extension, “The Final Reckoning” as it’s a two-part story) was composed by Lorne Balfe. Max Aruj, after providing additional music for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, and Alfie Godfrey took the baton for The Final Reckoning and made it even more thrilling! Their powerful and propulsive score incorporates Lalo Schifrin’s classic theme. Listen to the score here: https://missionimpossible.lnk.to/thefinalreckoningAY
Actress Hannah Waddingham as Admiral Neely: Hannah Waddingham is indeed a new addition to “The Final Reckoning” cast, playing the character of Admiral Neely, in charge of the USS George H.W. Bush. She is very much patterned after the first woman to command a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier – Captain Amy Bauernschmidt – who took command of the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in August 2021. https://www.stripes.com/branches/navy/2023-05-24/abraham-lincoln-change-command-10221945.html
Hannah Waddingham plays Admiral Neely in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
Shea Whigham as Jim Phelps, Jr.: This is a confirmed and significant reveal in “The Final Reckoning.” Shea Whigham’s character, Jasper Briggs, is revealed to be Jim Phelps Jr., the son of Jon Voight’s villainous character from the original 1996 “Mission: Impossible” film. This adds a deeply personal layer to Briggs’ pursuit of Ethan Hunt.
Shea Whigham plays Briggs in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
The Return of William Donloe: Yes, Rolf Saxon reprises his role as William Donloe, the CIA analyst from the first “Mission: Impossible” movie. His return connects directly to the events of the original film and provides an unexpected and important supporting role in The Final Reckoning.
“When Saxon, 69, first got wind that McQuarrie wanted to meet with him on a video call, he thought that a friend was playing an elaborate prank. “In fact, when Chris told me that, I thought it was a way of getting me to do it,” he said. “I thought he was being nice and generous.”
In the summer of 2023, after he shot his initial scenes, Saxon got a call from McQuarrie and braced for the worst. But the director was not getting in touch about axed scenes. Instead, he was informing him that they wanted him to come back to work. They had added him into the last section of the movie.
“We wrote a small part for him, and we just kept expanding, it kept growing,” McQuarrie said. “I called Tom and I said, ‘You know, I think we’re doing ourselves a disservice if we let this character leave the movie midway through.’ Tom said, ‘I completely agree; he should be there in the third act.’”
Saxon was nervous when he first got to set, but he said Cruise, whom he had interacted with only briefly during the first movie, quickly put him at ease.”
Rolf Saxon plays William Donloe in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning from Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
It seems impossible that Tom Cruise would stop making Mission Impossible movies, but if you have seen any of the films in this franchise, especially the more recent ones, you know nothing is impossible in the Mission Impossible universe. Yet MISSION IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING is hinted to be the last in the franchise. We shall see about that. Of course, at some point, star Tom Cruise will have to step back from this action franchise, because everyone ages, including Cruise, in order to maintain a scrap of believability in this franchise built on ever-more impossible stunts. Still, since Cruise bares most of his muscular body, not once but twice, in this film, he may be telling audiences he’s still in good enough shape to continue, for now.
Fans are still enthusiastic about the action-fueled, stunt-packed franchise regardless, and if Tom Cruise wanted to go out on top for this series, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING would be a good choice. More cohesive and entertaining than the last one in the franchise, this round has now-freelance secret agent/do-gooder Ethan Hunt and his team in a ticking-clock race to defeat an AI entity taking over the world by seizing control of the world’s nuclear weapons, with a plan to wipe out humankind. It is thrilling, nail-nibbling excitement and entertainment throughout.
The series originated from a 1960s TV spy thriller series, with agent Jim Phelps and his team of skilled secret agents would thwart evil international plots, using a variety of disguises and technology. That show started with a frenetic, burning-fuse, jazz music theme, and agent Jim Phelps getting a secret assignment via audio tape that would always end with a message about official disavowing the teams action and the tape self-destructing, as it burst into flame. About all that remains of that origin show is a sampling of the catchy musical theme, a recorded message that self-destructs in a puff of smoke, and penchant for masks and impersonation. Even the name of the team leader was changed long ago by producer/star Tom Cruise, to Ethan Hunt.
As MISSION IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING opens, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team have become free agents but are still committed to doing good. When Ethan gets a recorded-message plea for help from the President (Angela Bassett, in a brilliant bit of casting), he lets bygones be bygones to come to the rescue, literally to save the world, or at least humankind, from a powerful AI entity that wants to rule the world, and is gaining control of the world’s nukes to do that. The all-powerful AI makes for a chilling villain, a real challenge Hunt’s skills and his team.
Along with the AI’s plan to wipe out humans, Ethan also faces a human adversary named Gabriel (Esai Morales), a smiling madman who believes he can seize control of the AI to rule the world himself, but who wants to let the AI grab all the nukes first.
Ethan’s team has familiar faces, such as Simon Pegg as tech assistant/right-hand man Benji Dunn. Hayley Atwell plays Grace, a beautiful young master-thief and skilled pickpocket who becomes an Ethan ally and sort-of love interest for Cruise, Pom Klementieff plays Paris, a roguish, deadpan and deadly fighter who has joined Ethan’s team, and Ving Rhames appears as brilliant tech/biomedical genius who is a long-time friend and help to Ethan Hunt. They are joined by a host of familiar names, including Shea Wigham, Nick Offerman, Mark Gatiss, and Janet McTeer, in various supporting roles.
But the real star of this show, as always, is Tom Cruise, in those impossible stunt sequences. In every movie in the franchise, those stunts get bigger and wilder, topping the previous one, and MISSION IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING continues that mission well.
The stunt sequences are the major appeal of the series, and this one delivers. Thrilling, physics-defying sequences are abundant in this nearly three-hour long action thriller extravaganza. Stunt sequences take place in the air, with wing-walking on a pair of bi-planes, at at sunken sub in the freezing Arctic, and in numerous battles and fight scenes spanning the globe, either with Cruise battling a single foe or the whole team fighting a small army of baddies.
All the stunts and the effects are outstanding, and highly entertaining, even better than previous installments in the franchise. The thrilling, nail-biting underwater Arctic Ocean sequence is a highlight, where Cruise’s Ethan has to dive into a sunk sub to find an essential McGuffin to defeat the AI, risking life and limb in the freezing and dangerous environment of the deep ocean and on a shipwreck precariously balanced on the edge of a trench. Another thriller highlight is an air-borne, death-defying battle where Cruise’s Ethan chases bad guy Gabriel above a rugged African landscape – in biplanes.
Apparently eager to show off his physique, the aging Cruise gets nearly naked in two of these action sequences, including, mindbogglingly, in the frozen Arctic Ocean. Nothing is too preposterous in this franchise, which constantly tops itself with gravity-defying, physics-violating, and biologically-impossible thrillers, all performed reportedly by star Cruise.
These numerous stunt sequences, fight scenes and chase thrills periodically are interrupted by scenes of banter with his team, fizzy flirtations with the pretty pickpocket, and “I love you, man” emotional scenes with team members, particularly with Ving Rhames, as the tech genius who crafts a weapon that might defeat the evil AI. The whole thing takes place against a ticking clock, of course, as Ethan and the team race around the world to thwart the evil plan.
There are plenty of twists, lots of death-defying stunts, a few good guys (and baddies) lost along the way, and the whole thing is kept cooking along at a fast pace, although a few scenes could have been trimmed to reduce that excessive running time, mostly in some of the too-long emotional scenes between action sequences and a few extra fight scenes that don’t really advance the plot.
Still, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING delivers the over-the-top and top-the-last-one impossible stunt action, and plenty of Tom Cruise heroics, that fans of the franchise crave, whether this really is the final one or not.
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE opens in theaters on Friday, May 23, 2025.
When the need for certainty is absolute And the odds are deemed impossible The mission falls to him
Tom Cruise is back as Ethan Hunt in the follow-up to 2023’s MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – DEAD RECKONING PART ONE and to start the week, Paramount Pictures has released a first poster and teaser for MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING.
Official Synopsis: “Our lives are the sum of our choices. Tom Cruise is Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.“
In 2024, Cruise appeared in the Paris 2024 Olympics closing ceremony to promote Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympics, by jumping from the roof of the Stade de France stadium in Paris. He took the flag from Mayor Karen Bass and athlete Simone Biles to Hollywood.
As seen in the trailer, Cruise wears the same wardrobe as Ethan Hunt in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING that he did performing the epic stunt on August 11, 2024.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – DEAD RECKONING PART ONE sits at an impressive 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. The franchise has grossed over $4 billion worldwide, with MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT having the highest ticket sales with $220,159,104.
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, and produced by Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie, based on the television series created by Bruce Geller, composer Lorne Balfe returns to score the movie.
The film also stars Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Mariela Garriga, Henry Czerny, Holt McCallany, Janet McTeer, Nick Offerman, Hannah Waddingham, Angela Bassett, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Charles Parnell, Frederick Schmidt.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING opens in theaters on MAY 23, 2025.
