Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

"Mister, if you wanna poke the bear... oh, you've come to the right man."

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown October 15, 2025

"I hope, in time, you can see this life is not some quirk of fate. This was your calling. Your destiny. A destiny that touches every living thing. Like it or not, we are masters of our fate. Nothing is written. And our cause, however righteous, pales in comparison to the impact of our effect. Any hope for a better future comes from willing that future into being. A future reflecting the measure of good within ourselves. And all that is good inside us is measured by the good we do for others."

Tom Cruise has done the impossible, almost single-handedly willing a hugely successful eight-film action franchise into existence over the last thirty years. More than that, he's done so by hurling his own body against the wall, quite literally, emerging as the preeminent wunderkind-who-insists-on-doing-his-own-stunts in Hollywood. (And my god, must he be nightmare fuel for any company who insures films.) The eighth Mission: Impossible film, The Final Reckoning, arrives with a series of bangs, trailing behind it more plot threads than it seems capable of tying up, though it does its damndest to do so. It's another tense, funny, whirlwind globe-trotting adventure of jaw-dropping proportions, despite the fact that it's too long, finds ways to make a single second on a nuclear bomb's detonation clock look like a comfy vacation, and relies on too many flashbacks and reminders in its first half hour. But if you're willing to suspend disbelief -- a lot of it -- and go with the notion that Ethan Hunt is the baddest of humble badasses to ever grace the big screen, you'll have a blast. Is Final Reckoning as good as the franchise's best? No, but it's a solid capper to a pulpy espionage series that's gripped our collective imaginations for three decades.

Cue music. Well, in your head at least. You know the one... here we go! "Deathwish" Tommy Cruise returns as maverick IMF agent extraordinaire Ethan Hunt, who's been disavowed and reinstated more times than the American government has the sense to count. Still, it makes perfect sense in movie-world logic. He is, after all, the best there is at what he does, which is everything... a fact that the first half hour of the film beats into our head with a steel pipe. Over and over again. No matter. Eight entries make the beating almost warranted as we're reminded of just how doomed the planet would be without him, not to mention how many times we would have already been plunged into post-nuclear holocausts if not for his efforts. But Hunt is quick to point out he's nothing without his team, which in Final Reckoning includes mainstay superman-in-the-chair Luther Stickell (the always excellent Ving Rhames), recently recruited pickpocket turned master thief Grace (Hayley Atwell), ever-loyal field agent and comic relief Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg, having a blast), and previously villainous, now slightly reformed assassin Paris (a menacing Pom Klementieff). Hunt's faithful few are in a race against time and, more specifically, against a terrifying AI bent on world domination and destruction, which madman Gabriel (Esai Morales) is more than happy to unleash... so long as he can control it.

Chris McQuarrie not only concocts a whole new slew of dangerous, almost wholly practical stunts for Cruise to laugh his way through -- among them a truly harrowing underwater scene that taps into infinite phobias and hasn't received nearly enough attention in coverage of the movie's release -- the filmmaker also assembles an impressive supporting cast to aid or sometimes hinder Hunt's IMF team. Returning to the franchise from previous installments is Henry Czerny as the stiff and stuffy Kittridge, Angela Bassett as American President Erika Sloane, Shea Wingham as hot-on-Hunt's-trail Agent Briggs, Greg Tarzan Davis as by-the-book rookie agent Degas, Cary Elwes as smarmy suit Delinger, Mark Gatiss as Angstrom, and even good ol' Rolf Saxon, rising from the original M:I grave as William Donloe. (Saxon might just steal the whole show, honestly.) Add to that a who's who of familiar faces including Severance's breakout star Tramell Tillman (he of the fancy office feet), Nick Offerman, Holt McCallany, Janet McTeer, Ted Lasso's Hannah Waddingham, Charles Parnell, Katy O'Brian, Pasha D. Lychnikoff and Lucy Tulugarjuk.

Fandango hails The Final Reckoning as "the biggest and wildest Mission yet"... which is true, but the eighth film is also the series' most bloated, lumbering out of the gate with seven films' worth of exposition it's determined to shove down our throats. Maybe it's helpful for those who've only watched each previous entry once, but it feels indulgent and tiresome right at the outset, when you most want to get a sense of the momentum of a high-speed actioner. Thankfully, most any drudgery fades after that, giving way to a kinetic string of stunt pieces -- loosely tied together by convenient clues and thin plot developments -- that hurtle Cruise and his co-stars from continent to continent, surviving everything from the high skies to snowy wastelands to the depths of the ocean. The filmmakers and cast somehow make it all believable too, which is quite the feat considering how far-fetched living through any one of these scenarios would actually be, much less living through six or seven near-death experiences in a matter of days. The character work is terrific as it ever is too, with Cruise stepping aside to give his fellow actors plenty of opportunities to steal his thunder. (An off-screen fight scene that focuses solely on Atwell's reactions is generous and hilarious.) Even so, there's no doubt this is Cruise's show and he dives in with the intensity and commitment of a truly inspiring lunatic; the uber-dramatic Buster Keaton of our generation and the be-all, end-all poster boy when it comes to anthropomorphizing a dizzying love for cinema.

It's all a bit ridiculous in the end, coming down to a last-beat countdown to end all last-beat countdowns, and aside from one major loss, it doesn't so much feel like the final chapter of a franchise as it does the closing of an eight-film opening act to whatever Cruise does with the series in the future. (Not-so-original prediction: Cruise becomes the next "Jim" figure of the IMF, leading a team of younger agents.) Morales is too sneering and leering this time around as well, transforming the film's foremost human villain into a comicbook mustache-twirler whose constant laughter and cartoonish facial expressions almost ruin an un-ruinable midair biplane sequence. Final Reckoning's flaws do seem overbearing, especially when listed out one after another, but really they're easily overlooked in the face of just how effective the movie's action sequences and standout ensemble moments actually are. The Mission: Impossible universe has always thrived on its actors and propelled itself with its explosive intensity and its nail-biting suspense, and in those departments The Final Reckoning doesn't disappoint. Go in with a grin, suspend as much disbelief as you can (as early and as often too), and enjoy nearly three hours of filmmaking passion by a team eager to pull off the impossible.

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Was there ever any doubt? Did anyone really believe Paramount would release the (maybe) final installment of the Mission: Impossible series with anything less than a five-star, perfection-heaped-on-perfection 4K UltraHD Blu-ray AV presentation? I never doubted for a second. The Final Reckoning boasts a truly stunning, eye-watering 2160p video transfer with a wonderfully roomy bitrate that captures every last detail of Ethan Hunt's death-defying feats. Colors are big, bold and beautiful, with striking primary punch and rich, dazzling Dolby Vision-bolstered contrast. Black levels are bottomless, skintones are never anything less than lifelike and keenly saturated, shadow delineation is as revealing or concealing as intended, and there isn't a hint of errant digital noise, blocking, banding or any other encoding issue, no matter how fast and fierce the action comes. Fine detail is exceptional too, with crisp, clean edge definition and flawlessly resolved textures. There also isn't anything in the way of softness (other than a few optical choices by way of the film's cinematography) and even the second-act underwater sequence, which could be visually problematic on any disc, holds up well under scrutiny. Every inch of the image is as filmic and thrilling as the movie's theatrical presentation and Paramount once again does right by its marquee action franchise.

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Pardon me while I wait for my ears to stop ringing. The 4K Blu-ray release of Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning features a fantastic, chest-thumping, attention-grabbing, top tier Dolby Atmos experience that enthusiastically replicates the theatrical audio presentation to the best of its homebound abilities. Action sequences take full advantage of the LFE channel, not to mention the rear and vertical soundscapes to produce a thrilling and immersive soundfield that drags you into the sky, underwater, through bustling city streets and into the most dangerous places on the planet with aplomb. Low-end output is assertive and weighty, with thunderous presence that imbues every gunshot, explosion and roaring engine with real power. Directional effects are precise and eerie, crafting illusion after illusion of interior spaces and exterior locations that are alive and breathing, full of ambient subtleties and nuanced believability. The wintry wasteland of Siberia is particularly remarkable, with howling winds at every side, crunching snow underfoot, and approaching baddies from above. Or maybe it's the film's centerpiece, a sinking submarine with water pouring in from every crack in the hull. Or perhaps when Cruise battles for control of a biplane, swirling in the clouds and diving toward the earth, the air deafening and the propellers screaming. It's all presented with realism; so much so that the Atmos track is simultaneously distracting as a technical marvel and easy to forget is a manufactured audio experience. Add to that neatly grounded, accurately placed dialogue that's always clear and intelligible -- other than when it's intentionally otherwise, as it is during the biplane sequence -- and you have the finest of fine home audio presentations and hands down one of the best Atmos tracks of the year.

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary 1 - Director Chris McQuarrie is joined by Ethan Hunt himself, Tom Cruise, for a spirited and informative commentary track that covers the gamut of the production. The inclusion of Cruise is a particular boon as the actor offers far more intriguing glimpses into his character and stunt work than any filmmaker could. McQuarrie gushes a bit, of course, but when he does so, it's deserved. The rest of the track pays an enormous amount of credit to Cruise's co-stars and McQuarrie's crew, with both men being very clear that a production of this magnitude would be impossible without every member of the team.

• Audio Commentary 2 - Christopher McQuarrie, Eddie Hamilton and Mary Boulding deliver a more technical discussion but one that moves away from anecdotes and delves into the many, many processes that allowed the film to come to life with such dynamism and energy.

• Behind the Scenes Production Featurettes (HD, 18 minutes) - Up next are five solid from-location and on-set featurettes, among them "Taking Flight: Filming the Biplane Sequence," "To the Depths: Inside the Underwater Stunt," "To the North: On Location in Svalbard," "The Score" and "Through the Mine." The only downside is that they're not longer, particularly the featurette that looks at the composition and recording of the score.

• Deleted Shots Montage (HD, 10 minutes) - Brief cuts and trims with optional commentary by McQuarrie.

• Olifants River Canyon & Biplane Transfer (HD, 13 minutes) - More with optional commentary by McQuarrie and Cruise.

• Isolated Score Audio Track - Rare these days but no less appreciated!

• 4 Promo Spots (HD, 3 minutes)

• Photo Galleries & Bios (HD)

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning has its share of problems but, truth be told, it's something of a miracle that an eighth entry in an action franchise is this thrilling. This gripping. This good. Those able to turn off the critical portions of their brain will have a far better time than others too, making for a breathless actioner with outstanding character and stunt work. Paramount's 4K UltraHD Blu-ray release is even better, with a strong supplemental package, a killer 4K video presentation and a demo-worthy Dolby Atmos track. This one comes highly recommended.