MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING is the biggest film in the franchise yet as it plays like one extended climax stretched across nearly three action-packed, emotional hours. With a more somber tone, the stakes have never been higher and the action set pieces are undeniably epic, none more so than the haunting Sevastopol submarine sequence, a standout for its sound design, score, and tension. The finale, featuring certified man Tom Cruise flying, dangling, and clinging for dear life off an airplane, also delivers on the adrenaline-fueled goods. However, bigger doesn’t always mean better. As the culmination of a nearly 30-year saga, the film sometimes buckles under the weight of its ambition, bogged down by excessive callbacks, overstuffed exposition, unnecessary tie-ins, and forced revelations. Despite its flaws, this supposed final mission for the IMF team, should we choose to accept it, serves as a satisfactory conclusion to what was started with “Dead Reckoning.” Where the series goes from here? Only Tom Cruise & Christopher McQuarrie know.

My full review on Next Best Picture here