For those who love buttered popcorn and Milk Duds in front of the big screen, Memorial Day weekend was a good weekend. It also was good for AMC Entertainment (AMC), which operates 10,000 screens in 900 theaters across the globe.
Category: Mission: Impossible
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Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning action scenes, ranked
When you think of Mission: Impossible, the first thing you probably think about is the action that has defined the franchise since its inception. That’s become especially true in later installments, which have been defined by Tom Cruise doing increasingly insane things to entertain audiences.
The Final Reckoning has arrived, and it may or may not be the last installment in this franchise. We’ve ranked the five best major action sequences in The Final Reckoning to commemorate this film and its memorable set pieces.
5. The opening pursuit
The Final Reckoning is less action-forward than some previous installments in the franchise. The movie’s opening pursuit is indicative of that, as Ethan and Grace try to hunt down Gabriel and the Entity following the events of Dead Reckoning.
It’s not the most inspiring stuff, but seeing Benji, Paris, and Theo rescue Ethan and Grace is a lovely subversion of how the action in these movies usually goes.
4. The showdown at the bunker
Paramount Pictures and Skydance This is a fairly conventional gunfight between the CIA and Gabriel’s forces, and one that Ethan only shows up for near the end.
It’s followed by much more electrifying stuff, but even this relatively standard set piece is a reminder of Christopher McQuarrie’s unique flair for action, even if it’s not as inventive as some of what we’ve seen in previous installments.
3. The firefight with the Russians
Paramount Pictures The best of the more minor action sequences in The Final Reckoning involves Grace and William Donloe’s wife exchanging fire with Russian special forces as they try to get the coordinates for the Sevastopol, which he has memorized.
It’s yet another set piece that doesn’t feel all that inventive. However, it’s executed basically to perfection. It’s also an important reminder of how good Haley Atwell is at the action part of the Mission formula.
2. The biplane chase
Paramount Pictures / Paramount Pictures Although the other entries on this list are notable, the two most important set pieces in The Final Reckoning occupy the top spots on this list. McQuarrie and Cruise have spent plenty of time discussing all the ways the actor’s work outside of the biplane was dangerous. Let me tell you, it looks spectacular.
As Ethan and Gabriel battle while flying over South Africa, we get to see just how much danger Cruise was willing to put himself in for the sake of a good shot. It’s not quite as great as the helicopter fight at the end of Fallout, but it’s definitely covering similar terrain and might feel even more perilous.
1. The Sevastopol extraction
Paramount Pictures One of the greatest set pieces in the history of this entire franchise. The underwater work done by Ethan, who travels to the bottom of the ocean to extract the rabbit’s foot from the Sevastopol, is simply stunning. Underwater cinematography is very easy to do wrong, but McQuarrie nails the ocean’s beauty and its perilous nature.
There have only been a handful of water stunts in Mission: Impossible’s history. This is by far the best. Every obstacle Ethan encounters, right up until he’s forced to swim back up to the surface with nothing but his underwear to protect him, makes the sequence more tense and alive. Like all of the best action sequences, I have no idea how they pulled it off.
Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning is now in theaters.
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Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning first reactions are mixed, and that’s disappointing
In the trailer for Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt asks someone to trust him one last time. Judging by the first reactions on social media, Cruise is now asking the audience to trust him that he still delivered an action spectacle.
The social media embargo lifted for Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning on May 12. The initial reactions are mixed, which comes as a surprise considering how much praise the last few entries have received.
Erik Davis of Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes said Cruise takes The Final Reckoning to the next level. “It’s the biggest, wildest, and most consequential Mission movie yet,” Davis wrote on X.
Good Day’s Chicago Jake Hamilton called the plane sequence “one of cinema’s greatest stunts.” Hamilton wrote, “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning is a love letter to fans who just rewatched the entire series.”
Indiewire’s David Ehrlich had a more negative reaction, calling it “dull and dysfunctional.” Despite praising the set pieces, Ehrlich was ultimately disappointed by The Final Reckoning, calling it a “massive heartbreaker.”
Griffin Schiller compared Final Reckoning to The Rise of Skywalker, saying it “plays like an egregious franchise greatest hits.”
Mission: Impossible is the gold standard for action franchises, so it’s disappointing to read about the mixed reactions. Cruise’s action sequences, including the death-defying plane stunt, will certainly be a highlight. However, the conflicting reception is not ideal, especially for a franchise that might have to disappear for the foreseeable future before Cruise returns or another actor steps in as the new lead.
Cruise headlines The Final Reckoning as Ethan Hun, the IMF agent who must race to find the Entity and destroy it before it gets into the wrong hands. The ensemble includes Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny, Mariela Garriga, Holt McCallany, Janet McTeer, Nick Offerman, Hannah Waddingham, Tramell Tillman, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Charles Parnell, Mark Gatiss, Rolf Saxon, Lucy Tulugarjuk and Angela Bassett.
Christopher McQuarrie directs from a screenplay he co-wrote with Erik Jendresen.
Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning opens in theaters on May 23.
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Tom Cruise is human. Here’s the one stunt he couldn’t do in Mission: Impossible
Tom Cruise is Hollywood’s resident daredevil. The 62-year-old has become famous for completing death-defying stunts in his movies, notably the Mission: Impossible franchise. While playing Ethan Hunt, Cruise hung off the side of an airplane, performed a HALO jump at 25,000 feet, and drove a motorcycle off a cliff before skydiving to safety.
Cruise even scaled the Burj Khalifa, a feat initially deemed too dangerous by the “safety guy” on set. As Matt Damon famously recalled to Conan O’Brien, Cruise hired another safety guy to clear the stunt.
Knowing Cruise will do anything to achieve a stunt makes it even more surprising to hear that he turned down a physical feat in Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning. While promoting the film in Japan, Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie explained the film’s upcoming action sequence featuring Ethan on the wing of a plane. When planning the stunt, McQuarrie wanted Cruise to complete a walk within a few seconds. For possibly the first time in his life, Cruise said no.
“And then we talked about story, and he was like, ‘Okay, I want you to go from here to here in a couple of seconds,’” Cruise said (via @thingstocarefor). “I was like, ‘I can’t do that.’ He’s like, ‘Okay, well, I want you to do this and this.’ I was like, ‘I really can’t do that.’”
Even McQuarrie was shocked to hear the word “can’t” come out of Cruise’s mouth. Due to the force of the air pushing up against his body, Cruise could not complete the walk in a matter of seconds. Instead of continuing to explain it, Cruise decided the best thing to do was have his director complete the stunt.
Cruise said, “So I just said, ‘Listen, I think the best thing is if you just do it. Go out, sit in the airplane, go out on the wing, and feel it. Feel the pressure.’ So, here I am, training him.”
After a 20-minute tutorial, McQuarrie walked on the wing of the plane and loved it. “It was great, actually,” McQuarrie said. “Yeah, it was a lot of fun. I would definitely do it again.”
See the entire plane sequence with Cruise in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, in theaters on May 23.
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3 underrated Amazon Prime Video movies you should watch this weekend (May 9-11)
If you subscribe to Amazon Prime, as many people do, then you might be aware that you also have access to Amazon Prime Video. Just because you can access the streamer doesn’t mean knowing what to watch is easy. Thankfully, that’s where we come in.
We’ve pulled together three very different movie recommendations to check out on the streaming service. Each speaks to how much stuff there is to explore, even as they’re all fairly different.
We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
Nickel Boys (2024)
One of the most innovative and well-reviewed of 2024, Nickel Boys is adapted from a Colson Whitehead novel of almost the same name (they dropped the “the”). The movie follows two boys who attend a reformatory school in Florida in the 1950s and are subject to the cruelties and abuse that come from the men who are responsible for their care.
Filmed entirely in the first person, Nickel Boys is disorienting at first. Then, the 2025 Best Picture nominee roots you entirely in the perspective of its characters. This helps to understand how much their lives have been shaped by people beyond their control.
You can watch Nickel Boys on Amazon Prime Video.
Mission: Impossible (1996)
Every Mission: Impossible movie is worth watching at least once, and the first in the franchise is one of the best. The film stars Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt, an agent for the fictitious Impossible Mission Force forced on the run to prove his innocence after losing his entire team.
Although the film has, at best, a loose understanding of how computers work, it’s an impressive exercise in tension and suspense. The movie’s most famous sequence, which involves a break-in and is highlighted by Cruise hanging from the ceiling, is just as good as anything the franchise would do afterward.
You can watch Mission: Impossible on Amazon Prime Video.
Warrior (2011)
A heartwrenching, riveting sports drama from director Gavin O’Connor, who is quite good at them, Warrior tells the story of two brothers who are also MMA fighters.
Anchored by great performances from Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton as the two brothers, and even better work by Nick Nolte as their alcoholic father, Warrior is all about the pain that every family deals with and whether it’s ever possible to overcome it. Along the way, we get to see two brothers rise up the ranks of MMA until they find themselves in the ring, facing each other.
You can watch Warrior on Amazon Prime Video.
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Paramount drops action-packed Mission: Impossible—Final Reckoning trailer
Tom Cruise is back for what may (or may not) be his final turn as Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible—Final Reckoning.After giving CinemaCon attendees a sneak peek last week, Paramount Pictures has publicly released the trailer for Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning, the eighth installment of the blockbuster spy franchise starring Tom Cruise as IMF agent Ethan Hunt, and a sequel to the events that played out in 2023’s Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning.
This may, or may not, end up being Cruise’s last film in the franchise; everyone’s being pretty cagey about that question. But the trailer certainly gives us everything we’ve come to expect from the Mission: Impossible films: high stakes, global political intrigue, and of course, lots and lots of spectacular stunt work, including Cruise hanging precariously mid-air from a 1930s Boeing Stearman biplane.
(Spoilers for Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning below.)
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One last ride for Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning trailer
Tom Cruise is choosing to accept his final assignment in the latest trailer for Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning.
Is this the end for Cruise’s Ethan Hunt? The trailer emphasizes that Ethan needs his team to trust him “one last time.” The footage revisits some of Ethan’s most famous stunts, including the CIA vault break-in, the Kremlin bombing, and the gassing of the security briefing. Even though the government doesn’t fully trust Ethan, they know he’s necessary to keeping the peace. “If we want to bring the world back from the brink, we have to deal with him,” the voiceover states as Ethan prepares to save the world.
After the events of Dead Reckoning, Ethan has the cruciform key in his possession. Now, it’s a race to find The Entity, a powerful AI program on a sunken Russian submarine. The balance of power will shift to whoever controls the Entity, so it’s up to Ethan and his team to destroy it and make sure it never gets into the wrong hands.
Besides Cruise, Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning stars Hayley Atwell as Grace, Ving Rhames as Luther Stickell, Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn, Vanessa Kirby as Alanna Mitsopolis, Esai Morales as Gabriel, Pom Klementieff as Paris, Shea Whigham as Jasper Briggs, Greg Tarzan Davis as Degas, Henry Czerny as Eugene Kittridge, and Angela Bassett as Erika Sloane.
Paramount Pictures Newcomers include Hannah Waddingham, Nick Offerman, Lucy Tulugarjuk, Katy O’Brian, Holt McCallany, and Tramell Tillman.
Christopher McQuarrie returns to direct Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning from a screenplay he cowrote with Erik Jendresen. Before its May release, The Final Reckoning is rumored to premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
Paramount Pictures will release Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning on May 23, 2025.