Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (2025)

29 years after he started the M:I franchise, Tom Cruise returns one last time to end it. And it couldn't come any sooner, as he's traded in his boyish good looks for someone closer resembling Buddy Hackett. Still, at 62, he's performing insane stunts and doing things that I could never do at any age, so you can't really knock it. Maybe there's something to that Scientology shit, after all.

Picking up shortly after the events of Dead Reckoning, The Entity is still an active threat (if somewhat an abstract construct) while the world is again at the precipice of succumbing to global devastation. It's exposition-heavy at times, and heavy-handed at others, but I mostly find it fascinating due to its finality. The improbable part is that they managed to tie up so many loose story strands from throughout the series in a satisfying way while weaving together all of the films. (Meanwhile, my impossible mission was trying not to piss myself for three hours.) It's a welcome return to form that succeeds in ending the series on a high note. Tom's mission, should he choose to accept it, is not to fuck it up by making another one.

3½ MacGuffins out of 5

Note: Huge shout-out goes to Ving Rhames, who has appeared in every single one of these films alongside Cruise, but never quite seems to get his due.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning (2023)

This entire series is the very definition of ephemeral entertainment. It's fun and exciting in the moment, but it just doesn't stay with you after it's over. At the best of times, it's a mindless popcorn flick; at the worst of times, it's smug and insufferable. How much longer can we keep pretending nothing is going to happen to this Gary Stu character? How many times can they make the impossible possible? These movies are filled with such clichés that only exist to feed Cruise's massive ego as a billionaire movie star adrenaline junkie.

This time, Tommy Boy goes up against the very concept of AI itself; a rogue system known as The Entity that spells the end of all mankind (if we're lucky). The biggest misstep of this installment is that it's long and occasionally boring. There are three memorable set pieces featured, and these are what make the movie worthwhile, especially the "big stunt" in the final hour of the picture. 

Fact: Every M:I movie is longer than the one that came before. Now we're up to 2 hours and 45 minutes to tell an incomplete story without an ending, as this was merely devised as "Part One"—to be concluded in The Final Reckoning.

2½ half-keys out of 5

Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)

The 6th installment of Mission: Impossible is also somehow the best (tying it with Ghost Protocol), mostly because it pays off some longstanding story issues and further develops the character past the two-dimensional archetype with indestructible plot armor. This time the threat of nuclear war is at stake, but don't worry, Ethan Hunt is on the case and no mission is too impossible.

It features the typical extravagant action set pieces fans have come to expect (Tom Cruise actually broke his ankle during one of the stunts) and maximizes its mileage for the duration of its exhausting two-and-a-half hour runtime.

This was also the film where they decided Henry Cavill having a real mustache was more important than shaving it off for Superman, resulting in some costly reshoots for Justice League and meme-worthy CGI hare-lip screen grabs.

3½ fake news out of 5

Mission: Impossible II (2000)

AKA: M:I-2

Whereas the first film very much felt like a slick espionage thriller in the style of the original series, this one and the rest of the series from here focuses on big action set pieces and lots of death-defying stunts centered around its star. The formula basically functions as a vehicle for Tom Cruise to position himself as the James Bond of this franchise and prove he's better than you and shit.

Some have called it the worst installment of the series, but I actually prefer this in some ways to the convoluted nature of the first film since it's slightly easier to follow along. In true John Woo fashion, it's mostly all style over substance, but it works out well enough for this over-the-top franchise.

3 face-offs out of 5

Final Destination: Bloodlines (2025)

AKA: Final Destination 6

Well, my premonition was wrong. A soft reboot/reimagining that eschews a bit with the traditional formula, in favor of a longstanding family mystery, while paying off some ideas that have been percolating since the first movie. In the end, it's pretty grim and cynical, but par for the course with this series.

Tony Todd reprises his role for the last time, as Death finally came for him too.

3 bad pennies out of 5

The Final Destination (2009)

AKA: Final Destination 4

This is one of those movies that you can tell was originally conceived for 3D. Special effects are pretty terrible and a whole bunch of shit starts flying at the camera. The formula is getting a bit frustrating when we as the audience know what's going to happen but the characters don't behave accordingly. This is easily the worst installment of the series, bordering on bad parody at times. It's basically just a series of setups for failure, similar to Jigsaw's traps. Luckily, the next one course-corrects itself and it only gets better from here.

1½ pool drain prolapses out of 5

Final Destination 3 (2006)

The key to this franchise's longevity and success is preying on fundamental fears that remain out of our control. Planes, car crashes, roller coasters going off the rails. The best parts of these movies are always in the first 20 minutes; then it all goes downhill from there.

2 tanning beds out of 5

Final Destination 2 (2003)

The setup is simple. People begin dying in mysterious ways after cheating death when one experiences a premonition that comes true. But fate catches up to them one way or another. This time, the survivors are mostly cognizant of what is going on since they're aware of the events of the previous incident. It's basically a game of "guess how they're going to die." 3 out of 4 times, you won't. The fun comes from seeing your expectations get subverted by weird and freaky mishaps. It's maybe a step down from torture porn, but it's fun in a fucked up sort of way.

2½ pigeons! out of 5

Fight or Flight (2025)

A mercenary is tasked with tracking down a target in a plane full of terrorists. This is essentially Bullet Train, except on a different mode of transportation. As with Trap, Josh Hartnett makes this easily watchable and it's so much fun to see it dissolve into frenetic action-comedy hijinks at 30,000 feet. Think Crank meets Snakes on a Plane, and set your expectations somewhere in between.

3 toads' venom out of 5

Bullet Train (2022)

Brad Pitt finds himself on a high-speed rail train from Tokyo to Kyoto with a bunch of trained assassins who are trying to kill him. It's a nonstop thrill ride that propels itself through highly stylized action-comedy sequences which can feel a bit excessive at times. Like Boy Kills World, it's a fun, turn-off-your-brain film, even though it runs a bit long and gets repetitive at a certain point. My favorite parts were all the surprise cameos, which I won't spoil here. Could have used more Karen Fukuhara, though. Her entire part was in the trailer.

3 Momomons out of 5

Warfare (2025)

Based on true events, a platoon of U.S. Navy SEALs hole up in a residential area during a 2006 encounter in the Iraq War. The film is presented in "real time" and strives to be as realistic and gritty as possible, which translates to a lot of loud gunfire, shaky camerawork and people screaming for an hour and a half. You already know how this is going to turn out. What is the point of this film? To show that war isn't all it's cracked up to be? I think we all know that by now. War is boring. Real life isn't Call of Duty. There's no point glorifying it.

2 IEDs out of 5

The Amateur (2025)

A bookish CIA code breaker takes the law into his own hands as he seeks revenge for his wife's murder in this increasingly convoluted conspiracy thriller. Rami Malek was excellent in Mr. Robot, one of my favorite TV shows, but his performance lacks in this standard, formulaic action flick that quickly wears out its welcome and lags in the second half. While the initial premise is intriguing, it feels curiously low stakes and I just kept waiting for it to be over.

A remake of the 1981 film, based on Robert Littell's novel of the same name.

2½ Inquilines out of 5

The Accountant² (2025)

8 years later, Christian Wolff is still a loner accountant with A Beautiful Mind powers and secret service skills who launders money for dangerous agencies while maintaining a low profile. This time, he's joined by his estranged brother (played by John Bernthal in a wonderfully unhinged performance) and it's instantly an improvement over the first film because of their buddy dynamic. Together, they set out to bust up a human trafficking ring and recover a missing Salvadorean family. Despite the more generic elements at play, it's an above average thriller, and a third film is already (woefully) in development.

3 speed dating rounds out of 5

The Accountant (2016)

An autistic man (the Hollywood variety, who is both a jacked expert assassin and also Mensa-level genius) works as a forensic accountant for dangerous criminals while moonlighting as an avenger of justice during daylight hours.

It's basically a neurodivergent superhero flick, which translates to a painfully average action thriller. Nothing too memorable you'll recall by the next day.

2½ stimming techniques out of 5

Until Dawn (2025)

It's been about a decade since I've played the game, so I'm coming at it with a bit of a fresh perspective. But it turns out that doesn't matter anyway because it's a completely different plot from the game featuring new characters. The only actor who returns is Peter Stormare, who reprises his role as Dr. Hill.

It's essentially a slasher flick with the element of a time loop where they are repeatedly murdered in different ways and must find a way to escape alive. The game was designed to be a send-up of cheesy teen horror movies, so it stands to reason that it would be adapted as such. However, the interactive thrill is lost in a more conventional narrative. It's simply not that exciting if you've already played the game. If you want a truly fun and original take on the genre that breaks all the rules, check out The Cabin in the Woods.

They turned an innovative game experience into a mediocre movie. Just another entry for the live-action video game collection.

2½ spontaneous combustions out of 5

Sinners (2025)

Twin brothers Smoke and Stack open up their own juke joint in 1932 Mississippi where they're visited by some unsavory characters who are out for blood.

God damn, it took forever for this movie to turn into From Dusk Till Dawn, and by the time it did, it was already over. There are some eerie and entrancing sequences set to music, but the vampire angle is all played out and it doesn't offer much else in the way that hasn't been previously explored elsewhere. As massively overhyped as it is, it does tend to stay with you regardless.

Be sure to stick through the credits; the story ain't over yet.

3 guitar cases out of 5

The Surfer (2024)

Nic Cage sure knows how to pick 'em. A man returns to the remote Australian town he grew up in and finds himself confronted by hostile locals who tell him to get lost. That's just the tip of the iceberg. I'll allow you to discover this little gem for yourself. It's an intense psychological thriller full of hallucinatory images and haunting melodies that will have you questioning your own sanity.

Probably my favorite film of the year so far. Give me more of this, please.

4 pocket rats out of 5

Thunderbolts* (2025)

Jesus Christ, are we into the summer blockbuster season already?

The latest tentpole from Marvel takes a page out of indie studio A24's book with a more intimate, character-based approach, which is a huge improvement in my opinion. It follows up and reunites characters from Black Widow (Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Taskmaster), The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Bucky Barnes, John Walker/U.S. Agent) and others (Ghost) in a team-up ensemble flick meant to evoke The Avengers, except on a much smaller scale. I'm more fond of this ragtag group of losers and misfits (akin to Guardians of the Galaxy) than even the "serious" heroes. But it's so much more than the sum of all its parts. At the center of the story is a mysterious new character known only as "Bob."

This was so enjoyable compared to Brave New World. Sometimes the MCU can still surprise you, even 36 films into it. This is the final installment of Phase 5; to be followed by The Fantastic Four: First Steps, due later in the summer.

3 taco shields out of 5