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This week at The Tryon Theatre is “Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning” (McQuarrie), the first of our big summer blockbuster films, and a perfect one to kick it all off, offering a broad crowd-pleasing feast of action. This film is the eighth, and as implied in the title, the final entry in the “Mission Impossible” (1996-2025) franchise, closing nearly 30 years of reliably thrilling cinematic adventures. The appeal of this series has endured multiple decades, providing a slate of films that adults of all generations can enjoy. 

On the spectrum of spy movies, “Mission Impossible” has always appealed to the somewhat campy but self-awarely charming side of it all, with gadgets, quippy dialogue, and beautiful people abounding. But of course, the most defining element, and the one that sets it apart from its genre peers, is its commitment to the spectacle of death-defying stunts. Each film in the franchise has upped the stakes of what Ethan Hunt (and, by extension of his unique acting method, Tom Cruise) pulls off in pursuit of his titular mission, with increasingly thrilling results. “Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning” satisfyingly delivers on this expectation of escalation, with multiple awe-inspiring scenes of nerve-wracking danger, life literally on the line for our entertainment.

Admittedly, the rewardingly entertaining action of the film is its greatest appeal, with the narrative but a frame for the stunts, gadgets, and fight sequences. However, the narrative is nonetheless an essential part of the film’s success, bringing the series to a clean and tight close while once again affirming the franchise’s long-running themes of bravery, familial love, and the selflessness of personal sacrifice. This film does pick up its plot directly from the end of its predecessor, “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning,” meaning the title is largely required viewing for anyone hoping to make sense of the plot. For any audience member who is approaching this film as a roller coaster, without expecting any commitment to thought, their expectation is fair and requires no preparation or prior material. There is great appeal to the purity of “Mission Impossible”’s surface-level spectacle of earnest and fully realized action. 

This film would be worthy entertainment on its own but is only further enhanced by its position as the closing chapter to an excellently grand series, an entire franchise of films that define the value of the theatrical experience: the immersion, the scale, and the shared evocation of emotion. 

There is a bittersweet quality to the end of such enduring entertainment, but one that is not outweighed by the joyful thrills of Ethan Hunt’s last mission. We hope you all join us for this spectacle and adrenaline-filled finale in “Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning”!

On an important note of scheduling, this film is being held for two weeks, as we expect it to have a popular reception. If anyone is interested in attending, we recommend buying the tickets as soon as possible, either online or at our box office window whenever we are open for a show.