SPOILER WARNING for the latest podcast episode of "Sound Speed Action": Dead Reckoning came out two years ago, but The Final Reckoning just hit theaters a week ago. If you haven’t seen it yet, pause this episode and come back, because we’re diving deep into both films.

The final chapter of our Mission: Impossible recap covers Dead Reckoning (2023) and The Final Reckoning (2025).

It’s wild to think this series has been running nearly 30 years. This two-part climax, although not always even, aims to tie things up and will likely leave fans divided.

Though the films share villains, Gabriel (mysterious and cartoonish) and the all-knowing Entity, they feel completely different in tone. What is going on with these villains?

Both movies bring stunning set pieces: the runaway train finale in Dead Reckoning is a franchise standout, and the submarine sequence in The Final Reckoning kicks things off with serious intensity.

We get standout new characters: Grace (Hayley Atwell, whose arc around “the choice every IMF member faces” is a great addition), Paris (Pom Klementieff, who steals scenes), Briggs (Shea Whigham), and Dega (Greg Tarzan Davis). Returning favorites include Luther (Ving Rhames, whose appearances remain inconsistent), Benji (Simon Pegg, better than ever), and Kittredge (Henry Czerny), finally back.

Lorne Balfe returns with a strong score for Dead Reckoning after Fallout. He was set to score Final Reckoning, but was replaced by protégés Max Aruj and Alfie Godfrey. Whether their work holds up is still debatable.

Christopher McQuarrie directs both films while navigating COVID, strikes, and more. Not everything lands. Some of the retconning is rough, but he has earned the right to bring it home.

Dead Reckoning is streaming on Prime Video and Paramount+. The Final Reckoning is in theaters now.

2018’s “Mission Impossible: Fallout” is the focus of today’s episode of Sound Speed Action, and the question is not just whether it’s the best in the series—but is it one of the greatest action epics ever made?

It took six movies for the franchise (and two for director Christopher McQuarrie and Cruise) to find their groove, and this is the moment it all clicks. The action! The cast! The music! Even the dramatic and comedic beats land. And this movie fully leans into Ethan Hunt as the ultimate good guy—someone who won’t accept the idea that saving one life means losing millions.

It also has the best “light the fuse” intro of the series and the strongest callback to MI:1. For the first time, we get not just a returning villain, but two bad guys.

Of course, it’s still got some classic MI flaws: the villains still want to destroy the world to save it (seriously, we’re still doing that?). Ilsa Faust is a total badass but seems way too quick to risk it all for Ethan (everyone falls for this guy instantly?). And the Syndicate, Apostles, John Lark—it’s not always clear who’s who or what group is working with which.

Also, that helicopter chase? Cool… but it runs long.

Even with all that, this movie is a blast. The action set pieces (HALO jump, bathroom fight, BMW vs motorcycle, and more) are constant thrills. And the more we learn about Ethan’s ethos, the more charged those moments feel.

This is Mission: Impossible at its peak.

Streaming now on Paramount+. Also available to rent or buy.

“Sound Speed Action” is back with the newest episode in our countdown to Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning. Now we’re entering Christopher McQuarrie mode with the next film: Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (2015).

Writer and veteran Hollywood script doctor Christopher McQuarrie directs his first Mission Impossible and assembles a great team behind the camera to inject more energy into this thrill ride. Joe Kraemer delivers a pulsing orchestral score straight out of the original TV series. Eddie Hamilton joins as the wizard editor (Top Gun: Maverick, Kingsman), keeping everything moving at a fun clip.

We talk about what we really enjoyed. Cruise is great, but Simon Pegg’s Benji really steps up and commands his scenes. Rebecca Ferguson’s debut as MI6 agent Ilsa Faust is superb—she elevates the movie with charisma and badassery. Sean Harris is fun as our super creepy villain, though it’s tough to get too excited since the bar for villains hasn’t been set very high. Alec Baldwin as Hunley is fantastic, and McQuarrie uses him brilliantly as a way for the franchise to poke fun at itself (“Sir, Hunt is the living manifestation of destiny—and he has made you his mission”). The Vienna Opera House sequence is a unique thrill.

Some odd choices pop up—the snakeskin shirt (you’ll know it when you see it), and a bad CGI car flip. But honestly, there’s not much to knock.

McQuarrie’s been hyped up a lot on this show already, and now that we’re here at his first Mission as director… what do you think? Enough action for you? We haven’t even begun yet.

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation is available to stream now on Prime Video and Paramount Plus. It’s also available to rent and buy now on all platforms.