Warning: Slight spoilers for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning are in play, should you choose to accept them.
For an event as massive as Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, the fun doesn’t end after one viewing. As our latest 2025 movie schedule blockbuster says goodbye to Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt, there are a lot of details to discuss, which makes the film so easy to revisit. Of course, as a premium format fan, one of the subjects I was eager to dive into was how this last dance with Mr. Hunt was going to play in 4DX.
While I expected this to be a fun and thrilling adventure, the results were so good that they left me questioning which major set piece was my favorite. And after heading in with what I thought was a clear winner in mind, I’m now questioning that choice.
Going Into 4DX, The Sevastopol Dive Was My Favorite Mission: Impossible 8 Set Piece
When seeing Paramount Pictures’ latest for the first time, I experienced the end of an era in an IMAX-format press screening. As you can read in my Mission: Impossible 8 review, I went into my second viewing still holding the Sevastopol dive as my top-tier Final Reckoning set piece. That very well could be thanks to how my views on Sean Connery’s James Bond movies have changed over time, allowing Thunderball’s underwater action to truly impress me the last time I saw it.
Much like that 007 adventure, Ethan Hunt’s journey through the sunken Russian sub that’s literally key to Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’s ending is a slow burn that ratchets up the tension through a sequence that never lets up. The momentum keeps things moving at a steady pace, and I valued that over the still impressive, but much showier biplane stunt advertised all over.
Don’t Worry, Tom Cruise’s Aquatic Mission: Impossible 8 Stunt Is A 4DX Triumph
That’s some pretty stiff competition when you look at The Final Reckoning’s action moments. There’s really no wrong answer here, and it’s not like I’ve pulled a full 180 and turned tail on this stretch of breathless peril. Watching the exploration of this downed vessel in 4DX is still astonishing, especially because the motion seats really carry this stretch of the picture.
As the Sevastopol continues to shift precariously, tumbling slowly towards the bottom of the ocean, my seat gave me the best facsimile of Ethan’s gravitationally uncertain heist. Seeking the Podkova – the unit that The Entity used to infiltrate and sink the ship – you get all of the Tom Cruise-based thrills you could ask for – including one hell of an escape when all is said and done.
Throw in an impressive IMAX-ratio change, timed to Ethan’s movements to open a hatch on the Sevastopol, and you can see why I was so taken. Which is why we really need to discuss the ultimate aerial showdown between Ethan and Gabriel (Esai Morales), which makes for one hell of a final fight.
The Final Reckoning’s Third Act Plane Chase Becomes Even More Impressive Through The 4DX Format
Proving its brilliance before we even head into the air, the final battle over The Entity’s fate starts with an ATV chase that leads Ethan Hunt to wreck his vehicle in true Mission: Impossible style. Tumbling the lightweight mode of transportation, with only a seatbelt to hang onto, the group of 4DX newcomers I was sitting with found themselves whooping with delight as it all went down.
And then there was the biplane chase. What starts as a battle of wills between two aircraft eventually boils down to two men, one plane, and nuclear armageddon in the balance. While I don’t think the fans in the auditorium were cranked as high as they could have been, the air we did get was a nice touch.
Just as I’ve complimented Alien: Romulus’ 4DX variant as the movie that let me safely experience airlock decompression, the technical wizards who converted Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning for 4DX deserve credit for upping the game on this last dash for digital supremacy.
Feeling Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible Biplane Stunt In 4DX Makes All The Difference
Going into Mission: Impossible 8, the ad campaign for director Christopher McQuarrie’s fourth entry at the helm was all about Tom Cruise actually hanging on for dear life up in the air. Everything from CinemaCon teases to posters and BTS featurettes talked this scene up in a way similar to Cruise’s Dead Reckoning bike jump.
Being bombarded by that sort of messaging kind of takes away the fun, and my own love of submarine thrillers like Crimson Tide may have helped influence me to enjoy this feat at a distance. Having the 4DX format present certainly changed my mind, because of actually feeling the rise and fall of the planes in action.
So instead of playing like a moment I had on my checklist of moments included in the trailer, it was an actual experience. It certainly wasn’t as painful as The Final Reckoning’s featurette on this stunt made it look, but it was thrilling enough that I’m still pondering which showstopper I prefer.
Any Format That Shakes The Seats In Time With The Mission: Impossible Theme Is A Winner To Me
Ok, Mission fans, there’s one last factor I want to throw out there for you to consider when choosing formats. As we all know, the 4DX formula includes some vibrating seat pads that hit from head to toe. So when Tom Cruise is being thrown against walls in an impromptu torture scene in the first act, prepare for a bit of a back massage.
But what is even more impressive is how Mission: Impossible 8’s opening credits used this format in an unconventional, but welcome way. Your seat literally vibrates to the tune of Lalo Schiffrin’s iconic theme tune from the original TV show. And if you’re in theaters to see The Final Reckoning, you’re probably someone who loves that song as well.
That right there should be the clincher for any arguments as to which format you’d like to experience Ethan Hunt’s final adventure – unless, of course, you really want to see those clever ratio shifts. Once again, there are no bad answers, as Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is in theaters now, waiting to help fans self-destruct with excitement.
