One final mission, should you choose to accept it, nearly 30 years in the making. Plunging to the frozen depths of the Bering Sea and clinging to the wings of a canyon-swerving aircraft, Tom Cruise proves, for the last time, his unparalleled commitment to movie magic. Even approaching senior citizen status, he’s the face of the inconceivable.

“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” is a bloated behemoth fueled by out-of-this-world stunt work and plagued by frustrating convolution — a grand finale that delivers on grandiose promises but falls short of generational potential.

Essentially working as a part two to its predecessor, “Dead Reckoning,” the film rejoins Ethan Hunt and his Impossible Mission Force team on their quest to extinguish a radical AI threat known as the Entity.

Its globetrotting story is grossly formulaic, brimming with MacGuffins and tiresome exposition dumps. A meandering, sparse first hour feeds into a breathtaking climax teeming with awe-inspiring action set pieces, kickass stunts and lofty nuclear stakes. The back half resembles a saga staple: a hyper-realistic silicone mask desperately covering a poorly taped-together skeleton.

As such, “The Final Reckoning” poses a weird dilemma. Where I feel myself longing for something more cohesive, I ultimately submit to the sheer spectacle, the unabashed fun of it all. As much as I feel the absence of a stronger script, a stronger pace that could vault this thing over the top, it’s still unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed, with Cruise venturing to death-defying limits captured expertly at a sweeping scale. “The Final Reckoning” is a magnitudinal cross-stitching of extremes, splicing together two films, one a dream, one a nightmare.

The problems arise almost immediately. As Ethan receives his final mission, the film replays a rapid-fire montage of the franchise’s previous seven installments, launching a trend of frequent call-backs, flashbacks and recaps. For a movie this culminating and anticipated, it shouldn’t have to constantly cut to the past and explain everything inch by inch. A knowing audience doesn’t need the pick-me-up; an unknowing audience doesn’t care. An action film cannot flow naturally if bogged down by the weight of its exposition.

This challenge permeates much of the first act, with characters frequently huddled around in rooms explaining the film’s next steps. The repetition quickly grows tiresome and increasingly so as an overstuffed roster of characters is introduced, biting off more than one movie can chew and saturated with undercooked plot devices. “The Final Reckoning” would unfold much smoother if it contained more small-scale action sequences that progress the plot forward, rather than relying on crummy dialogue. Though it contains some of the most impressive sequences ever, they are few and far between.

But when the film flies beyond its snooze-worthy formula, journeying to the darkest depths and highest heights of the Earth, it soars. Cruise is the man for the job, dramatically swimming, running and weaving through insane set pieces.

Two all-time sequences headline the experience. The first sees Ethan braving the frigid, pressurized interior of a sunken submarine, which plummets and spins as he searches for a critical piece of technology. It’s a downright horrifying, punishing immersion that glimmers beautifully beneath an icy, blue surface.

The second suspends Ethan from the wings of a small plane zooming and jerking through South African canyons at breakneck speeds. Every small movement is captured practically, creating a pulsing sense of danger and unpredictability. The team’s overall success is built on minuscule moments of perfection that truly encapsulate the “impossible,” as the title suggests. The loud, bustling sound design throughout is executed as flawlessly as its meticulous editing.

“The Final Reckoning” is additionally spectacular to look at, with a seamless blend of practical effects and stunning real-world vistas. For a movie so visually maximal, there’s a welcome lack of jarring cuts or ugly backgrounds.

In the end, “The Final Reckoning” illuminates a cautionary tale of decade-spanning storyline excess — a thunderous swan song that strains under the weight of its own scope. It’s a choppy but unforgettable farewell — a final leap into the impossible, powered by Cruise’s relentless drive to defy gravity and time itself.

Popcorn rating: 3.5/5 bags of popcorn