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But we don鈥檛 come to 鈥淢ission: Impossible鈥� movies for the bigger picture, and definitely not to learn what the rabbit鈥檚 foot was in the third movie. We come to be awed by the thrills and Cruise鈥檚 execution, whether he鈥檚 speeding through Paris on a motorbike, driving one-handed through Rome in a tiny old Fiat, or hanging on the outside of an airbus, or bullet train, or helicopter, or the Burj Khalifa.

And unlike, say, the 鈥淔ast & Furious鈥� movies, which long ago jumped the shark, the 鈥淢ission鈥� stunts have always felt grounded in some reality and playfulness. It鈥檚 not just Cruise鈥檚 willingness to tether himself to all forms of high-speed transportation for our enjoyment. His reactions 鈥� surprise, panic, doubt 鈥� are unparalleled. Ethan Hunt is never too cool to look unsure.

鈥淔inal Reckoning,鈥� Christopher McQuarrie鈥檚 fourth 鈥淢ission鈥� movie in the director鈥檚 chair, does deliver two truly unforgettable sequences. One is in a long-defunct submarine at the bottom of the sea that will have you squirming; another involves two classic biplanes careening at 170 miles per hour (274 kilometers per hour) over lush South African landscapes. Though they may induce vertigo on IMAX, these are the things that make the trip to the theater worth it. But be warned: It takes a good long while of labored exposition, manic flashbacks and Oscar broadcast-ready greatest-hits montages to get there.

McQuarrie, who co-wrote the script with Erik Jendresen, might have learned the wrong lessons from the past decade of overly interconnected franchise filmmaking. Or perhaps it still seemed like the right call when this two-part finale was put into motion seven years ago. Not only does realizing one previously enjoyable character is related to and motivated by a character from the past do little to raise the stakes, it also bogs everything down.

鈥淔inal Reckoning鈥� also overstuffs the cast with faces that are almost distracting (like as a U.S. Navy officer, though her American accent is quite good). Maybe it鈥檚 overcompensating for the movie鈥檚 flesh-and-bone villain Gabriel (Esai Morales), who seems to be there because Ethan needs someone to chase.

There are some fun additions to the lot: 鈥淪everance鈥檚鈥� Tramell Tillman as a submarine captain, as well as Lucy Tulugarjuk and Rolf Saxon, for anyone wondering what became of the poor guy in the Langley vault.

Simon Pegg, as the capably flustered tech wiz Benji, is still great, Ving Rhames gets to flex emotionally, and Bassett really makes you believe she鈥檚 chosen a U.S. city to destroy as an offering to 鈥淭he Entity.鈥� But many get lost in the unnatural, one-size-fits-all dialogue, which is especially true in the bizarrely sweaty Situation Room where everyone is always finishing each other鈥檚 sentences.

Maybe when you have a larger-than-life movie star, you need larger-than-life character actors. Besides, everyone knows they鈥檙e there as side players supporting the Cruise show 鈥� no one more so than Hayley Atwell as Grace, the once inscrutable pickpocket turned wide-eyed Madonna supporting and tending to Ethan. The loss of Rebecca Ferguson is acutely felt here.

The 鈥淢ission: Impossible鈥� movies, even when they鈥檙e mediocre, remain some of the most effortlessly enjoyable cinematic experiences out there, a pure expression of 鈥渓et’s put on a show.鈥� There鈥檚 nothing else quite like it and maybe they鈥檝e earned this self-important victory lap, though it seems to have gone to the characters’ heads.

Saving the showstopper for last will certainly leave audiences exiting the theater on a happy high note. But it鈥檚 hard to shake the feeling that in attempting to tie everything together, 鈥淢ission: Impossible鈥� lost the plot.

鈥淢ission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning,鈥� a Paramount Pictures release in theaters Friday, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association for 鈥渂loody images, action, brief language, and sequences of strong violence.鈥� Running time: 179 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.