After Forgetting Everything About Dead Reckoning, I Was So Grateful For One Thing In Mission: Impossible
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.
Beware, there are light spoilers in this story, nothing that should ruin the story of Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, but I am going to talk about the first 20 minutes of the movie.
The Mission: Impossible franchise drops its 'final' movie, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, this week, and it's one of the most anticipated releases on the 2025 movie schedule. It also comes with a long runtime - over two hours and forty minutes! I'll be honest, as fun as the M:I movies are, I wasn't thrilled to see it was going to take that kind of time commitment.
The good news is that the movie doesn't feel long. It's paced well and there are a ton of great stunts and action scenes (as you'd expect from any film in the franchise), and the movie barrels along at a great clip. The first 20 minutes or so of the film are also very helpful, at least for people like me, who had forgotten everything about the previous installment – the first part of the two-part story to end the long-running Tom Cruise-led juggernaut, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, which came out in 2023.
The Mission: Impossible brand started as a TV show in the 1960s, so it's only fitting that The Final Reckoning starts with a recap of not only the last movie, but all seven of the previous films in the franchise. It might not be the most elegant way to remind people like me who just completely forgot what went on, but I was very grateful for it.
The thing about Mission: Impossible movies for me is that I tend to just let them wash over me. I don't spend a lot of time thinking about them, even in the moment. I see them as a great way to chomp on some buttery popcorn, have some laughs, and go for the thrill ride. So when pesky things like dialog, or, say, a plot, get in the way, I just dismiss them. Or, more to the point, I don't dwell on them. It's another reason I don't rank the Mission: Impossible movies, as they are all equally fun for me, if not thought-provoking.
I've seen every Mission: Impossible movie in theaters, going all the way back to the first movie in 1996. There have been a lot of missions, a lot of characters, both good guys and bad, and a ton of awesome stunts. Last month, before the final installment came out, I decided I would use my Paramount+ subscription to rewatch all seven of the previous entries. I made it through the first one, and then other stuff got in the way. There were new movies to watch, TV shows to binge, life to live, work to do, so I never went back to them.
Paramount Plus: from $7.99 a month/$79.99 a yearCatch up with the entire Mission: Impossible franchise with Paramount Plus. All seven of the previous movies are now available on the streaming service, but you get CBS TV shows and a whole bunch of other Paramount movies. Opt for its Essential plan or go ad-free and get double the catalog with Showtime through the Premium plan from $12.99 a month. Alternatively, get 12 months for the price of 10 with its annual plan.View Deal
Before I saw Final Reckoning, I quickly scanned Wikipedia for a refresher, so when I sat down with my big bucket o' corn and settled in for a nearly 3-hour tour, I was ready. Then, the recap came, and I was actually excited. It's much better to be reminded on the big screen of all the amazing stunts over the years, and put faces to names again. It made the next 2-plus hours so much more enjoyable.
So, if you're like me and you've forgotten some of the major plot points of either the last Mission: Impossible movie or all of them, don't worry. It's still really easy to enjoy the final mission with Ethan Hunt and company without doing any homework.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Lynn Hamilton, 'Sanford and Son\
Lynn Hamilton, an actress known for her roles on "Sanford and Son" and "The Waltons," has died. She was 95. Hamilton's death was confirmed in a statement on Facebook and Instagram from her former manager and publicist, Rev. Calvin Carson, who said that the actress died on June 19 "surrounded by her grandchildren, loved ones and caregivers." "With profound gratitude and admiration, we celebrate the extraordinary life of iconic actress Alzenia 'Lynn' Hamilton-Jenkins, whose remarkable legacy continues to uplift and inspire," Carson said. "Her illustrious career, spanning over five decades, has left an indelible mark on the world of entertainment, motivating audiences across the globe through her work as a model, stage, film, and television actress." Hamilton starred as nurse Donna Harris, girlfriend of Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx), on the classic sitcom "Sanford and Son" beginning in 1972. The influential show, which aired on NBC, also starred Demond Wilson and LaWanda Page. Hamilton also portrayed Verdie on the CBS drama "The Waltons," beginning in 1973. She reprised the role in the television movies "A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion" and "A Walton Easter." 'Sanford and Son': Looking back at the 'double-edged' Black sitcom pioneer 50 years later The actress made her on-screen debut in the 1958 John Cassavetes film "Shadows," and throughout her career, she appeared on shows like "Dangerous Women," "Room 222," "Mannix," "Gunsmoke," "Hawaii Five-O," "Good Times," "Starsky and Hutch," "The Rockford Files" and "Roots: The Next Generation." She also starred on the NBC soap opera "Generations." On the film side, Hamilton had roles in movies like "Lady Sings the Blues," starring Diana Ross and Billy Dee Williams, and "Buck and the Preacher," starring Sidney Poitier. Hamilton continued to act into the 2000s with roles on "NYPD Blue," "The Practice" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm." Nathaniel Taylor, best known as Rollo on 'Sanford and Son,' dies at 80 Hamilton was married to writer Frank Jenkins until his death in 2014. They worked together on theater productions such as "Nobody" and "The Bert Williams Story," according to Carson, who said that their "partnership was a shining example of creativity, love, and dedication."
New York Post
18 hours ago
- New York Post
‘Spider-Man' and ‘One Life to Live' star Jack Betts dead at 96
Jack Betts has passed away at 96 years old. The actor starred on the soap opera 'One Life to Live' from 1979 to 1985, appearing in 20 episodes as Llanview Hospital's Dr. Ivan Kipling. Betts' nephew, Dean Sullivan, told The Hollywood Reporter that the star died in his sleep at his house in Los Osos, California, on Thursday. 7 Jack Betts at The Cocktail Hour play opening, LA, California, April 19, 1990. MediaPunch via Getty Images 7 Doris Roberts and Jack Betts arrive at the party celebrating the 200th Episode of 'Everybody Loves Raymond' on October 14, 2004 at Spago in Beverly Hills, California. Getty Images Betts lived with 'Everybody Loves Raymond' actress Doris Roberts before her death at age 90 in 2016. The two would attend events together over the years and Roberts even directed a play written by Betts, about a soap opera, titled 'Screen Test: Take One.' The close pals first met in 1954 at The Actors Studio in New York City in 1954. Decades later, in 1988, Betts accepted Roberts' offer to move from the Big Apple into the downstairs apartment at her Hollywood Hills home. 7 Actor Jack Betts. Columbia Pictures 'We were best friends to the very end, we had wonderful times together,' he gushed following her death. Betts was also known for starring as Henry Balkan – the Oscorp board chair who fired Norman Osborn (Willem Defoe) – in Sam Raimi's 2002 'Spider-Man.' Norman then became the villainous Green Goblin and vaporized Henry and the board. While on 'The Dev Show' in 2020, Betts spoke about filming the Oscorp boardroom shot and how he asked Raimi, 65, if he could add some of his own spin onto the scene. 7 Jack Betts is seen on May 6, 2016. GC Images 'I really looked [Defoe] right in the eye, and I had kind of a smile in my eye — you know, like, 'You're fired, you motherf–ker,'' the actor explained. 'After, I finished it, [Raimi] said, 'That's it. Terrific. Print that one.'' 'My point being is that I wanted to add something just a little different to it instead of doing it the same way over and over and over and over. [Raimi] he was willing to do that. He really was. Wonderful man to work with.' The Hollywood vet was raised in Jersey City, New Jersey, before moving to Miami with his family at age 10. The actor received his degree in theater from the University of Miami, and shortly after graduation, relocated to New York to begin acting. 7 Jose Ferrer, Jack Betts in 'Another World.' Courtesy Everett Collection Betts landed his first role as a supporting actor in the 1953 Broadway adaptation of William Shakespeare's 'Richard III.' For two seasons, from 1960 to 1962, Betts played detective Chris Devlin in the CBS mystery series 'Checkmate' opposite Anthony George, Sebastian Cabot and Doug McClure. The show, created by Eric Ambler, followed private detectives solving cases in San Francisco with the help of a British criminologist. Betts appeared four times on CBS' Perry Mason from 1961-66 before he met Giraldi about starring in Sugar Colt. He told the director that he could ride a horse and had just won a shooting contest — of course, he had never been on a horse or handled a gun — but he spent the next three weeks learning those skills at John Wayne's ranch before reporting for duty at Cinecittà in Rome. Shortly after, he entered the soap opera world, landing a role on 'General Hospital' from 1963 to 1965. 7 Jack Betts, Barbara Lord, Peter Falk in 'The Bloody Brood.' Courtesy Everett Collection From there, Betts made his mark on the franchises, and along with 'One Life to Live,' he had parts on 'The Edge of Night,' 'The Doctors,' 'Another World,' 'All My Children,' 'Search for Tomorrow,' 'Guiding Light,' 'Loving,' 'The Young and the Restless,' and 'Generations.' Some of Betts most memorable television roles included 'Seinfeld,' 'Frasier,' 'Everybody Loves Raymond,' 'Monk,' and 'Friends.' His last credited series was on the Freeform drama 'Good Trouble' in 2019. 7 Barbara Bain, Jack Betts in 'Silver Skies.' Courtesy Everett Collection When Betts stepped onto the spaghetti Western scene in 1966 as the title character Hunt Powers in Franco Giraldi's 'Sugar Colt,' he was able to turn that film into 15 others until 1973. But Betts didn't get the same credit as a certain fellow western star did. 'In the hotel next to mine was Clint Eastwood,' he recounted in a 2021 interview. 'He'd go up to his mountain and do his Western and I'd go up to my mountain and do my Western. But while his films had distribution all over the world, my films were distributed [everywhere] except Canada and America.' Betts is survived by his sister, Joan – who is set to turn 100 this year – nephew Dean, and nieces, Lynee and Gail.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Justin Hartley on Playing a ‘Worm and Buffon' in ‘Bride Hard' and What Colter Will Learn About His Mother in ‘Tracker' Season 3: ‘There's Some Deep Psychosis There'
Justin Hartley is teasing what fans can expect from his 'Tracker' character, Colter Shaw, in Season 3 of his hit CBS series. 'I know we'll get to the nitty-gritty of why my mother hired this guy,' he told Variety Wednesday at the premiere of his new movie 'Bride Hard' in Los Angeles. 'Was she protecting her kids? Was an affair happening? Was the government involved? Was it strictly just my mother? Why did she hide that from us for so long? Why did she lead me to believe that it was my brother who was involved when he wasn't? It seems like this divide-and-conquer thing that she's doing. It was just an odd thing to do with your children. There's some deep psychosis there. We'll unpack that.' More from Variety Rebel Wilson on Working With Robert Pattinson's 'Batman' Stunt Coordinators on 'Bride Hard' And Wanting 'Fat Amy' to Get Married in 'Pitch Perfect 4' Dave Bautista Eyed for 'Road House 2' Advocate Originals to Launch on Hulu for Pride Month (EXCLUSIVE) Hartley said he admires the mysterious element of Colter. 'One of the things I love about our show is it seems like every time we answer a question, there are five more questions,' he said. 'It's almost like he's getting deeper and deeper. I really enjoy that about our show.' The new season of 'Tracker' is set to start shooting in July. In 'Bride Hard,' Hartley stars opposite Rebel Wilson — they previously worked alongside each other in 2022's 'Senior Year' — as the groom's best man (Chris) who assists a group of mercenaries that crash the wedding. Wilson plays a secret agent (Sam) whose cover is blown when she has to take on the mercenaries. Rounding out the cast are Anna Camp, Anna Chlumsky, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Gigi Zumbado and Stephen Dorff. For Hartley, portraying one of the bad guys who sets out to help the mercenaries is what interested him about the role. 'I thought it was so interesting because he's such a worm and a buffoon,' he said. 'To play something that I've never intentionally done before was fun for me.' Hartley praised Wilson for her stunt work throughout the film, particularly for the fight scene the two co-stars shared in the movie. 'You don't get a lot of time to rehearse that,' he said. 'She did a lot of that choreography. She did all of the hard work. I was trying to get out of the way or not quite get out of the way. She did a good job of not cracking me, but she never did.' For the other cast members, watching Wilson play an action hero was also a highlight for them. 'I love it,' Sherry Cola, who played Wilson's handler, said. 'Women can do it all. We can save the day. We can prove people wrong and break stereotypes. With Rebel, she's built such an exceptional career. I'm so excited for people to see her in this way.' The film's director, Simon West, also complimented Wilson's fight and stunt performances: 'She threw herself into it. She's a tough girl, and she wanted to do the action as much as she could herself. But she has her own style. It's kind of John Wick on steroids. She is not a quiet fighter. She's a crazy fighter, and she seemed to love it.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar
