‘Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning' Review: The Cult of Tom Cruise

'Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning' (opening May 23) features a key in the form of a cross, a St. Christopher medal and references to Noah's Ark but reserves its reverence for its onscreen savior, messiah and chosen one. 'A Tom Cruise production,' the credits tell us, and you won't forget it for a single moment.
That need not be a bad thing. The producer-star delivered the two best offerings in the series since the original 1996 feature with 2018's 'Mission: Impossible—Fallout' and 2023's 'Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One' (calling the latest edition Part Two might have been a subtitle too many). This time, though, the story falters.

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Yahoo

a day ago

• Yahoo

Film Academy Taps Tom Cruise, Debbie Allen and Wynn Thomas for Honorary Oscars, Dolly Parton for Hersholt Award

The board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has voted to present actor/producer Tom Cruise, actress/producer/choreographer Debbie Allen and production designer Wynn Thomas with Honorary Awards, and actress/singer-songwriter Dolly Parton with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 16th annual Governors Awards, the organization announced Tuesday. The honorees — whose selection was the final decision made by the 55 governors who served on the Academy's board during the 2024-2025 term, including the likes of Pam Abdy, Jason Blum, Ruth E. Carter, Ava DuVernay, Marlee Matlin, Jason Reitman and Eric Roth — will be fêted at a black-tie ceremony at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles on Sunday, Nov. 16. More from The Hollywood Reporter Viola Davis and Walter Murch to Receive Honorary Degrees at AFI Conservatory Commencement Making of 'Paradise': How a White Lie and a Far-Fetched Apocalyptic Natural Disaster Birthed the Thriller Emmy Predictions via Feinberg Forecast: Scott Updates His Picks Midway Through Nominations Voting 'This year's Governors Awards will celebrate four legendary individuals whose extraordinary careers and commitment to our filmmaking community continue to leave a lasting impact,' outgoing Academy president Janet Yang said in a statement. 'The Academy's board of governors is honored to recognize these brilliant artists. Debbie Allen is a trailblazing choreographer and actor, whose work has captivated generations and crossed genres. Tom Cruise's incredible commitment to our filmmaking community, to the theatrical experience, and to the stunts community has inspired us all. Beloved performer Dolly Parton exemplifies the spirit of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award through her unwavering dedication to charitable efforts. And production designer Wynn Thomas has brought some of the most enduring films to life through a visionary eye and mastery of his craft.' The board annually bestows Honorary Awards for lifetime achievement. (Previous recipients include Charlie Chaplin, Walt Disney, Louis B. Mayer, Greta Garbo, Cary Grant, Federico Fellini, Sidney Poitier, Steve Martin, Gena Rowlands and, last year, Quincy Jones.) On occasion, it also chooses to present the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, which recognizes the achievements of a creative producer and/or executive (honorees have included Darryl F. Zanuck, David O. Selznick, Jack Warner, Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall and, last year, Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson) and/or the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, celebrating remarkable service to others (honorees have included Frank Sinatra, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Oprah Winfrey and, last year, Richard Curtis). Each of these honors now comes in the form of an Oscar statuette. * * * Cruise, 62, who is often described as 'the last movie star,' has consistently been a top box-office draw for longer than anyone else in history. His popularity — built on the back of his all-American, boy-next-door smile and swagger, as well as real acting chops and tireless boosterism of his own projects — has spanned 1983's Risky Business through 2025's Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, a period of 42 years, with two chart-topping Top Gun movies, 36 years apart, inbetween, the latter of which, in the view of no less an authority than Steven Spielberg, 'saved Hollywood's ass' in the wake of the global pandemic. Cruise spent the first half of his career working mostly in filmmaker-driven projects. He was directed by Barry Levinson (1988's Rain Man, which won the best picture Oscar), Francis Ford Coppola (1983's The Outsiders), Martin Scorsese (1986's The Color of Money), Oliver Stone (1989's Born on the Fourth of July, for which he received the first of his four Oscar noms), Rob Reiner (1992's A Few Good Men), Sydney Pollack (1993's The Firm), Cameron Crowe (1996's Jerry Maguire, Oscar nom #2, and 2001's Vanilla Sky), Stanley Kubrick (1999's Eyes Wide Shut), Paul Thomas Anderson (1999's Magnolia, Oscar nom #3), Spielberg (2002's Minority Report) and Michael Mann (2004's Collateral). He has spent the second half working mostly in action-oriented flicks of varying quality, but fairly unwavering popularity, in which he famously does many of his own stunts. Among them: eight Mission: Impossible films (1996, 2000, 2006, 2011, 2015, 2018, 2023 and 2025), the first of which also marked his debut producing credit (he also has produced every subsequent installment), plus The Last Samurai (2003), The War of the Worlds (2005), Jack Reacher (2012, also a producer), Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016, also a producer) and Top Gun: Maverick (also a producer, resulting in Oscar nom #4). With few exceptions, the most notable being 2008's Tropic Thunder, Cruise has, over the last 20 years, consistently played a version of Cruise, or at least his well-established screen persona, which audiences still love. Unlike other A-listers, you won't see him playing a superhero in a comic book adaptation — he turned down Tony Stark — because in his movies he, not the character he plays, is the star; and you won't see him on a streaming service or on TV, because he is a movie star, which is why he also ferociously defends the theatrical experience. * * * Allen, 75, is not only a trailblazing artist, but also a champion of arts education — on screen (her most famous role is dance teacher Lydia Grant in the 1980 film Fame and its television adaptation that ran from 1982 through 1987, which she also choreographed) and off (through her Debbie Allen Dance Academy in LA and other activities). Her stage and TV credits are extensive — she has been nominated for two Tonys and 21 Primetime Emmys, winning five of the latter, and the TV Academy presented her with a Governors Award in 2021 and inducted her into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2022. Her standout work in film has been more limited — beyond Fame, she also acted in 1981's Ragtime; produced 1997's Amistad with Steven Spielberg; and choreographed 2024's The Six Triple Eight. Allen, who also choreographed seven Oscars telecasts, previously has been the recipient of the National Medal of Arts, a Kennedy Center Honor and many other major prizes. * * * Thomas, who got his start in the New York theater, is a revered production designer who is best known for his extensive collaboration with Spike Lee, which encompasses 11 films over 35 years, spanning Lee's feature directorial debut, 1986's She's Gotta Have It, through 2020's Da 5 Bloods, and also includes Lee's most celebrated films, 1989's Do the Right Thing and 1992's Malcolm X. Thomas has worked with numerous other A-list filmmakers including Francis Ford Coppola (on 1984's The Cotton Club), Robert De Niro (1993's A Bronx Tale), Ron Howard (on 2001 best picture Oscar winner A Beautiful Mind and 2005's Cinderella Man), Barry Levinson (1997's Wag the Dog) and Tim Burton (1996's Mars Attacks!), and on hit films such as 1999's Analyze This, 2016's Hidden Figures and 2021's King Richard. The first African American production designer to join the Art Directors Guild, he won two ADG Awards (for Hidden Figures and Da 5 Bloods) and was the recipient of the ADG's lifetime achievement award in 2024. The ADG declared at the time, 'Thomas has significantly shaped the landscape of filmmaking, and his diverse body of work reflects his innovative approach and commitment to storytelling. Beyond his artistic achievements, Thomas is dedicated to mentoring the next generation of designers. Thomas has not only broken barriers but also paved the way for future generations.' Thomas also served on the Academy's board of governors from 2017 through 2023, and was its vice president and chair of its education and outreach committee from 2020 through 2023. * * * Parton, 79, one of the most popular country music stars of all time, made her mark on the movies as an actress (most memorably in 1980's 9 to 5 and 1982's The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, for which she received Golden Globe noms) and as a singer/songwriter (garnering best original song Oscar noms for 'Nine to Five' from 9 to 5 and 'Travelin' Thru' from 2005's Transamerica). But her greatest legacy may be her philanthropy. Indeed, the daughter of a man who never learned to read has spent millions of dollars to give away more than 285 million books to children, aiming to inspire a lifelong love of reading. It's all done through her Dollywood Foundation, which she created in 1988 with the aim of helping to educate kids from her home state of Tennessee, and the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, which launched in 1995. 30 years later, Parton's organization mails millions of free books every month to pre-schoolers in all fifty states, as well as in Canada, the UK, Ausralia and Ireland. Beyond that, she has also been an outspoken ally of the LGBTQ community and a pivotal supporter of medical research — as in, $2 million in donations to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center — that helped to fund the critical early stages of development of the Moderna vaccine that saved an untold number of lives during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. * * * On June 9, THR published a piece suggesting 100 worthy candidates for Governors Awards. It included Parton (#3) and Cruise (#16). Best of The Hollywood Reporter 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts Hollywood Stars Who Are One Award Away From an EGOT 'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now

Yahoo

a day ago

• Yahoo

The Oscars Finally Fell in Love With Tom Cruise. It's About Time

Congratulations are clearly in order. After decades of being overlooked, underestimated and sometimes just flat-out ignored, a Hollywood mainstay is finally getting some richly deserved recognition. Bravo! No, not to Tom Cruise for that honorary Oscar — to the Academy for making sure the world's last remaining movie star will turn up for its next broadcast. More from The Hollywood Reporter Film Academy Taps Tom Cruise, Debbie Allen and Wynn Thomas for Honorary Oscars, Dolly Parton for Hersholt Award Box Office: 'How to Train Your Dragon' Roars to Record $84M U.S. Opening, $198M Globally Natalie Portman-Produced French Animated Film 'Arco' Wins Annecy Let's face it, at this point the Oscars need Cruise more than Cruise needs an Oscar, particularly an honorary one, which frequently go to stars of more mature vintage (Mel Brooks got one last year, at 97). In recent times, the show's numbers — to say nothing of its cultural relevance — have been on the same spiraling trajectory as that biplane Cruise dangled from in the latest Mission: Impossible movie. Viewership has fallen some 66 percent since the Oscars' peak in 1998 (Titanic year), with only about 20 million tuning in these days, about the same audience that turns out for a run-of-the-mill midseason NFL game. Meanwhile, Cruise, at 62, continues to draw arena-size crowds to his tentpoles. The most recent Mission: Impossible – the Final Reckoning, grossed $500 million worldwide last month, while Dead Reckoning Part 1 grossed $550 million in 2023. And then there's 2022's Top Gun: Maverick, the film that proved the pandemic hadn't entirely crushed the theatrical business. It grossed a stratospheric $1.5 billion, Cruise's personal best. The dramatic flip here is almost as jaw-dropping as one of Ethan Hunt's mask-pulling reveals. For decades, the Academy seemed to keep Cruise at a vaguely disdainful distance, dismissing him as more of an action figure than a serious ack-TOOR. Sure, they'd occasionally toss him a polite nomination — in 1989 for Born on the Fourth of July, in 1996 for Jerry Maguire and in 1999 for Magnolia — but they never invited him up to the podium to collect a statuette. He'd always remain stuck in the audience with the other losers, gamely flashing that famous 500-watt smile for the reaction shot. Honestly, the honorary Oscar announced this week feels like too little, too late. Because over the years, when he wasn't climbing Burj Khalifa or jumping motorcycles off cliffs, Cruise has turned in some truly nuanced, brave and definitely Oscar-worthy performances. And we're not just talking about the roles the Academy deigned to nominate — at least one of which, by the way, probably should have won (how Michael Caine's largely unremarkable performance in Cider House Rules beat Cruise's unforgettable turn as the toxically masculine 'respect the cock' motivational speaker in Paul Thomas Anderson's underrated 1998 drama Magnolia is a mystery for the ages). There were also Cruise's unnominated but award-worthy performances in Rain Man (opposite Dustin Hoffman), in Interview With a Vampire (opposite Brad Pitt) and in the late Stanley Kubrick's final film, Eyes Wide Shut (opposite some actress named Nicole Kidman). A reasonable argument could even be made that Cruise's fat-suited, Diet Coke-swilling, profanity-spouting studio exec in Tropic Thunder — the scene-stealing Les Grossman — was a performance worthy of some sort of award (at least the Golden Globes gave it a nom). As for why it's taken the Oscars so long to pay Cruise his due, one can only speculate. Perhaps it's all that gleaming charisma — he's always been too smooth, too slick, too commercial for the Academy's insular voters. Maybe it was Cruise's unabashed embrace of movie stardom over methody self-flagellation. Or maybe the Academy just couldn't bring itself to hand a gold statue to someone who once made a movie called Cocktail. Whatever the reason, the Oscars can no longer afford the luxury of snobbery. Because at this point, Cruise doesn't need an Oscar to cement his legacy. But the Oscars might just need him to save theirs. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Harvey Weinstein's "Jane Doe 1" Victim Reveals Identity: "I'm Tired of Hiding" 'Awards Chatter' Podcast: 'Sopranos' Creator David Chase Finally Reveals What Happened to Tony (Exclusive)

Forbes

3 days ago

• Forbes

‘F1: The Movie' Is An Entertaining, But Formulaic Summer Blockbuster

Are you not entertained?! Russell Crowe's Maximus Decimus Meridius shouts at the bloodthirsty crowd gathered in the Roman Coliseum in the 2000 film Gladiator. It's also a reasonable question to ask of the 21st century masses who are still willing to darken the doorways of multiplexes across the country when a suitable spectacle is released by a major film studio. After watching 62-year-old Tom Cruise fighting bad guys in midair on the wings of a bi-plane in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, you can now watch 61-year-old Brad Pitt do his own high speed driving in F1: The Movie. Clearly there is something about middle-aged movie stars that pushes them to extremes in an effort to remain in the national zeitgeist. Old stars become new again. Too bad the same can't be said for the movies they are making. Co-writer/director Joseph Kosinski is making a cottage industry out of turning sixty into the new forty for Hollywood leading men. He helmed Cruise's box office juggernaut Top Gun: Maverick, and now he's hoping to trade a fighter plane for a race car and propel Brad Pitt into the box office stratosphere. Despite my somewhat cynical point of view, I'll admit that F1: The Movie is an entertaining piece of popcorn filmmaking. If you see it on an IMAX screen, there's no reason to ever watch it again because the home experience will never do the cinematography and sound design justice. My primary beef with the film is that it's so by-the-numbers. If I give you the log line, 'an over-the-hill driver who never quite reached the top of the heap is recruited to train a headstrong rookie who could be the Best Ever', you can write the rest of the film yourself. Every worn out plot beat is present and accounted for. The veteran racer, Sonny Hayes, was in a terrible accident on the track that cost him his confidence, and he walked away from racing. The young rookie (Damson Idris) is cocky, but hasn't proven himself. The old analog pro trains by simply jogging the track he'll be driving on. The digital youngster has every fancy treadmill and training metric modern science can provide. And, the biggest, most tired plot point? To win … they're going to have to work as a team. There is one place where F1 deviates from standard tropes and betters itself in the process. Oscar nominee Kerry Condon (The Banshess of Inisherin) is onboard as a potential love interest for Pitt, but thankfully she's not in the film for only that purpose. Condon plays Kate, an engineering brain trust who designs and modifies the vehicles being driven by Sonny Hayes and his young protege. It gives Condon more screentime (which is always welcome) and avoids relegating her to the role of the worried supporting female, wringing her hands over the death-defying exploits of her leading man. The film's secret weapon is, of course, no secret. It's Brad Pitt. He brings the same cool dude swagger to veteran racer Sonny Hayes that he gave to Rusty Ryan in 2001's Ocean's 11. In case the younger members of the audience don't know Pitt is still cool, we first meet Sonny with Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love pounding over the soundtrack as he shuffles a deck of cards like Ricky Jay while the camera pans lovingly over his physique and face. I had to chuckle at such a hero-worshipping intro. That moment before the credits even run is emblematic of the film as a whole: it's trying a little too hard. When it chooses between bombast and silence, it chooses the decibels every time. With a running time of two-and-a-half hours, F1 could lose a good twenty minutes without costing it any of its tension or excitement. Toward the beginning of the film, the team owner, Ruben (Javier Bardem), explains that there are nine races remaining in the Formula One season, and his team only needs one win to survive a hostile takeover by its Board of Directors. Are you thinking what I was thinking? Are they really gonna have nine racing sequences in this movie? The answer is almost. They montage their way through about three races and drain everything they can from the other six. It quickly becomes clear there are only so many ways to film a car race. But, Pitt is so damn likable as a performer that you forgive F1: The Movie its excesses, obviousness and repetition. He's a 21st century Steve McQueen or Paul Newman. Both legends played up their ruggedness to avoid being labeled Hollywood pretty boys. It's probably no coincidence that McQueen and Newman were both passionate race car drivers off-screen. They even made their own racing films during their careers: Winning, 1969 (Newman) and Le Mans, 1971 (McQueen). Nothing says 'manly' or 'relevant' like risking death at 200 miles an hour. I turned 56 this year, just a half dozen years behind Brad Pitt. I've seen every film he's made, and I know what a capable actor he is. If you think he's only a pretty face, you haven't been paying attention. I wish he would play more complicated characters. To continue the Newman comparison, I want to see Pitt's Frank Galvin (The Verdict, 1982) or Donald 'Sully' Sullivan (Nobody's Fool, 1994). When his age becomes undeniable, we'll hopefully get those films. Are you not entertained? Yes, for now.