John Powers

Because this is purportedly the last installment, unless it makes a fortune, of course, the final reckoning works hard to make the whole series cohere and give it emotional heft. We see flashbacks to stunts from earlier movies, Cruise looks so young, and callbacks to deaths of characters who've been lost along the way.

Yet because Mission Impossible storylines have always been unabashedly harebrained, such stabs at depth ring hollow. This isn't like the second season of Andor, in which we feel the weight of characters dying because they're sacrificing themselves for a cause. Nor does the Mission Impossible series possess any perceptible cultural resonance.

Yet because Mission Impossible storylines have always been unabashedly harebrained, such stabs at depth ring hollow. This isn't like the second season of Andor, in which we feel the weight of characters dying because they're sacrificing themselves for a cause. Nor does the Mission Impossible series possess any perceptible cultural resonance.

Yet because Mission Impossible storylines have always been unabashedly harebrained, such stabs at depth ring hollow. This isn't like the second season of Andor, in which we feel the weight of characters dying because they're sacrificing themselves for a cause. Nor does the Mission Impossible series possess any perceptible cultural resonance.

James Bond was an icon of both the British Empire and a certain dated brand of masculinity. He helped shape our culture. Not so Ethan. Although Bond had no real inner life, sorry Daniel Craig, compared to Ethan, he's positively Dostoevskian. We at least knew 007's snobberies, cruelties, and pleasures. Gambling in Monaco, drinking martinis shaken not stirred, sleeping with women, then killing them.

James Bond was an icon of both the British Empire and a certain dated brand of masculinity. He helped shape our culture. Not so Ethan. Although Bond had no real inner life, sorry Daniel Craig, compared to Ethan, he's positively Dostoevskian. We at least knew 007's snobberies, cruelties, and pleasures. Gambling in Monaco, drinking martinis shaken not stirred, sleeping with women, then killing them.

James Bond was an icon of both the British Empire and a certain dated brand of masculinity. He helped shape our culture. Not so Ethan. Although Bond had no real inner life, sorry Daniel Craig, compared to Ethan, he's positively Dostoevskian. We at least knew 007's snobberies, cruelties, and pleasures. Gambling in Monaco, drinking martinis shaken not stirred, sleeping with women, then killing them.

What Cruise, and therefore Ethan, lives for is eye-popping stunts. And it's been so since the first Mission Impossible had him clinging to the outside of a high-speed train, roaring through the channel from England to France.

What Cruise, and therefore Ethan, lives for is eye-popping stunts. And it's been so since the first Mission Impossible had him clinging to the outside of a high-speed train, roaring through the channel from England to France.

What Cruise, and therefore Ethan, lives for is eye-popping stunts. And it's been so since the first Mission Impossible had him clinging to the outside of a high-speed train, roaring through the channel from England to France.

The final reckoning boasts two gigantic action sequences, an underwater bit that could have been spectacular were Christopher McQuarrie a better director, and a genuinely bravura climax that finds Cruise holding onto the wing of a biplane as it buzzes through and above the Blyde River Canyon in South Africa. It's this scene that everyone will remember.

The final reckoning boasts two gigantic action sequences, an underwater bit that could have been spectacular were Christopher McQuarrie a better director, and a genuinely bravura climax that finds Cruise holding onto the wing of a biplane as it buzzes through and above the Blyde River Canyon in South Africa. It's this scene that everyone will remember.

The final reckoning boasts two gigantic action sequences, an underwater bit that could have been spectacular were Christopher McQuarrie a better director, and a genuinely bravura climax that finds Cruise holding onto the wing of a biplane as it buzzes through and above the Blyde River Canyon in South Africa. It's this scene that everyone will remember.

And, of course, they'll talk about Cruise doing this stunt himself. Cruise has been on top for over 40 years, as long as John Wayne, longer than Cary Grant. He's not a great actor, but he is a terrific movie star. Though starting to look his age at 62, he still possesses the boyish energy and commitment of his younger self.

And, of course, they'll talk about Cruise doing this stunt himself. Cruise has been on top for over 40 years, as long as John Wayne, longer than Cary Grant. He's not a great actor, but he is a terrific movie star. Though starting to look his age at 62, he still possesses the boyish energy and commitment of his younger self.

And, of course, they'll talk about Cruise doing this stunt himself. Cruise has been on top for over 40 years, as long as John Wayne, longer than Cary Grant. He's not a great actor, but he is a terrific movie star. Though starting to look his age at 62, he still possesses the boyish energy and commitment of his younger self.

Whether sprinting past Big Ben, diving into icy waters without a wetsuit, or simply letting the movie idolize him, Cruise is playing hero ball. And you know what? He's really good at it.

Whether sprinting past Big Ben, diving into icy waters without a wetsuit, or simply letting the movie idolize him, Cruise is playing hero ball. And you know what? He's really good at it.

Whether sprinting past Big Ben, diving into icy waters without a wetsuit, or simply letting the movie idolize him, Cruise is playing hero ball. And you know what? He's really good at it.

Congratulations to my friend Conan O'Brien on receiving the 26th and final Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.