Directed by Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects (1995); Top Gun: Maverick (2022); Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023); Jack Reacher (2012)) and starring Tom Cruise (Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023); Born on the Fourth of July (1989); Jerry Maguire (1996); Top Gun (1986); Minority Report (2002)), Hayley Atwell (Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023); Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014); Paddington in Peru (2024); Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (2021)), Simon Pegg (Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023); Shaun of the Dead (2004); Hot Fuzz (2007); Terminal (2018)), Ving Rhames (Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023); Pulp Fiction (1994); The Locksmith (2023)), Esai Morales (Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023); Crescent City (2024); NYPD Blue (tv series, 2001 - 2004) and Pom Klementieff (Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023); Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023); The Suicide Squad (2021); The Addams Family (2019)).

Action adventure; 169 mins; 12+

Released two years after part one of the two-part finale to the Mission Impossible franchise, it sees Tom Cruise take on the role of Ethan Hunt one last time. Gabriel (Esai Morales) may have got away, but Paris (Pom Klementieff) has been captured. Ethan Hunt frees her in order to hunt down Gabriel down along with his trusted colleagues Grace (Hayley Atwell), Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) and Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames).

"The Entity", an AI system, is taking over the defence systems of nuclear powers, with the end of humanity on the line. It portrays a reflection of sections of today's society, with many people not understanding the difference between fake news and reality.

Does Ethan Hunt trick The Entity, and Gabriel too, who wants its power for himself, into a double, or even a triple bluff, to use the original source code to defeat itself? It does seem overly complicated in setting the scene, but once the action sequences commence, the audience is on for a rollercoaster of a ride, with the underwater sequences in the rolling submarine and the biplane acrobatics the most exhilirating.

In addition to the IMF team and the criminals, there is a vast ensemble of characters in oter roles, including world and military leaders.

Very entertaining, and perfect as we go from spring into summer; just ignore the effort at using extended dialogue to explain everything, and just sit back and take it all in, on land, in water and in the sky.

The iconic franchise may be at and end, almost 30 years from its first instalment in 1996, but this was a fitting farewell. But be prepared sit in the cinema for three hours...

ED