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Stuff.tv
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Stuff.tv
Every Mission: Impossible movie ranked ahead of the release of The Final Reckoning
Tom Cruise may have a phonebook of different roles in his illustrious movie career, but his most recognised is arguably IMF Agent Ethan Hunt of the Mission: Impossible franchise (now available to stream on Paramount+). With this movie series spanning nearly 30 years, Hunt has performed enough stunts to leave a Cirque du Soleil artist in cold sweats. He's gone free solo climbing, hung on to an airplane mid-takeoff, completed a HALO parachute jump and ran down the tallest building in the world. However, there's still room for a few more death-defying feats as the franchise wraps up with the release of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. With this in mind, our mission, should we choose to accept it, is to rank all the Mission: Impossible movies and discover which of these thrilling spy action flicks takes the top spot. Get the latest deals from Sky or Now TV in the UK 7. Mission: Impossible 2 (2000) Play MI's trademark scintillating stunts and John Woo seemed like a perfect match, so why is the first sequel widely regarded as the worst of the franchise? Well, beyond those franchise-defining action setpieces involving a breathtaking free solo opener and the bullet-ridden motorcycle chase finale, the main story ends up feeling fairly dull and uninvolving. And even if the premise revolves around a deadly bioengineered virus, there's a love triangle between our leads that falls flat due to a severe lack of chemistry. Still, between a languid stopover in Seville, a half-hearted heist at the horse races and a cliffside careening courtship scene, you'll be egging for the action to kick in again. Fortunately, these rousing OTT sequences are enough to kick you out of drowsiness, for those who stick with it are treated to Woo's trademark slo-mo balletic gunplay and doves. It's a John Woo film, you can't not have doves. 6. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015) Play Ethan Hunt's fifth mission introduces shadowy organisation The Syndicate, a cabal of disavowed operatives turned rogue. If those individuals weren't enough, the IMF also faces blowback from the CIA, which brands the agency as uncontrolled and unchecked due to previous events in the series. With Hunt now on the run from both sides, he needs to bring down The Syndicate's leader, Solomon Lane, before the net closes in. This movie still fizzes with action and those ludicrous stunts, one of which features Ethan clinging onto the side of an Airbus transport aircraft during takeoff — talk about no-frills flying. Extra credit also goes to new addition Rebecca Ferguson as the mysterious Ilsa Faust, a capable foil for Ethan with a penchant for rifles and badassery. Still, Rogue Nation doesn't quite carve out its own place in the franchise, as villainous group The Syndicate doesn't quite feel as fleshed out and threatening as it could be, even though Sean Harris offers a brutal antagonist to Ethan and co. The final act is also somewhat forgettable, ending proceedings with a subtle whimper rather than a bombastic crescendo. 5. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) Play Part one of the team's final mission revolves around an AI asset known as The Entity gone rogue, which is right on the money, given public perception of this strange new tech. As various organisations race to secure this potential weapon, Hunt and his team need to make uneasy alliances and discover who or what is pulling the strings from afar. Adding to the mix are a whole host of new and old players, including Hayley Atwell as thief Grace, Henry Czerny as Kittridge, whom we haven't laid eyes on since the very first M:I, and Esai Morales as intimidating assassin Gabriel. Despite its lofty ambition, decent set pieces and technical prowess, Dead Reckoning feels very unbalanced under its vast juggling act, with an overly intricate plot, an excess of side characters with shifting loyalties, a bloated runtime, and confusing double and triple crosses aplenty. And while its endgame motorcycle jump was no doubt impressive, it was marketed to death, dulling its impact in theatres. 4. Mission: Impossible (1996) Play The opening Mission: Impossible is very much a different beast to the missions that followed it, playing it straight and focusing on a deadly game of shadows, Cold War paranoia, and Dutch angles… lots of Dutch angles. When a mission goes awry, Ethan, framed and wanted by his own agency, must dive into a murky world with his talents for espionage and forge new partnerships with unscrupulous types if he's to clear his name and discover who's behind it all. As cool as its lead (perhaps a little too cold), Mission Impossible rarely ventures into OTT territory, though that train versus copter finale more than makes up for it. It takes things at a more slow-burning pace, with shady conversations over espressos rather than explosives. With lashings of suspense, it serves as a great introduction into this shadowy universe where you really can't trust anyone, while the CIA break-in scene is still a highlight that'll have you on the edge of your seat. 3. Mission: Impossible III (2006) Play A much-needed shot in the arm for a franchise that faltered somewhat with the previous entry, Mission: Impossible III sees J.J. Abrams take up the helm, having previous experience in shooting sleuthwork on Jennifer Garner's excellent ALIAS series. The story is much more accessible this time around, with Ethan Hunt trying to juggle a normal life with fiancée Julia and being a clandestine operative, which goes as well as you might expect. The teamwork, which the original TV series was famous for, is on point in this one, particularly during a hostage extraction job in a factory and a drone showdown on a highway. The standout sequence is the mid-movie heist, in which our team needs to infiltrate Vatican City to retrieve an arms dealer, played by the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman, who provides real menace and presence as one of the franchise's best villains. The plot moves at a breakneck pace and the screen is littered with Abrams' signature lens flares and grittiness thanks to its digital camerawork. Combining fun, humour, top drawer action and plenty of emotional stakes, this mission proved a great spy film needn't be so po-faced. 2. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011) Play Mission: Impossible confidently strides into its fourth film with big shoes to fill, but director Brad Bird nails it with Ghost Protocol, an enjoyable action romp with plenty of absurd stunts and a gripping story. The team is on a mission to track down stolen Russian nuclear launch codes, which takes them on uncharted ground. After disaster strikes, the team must regroup and stop a plot to envelop the world in nuclear fire. It's a suspenseful movie that expertly blends well-drawn characters and a rip-roaring story. Brimming with unforgettable action and some of the finest stunt (and wire) work in the franchise, including a high-altitude jaunt on the exterior of Dubai's Burj Khalifa no less, and a surprisingly tense Kremlin infiltration mission, Ghost Protocol benefits from a tight yet explosive plot that doesn't let up until the credits roll. Peppered in with the action is a fair bit of human drama and baggage, courtesy of a bowless Jeremy Renner as Agent Brandt, Léa Seydoux as shady assassin Sabine, Simon Pegg's fan favourite Benji, and Paula Patton as a vengeful Agent Carter. 1. Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018) Play Fallout easily takes top billing as the gang's best mission, a perfectly taut thriller that quintessentially captures what makes this franchise such a hugely enjoyable popcorn blockbuster. Featuring an all-star cast, including the returning Ving Rhames as Luther and Rebecca Ferguson's Ilsa, new additions include Henry Cavill's one-man (and meme-d) gun show, August Walker, and Vanessa Kirby as the daughter of the infamous arms dealer Max from the OG M:I. Fallout expertly positions these characters as valuable pieces on the chessboard who serve their own agendas while helping or harming our heroes' endeavors. Of particular note is the HALO jump onto a Parisien skyline, a helicopter duel that ends on a heart-stopping cliffside encounter and a brutal bathroom brawl that's less WC and more 'did you see that??' Fallout breaks new ground in its thrilling sequences, thanks to Tom Cruise always going that extra mile, and then some, cementing the film's place among the hallowed halls of the finest action movies. Get the latest deals from Sky or Now TV in the UK
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Criminal Minds Video: Aisha Tyler Previews a ‘Hot Season for UnSubs,' Talks Directing Her Own Love Scene
The new season of Criminal Minds: Evolution is going to be 'a really hot one' for deviant UnSubs, Aisha Tyler promised during her visit to TVLine's NYC video studio this week. The Season 18 premiere (now streaming on Paramount+) picks up six months after Elias Voit (Zach Gilford) took that beating in prison, and now, even in his (seemingly?) compromised state, the BAU will need to try and work with him, again, to shut down the network of serial killers left in Sicarius' wake. More from TVLine Owen Wilson Stars in Apple TV+ Golf Comedy Stick - Watch Trailer, Get Premiere Date Will Trent Director Erika Christensen Just Helped Deliver a Pair of Gigantic, Series-Altering Twists Ahead of Finale Elsbeth Murderers Pay Homage to Chicago's 'Cell Block Tango' in Musical Finale Sneak Peek (Exclusive) Tyler stepped behind the camera again to direct this season's second episode (dropping May 15), and it features Daredevil vet Elden Henson exhibiting some extremely un-Foggy Nelson behavior. 'He was amazing,' Tyler effuses in the video Q&A above. 'He has such a lovable face, and he was able to deliver this very nuanced performance of a guy who has a private life and presents in a very different way publicly.' Henson's UnSub is not the most twisted one this season, though, Tyler goes on to warn. On the personal front, Season 18 is a 'deeply personal' one for Dr. Tara Lewis, Tyler says at the 3:15 mark, 'which is really nice. It was great as an actor to do some stiff I haven't been able to do on the show before. We get to dive into my backstory a bit, which has been really beautiful.' Tara's love life is also further explored. In fact, Tyler for Episode 2 had to direct the very rare Criminal Minds love scene, between her own character and Nicole Pacent's Rebecca. 'Sweating balls' is how Tyler sums up that challenge. 'It's never comfortable…. I couldn't wait for it to be over!' Tyler goes on to tease the 'obstacles' facing Tara and Rebecca this season; talks about Tara sporting a sweatshirt from her and her alter ego's Dartmouth alma mater; and shares her wish to direct a full-on horror film, after handling similar fare in Criminal Minds, Evil and Walking Dead episodes. What's in the box, in that first Season 18 photo released a while back? I threw that Q at Tyler at the 8:45 mark. She then talks about her margarita-flavored side hustle, and we wrap things up with a status report on Whose Line Is It Anyway?, the long-running improv series that exhausted its last episodes back in November. Want scoop on , or for any other TV show? Shoot an email to , and your question may be answered via Matt's Inside Line! Best of TVLine Yellowjackets' Tawny Cypress Talks Episode 4's Tai/Van Reunion: 'We're All Worried About Taissa' Vampire Diaries Turns 10: How Real-Life Plot Twists Shaped Everything From the Love Triangle to the Final Death Vampire Diaries' Biggest Twists Revisited (and Explained)
Tom's Guide
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
Paramount Plus drops first 'NCIS: Tony and Ziva' trailer
(Image credit: Marcell Piti/Paramount+) After more than 20 years and six spin-off series, the "NCIS" television universe will further expand with the premiere of "NCIS: Tony and Ziva," which will see Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo reprise their roles as former NCIS special agents Anthony 'Tony' DiNozzo and Ziva David. In a franchise first, the 10-episode series will forgo the usual "NCIS" home of CBS for Paramount Plus, marking the first title in the "NCIS" universe to be developed exclusively for a streaming platform. The new crime procedural will pick up in Paris, France, where Ziva and Tony have been raising their daughter Tali, after Ziva's presumed death and subsequent return for one last mission. However, when Tony's security company is attacked, the duo must go on the run across Europe and try to figure out who is after them — all while learning to trust each other again. You may like (Fun fact: it will mark the characters' first time appearing onscreen together in 12 years, since the "NCIS" season 11 episode "Past, Present and Future.") 'I expect intrigue, romance, the background of Europe, impossible situations that will make our life very complicated but somehow a little something about love,' De Pablo revealed in a May 2024 Instagram video. And fans can get a taste of all that intrigue and romance for themselves with the spinoff's first official trailer, which the streaming service dropped on Monday, May 5. You can take a look at the action-packed teaser below: NCIS: Tony & Ziva | First Look Trailer | Paramount+ - YouTube Watch On "NCIS: Tony and Ziva" — which also stars Amita Suman, Maximilian Osinski, Julian Ovenden, Nassima Benchicou, Lara Rossi, Isla Gie, Terence Maynard and James D'Arcy — does not currently have an official premiere date set, though we do know that the new eps will drop sometime in fall 2025. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. 'I'm incredibly grateful to CBS Studios and Paramount Plus for the chance to plunge these two beloved characters into a dangerous, fun, romantic, exciting chase across Europe,' said showrunner John McNamara, per Deadline. 'I'm excited to tell a single, serialized story of intrigue and espionage over 10 episodes, getting the chance to delve more deeply into Tony and Ziva's complex relationship, their on-again/off-again romance and the way they manage to co-parent their daughter Tali, heightened by the sudden jeopardy they all find themselves in." Added Weatherly: 'It was surprising how Cote and I just fell into this new place with our characters. Informed by the past, illuminated by the present and trying to see a future together. These characters are on the adventure of a lifetime. And hopefully, so is the viewer.' Tom's Guide will keep you posted on all things related to "NCIS: Tony and Ziva", including new teaser trailers, character details, plot points and more. Stay tuned! More on Tom's Guide
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
NCIS fans left feeling vindicated as two characters return in spin-off series
NCIS fans are celebrating the return of two fan favourite characters in a brand new spin-off series. Nine years after last appearing on-screen together, Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo have reunited for their own project, playing Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David. The news follows Weatherly's special guest appearance in an episode paying tribute to David McCallum, the actor who played Dr Donald 'Ducky' Mallard in the long-running crime procedural. He died in September 2023. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement When the project was announced, no title was set – but it's now been revealed the series will be called NCIS: Tony & Ziva. The show will reintroduce viewers to Tony and Ziva who, after last seeing each other in Paris, find themselves embroiled in a dangerous plot that causes them to go on the run with their daughter. NCIS fans are joyously responding to the trailer, with many long-time fans of the couple, nicknamed 'Tiva', feeling vindicated by the news. 'CBS has a lot of faith that the NCIS franchise still has plenty to offer. Looking forward to this one,' one fan wrote, with another adding: 'It's finally happening, I can't believe it.' ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement Others said the spin-off news has lured old viewers back in. 'Me? Watching NCIS again in the year 2024? 12 year old me is dying at this news,' one person wrote. 'How is this real? Are we in 2012 again?' another added. Speaking about the new show, Weatherly and de Pablo, who left the show in 2016, said: 'We've been talking about this story for many years, and now with John McNamara at the helm, we are ready. 'NCIS: Tony and Ziva' (Paramount+) 'The world of Tony and Ziva (and daughter Tali) promises to be an action-packed roller coaster fueled by love, danger, tears and laughter. We also want to acknowledge and thank the fans from around the world who supported the 'Tiva' movement for years. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement 'To this day, they say hello in grocery stores and on the street to tell us how much these characters mean to them and ask what Tony and Ziva are up to now. This is for you!' McNamara, whose previous credits include The Magicians, added: 'I'm incredibly excited to step into the NCIS universe with Cote and Michael and thrilled to explore it from a few new angles. 'Given that the franchise is such a global sensation, I think it's phenomenal that CBS Studios and Paramount+ have given us the green light to shoot in Europe. As to the title of this series, if I told you what it is, I'd be violating the Espionage Act.' NCIS: Tony & Ziva, which will be released later this year, is not the only new spin-off to be commissioned; there will also be a prequel series focused on a young version of Gibbs (Mark Harmon).
USA Today
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Gibbs meets 'NCIS' wife in 'Origins' finale: Did he kiss his greatest love goodbye?
Gibbs meets 'NCIS' wife in 'Origins' finale: Did he kiss his greatest love goodbye? Show Caption Hide Caption Lala and Gibbs reckon with murder probe on 'NCIS: Origins' Gibbs' long-ago revenge murder is unearthed in CBS' new 'NCIS: Origins' prequel Spoiler alert: This story includes plot details from the April 28 "NCIS: Origins" season finale. The "NCIS: Origins" love story between young Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Austin Stowell) and Cecilia "Lala" Dominguez (Mariel Molino) might be tragically over, even before the first kiss. The "NCIS" prequel series has flirted with the budding romance between Dominguez and circa-1991 NIS agent Gibbs, who is still reeling over his wife and daughter's murder. In the April 28 Season 1 finale (now streaming on Paramount+), Gibbs' sniper killing of the drug lord Pedro Hernandez, to avenge his family's death, reemerges with catastrophic consequences for Dominguez and Gibbs. There are twists, "NCIS" canon fodder, a tantalizing near-kiss, heartbreak and even more questions to be answered in Season 2 next fall. "We leave this as a cliffhanger for everyone," says executive producer Gina Lucita Monreal, who joins fellow exec producer David J. North in breaking down the Season 1 finale. 'NCIS: Origins' Gibbs Austin Stowell got Mark Harmon reality check: 'Are you ready for this?' Dominguez and Gibbs stop their first 'Origins' kiss Mark Harmon narrates the series as retired Gibbs, in the role the "NCIS" star played for nearly two decades. Harmon, also an executive producer, set the tone with his fireside monologue in the "Origins" premiere: "This is a story I don't tell. This is the story of her." That pronoun signifies Dominguez, as the finale (titled "Cecilia," Lala's full first name) makes abundantly clear. The season-long will-they-won't-they chemistry between Dominguez and Gibbs explodes after the out-of-the-blue investigation into Hernandez's death brought by Dominguez's good friend, military police investigator Lara Macy (Claire Berger). Rather than pull Dominguez and mentor Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid) into a planned coverup, Gibbs ends the investigation by taking the fall. He digs up the buried rifle he used to shoot Hernandez and hands it over to Macy. Relieved by resolution, Gibbs finds Dominguez in the swimming pool she often trespasses in at night, sheds most of his clothes and dives in. The duo has the steamiest water clinch that doesn't end in a kiss in TV history. The lip lock stops short, centimeters away. "We talked a lot about whether we should let that kiss happen or not. We wanted to get them to the point where they both wanted it to happen. We brought them to the edge," Monreal says. "But Gibbs couldn't let that happen, because that kiss would have been tainted with the enormous news he had to tell her. He knew that would change everything." When Gibbs tells Dominguez that he has turned over his rifle to Macy to take the fall, it definitely ends the love vibe. She leaves the pool disgusted, saying, "I'm done." No first kiss. Dominguez fills in 'NCIS' mystery: Why Macy dropped Gibbs' case But she's not done. Unbeknownst to Gibbs, Dominguez falsely implicates herself in Hernandez's killing to convince her friend, Macy, to drop the case. "She put it all on the line for Gibbs," North says. Dominguez's move fills in "NCIS" series lore. Macy appears in Season 6 of "NCIS" (played by Louise Lombard), working with the Office of Special Projects, and reveals that she had dropped the Hernandez case against Gibbs. But Gibbs never knew why, which viewers discover in "Origins": Dominguez bailed him out. Gibbs meets his future wife, Diane Packing up his family photos in his house, future love steps in. Gibbs meets his red-headed real estate agent, Diane (Kathleen Kenny). On "NCIS," Gibbs' second wife (there were four, with three divorces and one death) was red-haired Diane Sterling (Melinda McGraw). "Gina and I knew, from our first conversation, we wanted to tell the love story of Gibbs and this character Lala," North says. "We sat there on the phone, and were like, 'He's got to get married three other times.' So here we are, sticking to canon." Does Lala die on 'NCIS: Origins'? Tragedy plays a hand as Dominguez speeds over to Gibbs' house to tell him about her success with Macy. With Simon and Garfunkel's "Cecilia" playing on the stereo, she flips her Jeep trying to avoid a young girl who runs into the street. The final moments show a motionless Dominguez, blood coming from her nose, restrained by her seat belt in the overturned car. Harmon's somber voiceover says Dominguez was "coming to tell me she had saved me. I would only find out later what she did for me. But that's not what made me love her. I loved her all along. I still do.' Whether Dominguez survives is the biggest finale cliffhanger. "We'll have to wait until Season 2 to find the fate of Lala," says North. "We've gone into her story and why it's the story of Lala. That story will continue to be told. But she's already saved Gibbs. The Gibbs we come to know on 'NCIS' wouldn't have ever existed without Lala."
