There’s no denying that the two big set pieces of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning are incredible. Each is one of the most impossible missions star Tom Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie have ever conceived or shot, and each is probably worth the price of admission alone.

A box-office showdown is brewing as Disney's Lilo & Stitch squares off against Paramount's Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning over the blockbuster holiday weekend. The live-action remake of Disney's 2002 animated film is on track for a massive $150 million-plus opening weekend.

In “ Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning ” (henceforth “M:I-TFR”), director Christopher McQuarrie attempts to stitch the entire series together through these montages. This is in addition to the mountain of exposition to remind us that we’re watching the second half of the prior film, “ Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One .”