waltermwilliams

You know what's been missing from our lives?

A live action, adventure version of "Lilo & Stitch" 2025....apparently., Of course, not to be confused with everyone's fave animation from 2002 of the same name and basically the same story.

In the OG a young orphan girl, "Lilo", adopts what she thinks is a dog from the pound, blissfully unaware it's a dangerous scientific experiment (#626 to be exact) that's taken refuge on Earth (Stitch).

Fast forward 23 years the story remains the sam, but in this era of live animation everything old is new again so long as it's not animated 'cos it's gotta be CGI & AI.

Chris Sanders reprises his role as the voice of the alien "Stitch", otherwise there's a whole lot of new players apart from Tia Carrere (in a different role) with Maia Kealoha as the titular character, comic actor Zach Galifianakis as "Jumba", plus Courtney B. Vance and the "it" girl Hannah Waddington ("Ted Lasso", "Mission Impossible").

Movie goer and follower of "What Walt's Watching" Mandie Murray says, "It was ok I was disappointed that they didn't put the iconic Elvis part in it. They did a little in the credits, but not how it actually was in the animated version. I'd happily watch it again. However, I wouldn't rush out and buy another ticket."

Fans of the King will be happy to know Elvis music features in the soundtrack...a lot and even a Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson beat.

With a huge budget of 100 million dollars hold on to your coconuts for Disney's "Lilo and Stitch" on the big screen, one of the most exciting new family films this season, meantime I'm going to revisit ground zero on Disney Plus this weekend in the comfort of my home cinema.

Welcome to "Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning" where the first act is more or less a recap of everything that made this franchise one of the most successful over nearly 3 decades grossing billions at the box office, but it does it in such a way that it feels like a parody.

Are the producers taking the mickey with this script and dialled in acting?

Director Christopher McQuarrie teams up with Erik Jendresen on the script that, whilst paying tribute to all that went before it, tends to idolise Hunt to the point of joining Marvel's Avengers.

After all the man has displayed his superhero powers of diving, flying and falling gracefully more than once on trains, planes and automobiles underwater and in the air on more than one occasion.

They say our lives are the sum of our choices, if so how is Tom Cruise still alive and breathing after playing Ethan Hunt in "Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning", a film franchise spanning 29 years!

Lots of familiar characters are back for one more joy ride on "Mission Impossible's" succulent teat...no spoilers here.

I will say this though, Simon Pegg is 8 years younger than Cruise, but you would not know it after watching Tom with his hair grown out at 62 and chiselled to perfection in this end game movie.

Fun Fact: The only two stars to appear in every MI, in all eight films, are the Top Gun and Ving Rhames ("Luther").

In this so-called final chapter the Entity (a rogue AI) is back and threatening to destroy the world as we know it (which seems like a cue to an R. E. M. Song) through nuclear weapons.

That would have been bad enough, but this edition also introduces the viewer to "Podcova" and Luther's magical "Poison Pill".

The later has Ethan going to enormous lengths to retrieve it, when he could have saved us all the heartache by accepting the damn thing from Luther in the first place, but then we wouldn't have this fantastical story that defies gravity, logic, physics and every other law known to man.

The saviour of "Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning" are some spectacular action sequences.

The stunts are ridiculous and that's why it's called Mission Impossible...if it was easy anyone could do it.

If James Bond and Keystone Cops had a love child it would be "MI:TFR".

At one talky point in a boring script Nick Offerman as General Sidney states, "We are in the entity's reality now!".

I'm not kidding.

Somehow the Parks & Rec star keeps a straight face, just before he dies after taking a bullet to his chesty medals.

Watch out for: a touch of horror movie that reminded me of "Lord of the Flies" where the boys find the pilot.

In "MI:TFR" we meet the crew of the submarine that torpedoed itself and sank to the ocean floor.

Submarine footage is worth price of admission alone and makes up for some of the bad science, like free diving at 300 plus feet in arctic waters without a pressure suit or even a mask, but that's ok because they bought an inflatable decompression chamber on line that fits you and your lover...apparently.

Then again any excuse for Tom to show off his naked torso and countless hours spent in a gym.

Just shy of 3 hours this is the longest runtime in the history of this franchise, so sit back get comfortable in Gold Class and order something expensive because you deserve it for making it through this marathon.

MI has always had a sense of Scooby Doo mystery machine about with the fake faces and ludicrous bombs and this last instalment is no exception.

"Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning" maybe the end of these epic adventures, yet it doesn't feel like we've seen the last of Ethan and his band of merry men and women.

We who live in the shadows can only look on in awe as MI comes to a grinding halt like a freight train that's run out track.