Mission: Impossible - Fallout

The team reunites to do battle with predictably unpredictable superman, engaging in nuclear stunts, cleverly woven together into a cohesive and compelling story. Alarmingly plausible finale intercuts beautifully with emotional references to prior chapters, though action set piece antics cruise far above anything that this impossible franchise has done yet.

Ready Player One

Spielberg’s excessively non-self-referential spectacle races to the starting line then struggles to maintain the virtual velocity of its opening antics. Loaded with loving movie and pop-culture references the shining Oasis is effectively Imaginationland re-animated and vastly more satisfying than the grainy real-world parallels, including mustache-twirling Mendelsohn and Inceptionally illogical finale.

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

Cruise takes flight in most aptly acronymed Mission yet. Features all the staples of the series but successfully tweaks them slightly so that the only thing which doesn’t feel fresh is our his face. Cleverly constructs an ending where the stakes are meaningful but plausible so any outcome seems possible.

Star Trek Beyond

Simon says he’ll date a zebra, but can’t quite Pegg the writing and the whole enterprise comes crashing down. Even zero-g disbelief suspension can’t save this shipwreck, which starts with miraculously parting principals from slaughtered sea of red-shirts, treks through a minefield of coincidence and culminates in a predictable fistfight.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars: An Old Hope resurrects the mythic feel, playful tone, and wondrous excitement of its pre-prequeled predecessors, perhaps a bit too exactly.  Solo chews up scenery but Leia is re-imagined as a droid, while new faces breath life into Ta2ine, and vague visions force fans to watch future films.

The World's End

Hot World of the Dead delivers outstandingly funny and deeply poignant first act before abruptly transitioning into brilliantly choreographed string of slightly self-indulgent robot fights.  Clever in-jokes and addiction parallels propel Pegg’s performance until giant barcode scanner signals the end is Nighy and blasts the world into an incongruous epilogue.