Did someone on this mission not get the party time memo?

There's a celebration going on here, but exactly what kind of a party is it?

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That's the question furrowing the brows of Mission: Impossible ultras and idle observers alike: whether this is the last ever M:I film; Tom Cruise's exit from the franchise; or simply the completion of a "first cycle" of eight films (heaven help us, although it's been one hell of a run of movies).

The good news is that after 169 minutes those nagging thoughts will be answered (kind of). However, what everyone expects - not least because this is the concluding chapter of the fantastic Dead Reckoning Part One - is for events to proceed with a gigantic, eyeball-popping bang.

So, oh dear when - instead of the customary self-destructing "Your mission, should you choose to accept..." message - Cruise's rogue agent Ethan Hunt receives a mawkish tribute to his three decades of service, accompanied by a montage of his greatest hits from the M:I films.