In the new film Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1, Tom Cruise

is back as Super Spy Ethan Hunt.

This time he has to get his hands on two halves of a complex key

that somehow has the power to defeat an all-powerful AI known as the entity. You'll see plenty of familiar faces as well as some new ones most

interestingly Haley Atwell and yes Tom Cruz still does a lot of his own stunts.

I'm Linda Holmes and today on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour

we're talking about Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1.

Joining me today is Waylon Wong. She's the co-host of NPR's Daily Economics

podcast The Indicator from Planet Money. Hey Whelan. Hi Linda!

And also here with us is Vulture TV critic Roxanna Hadati welcome back Roxanna

Thank you and rounding out the panel is writer and host of the imminent Smithsonian

magazine podcast there's more to that.

You know, not for nothing,

our longstanding action and punching correspondent,

Chris, Klemicay, Chris.

Yeah, hi, Linda.

You know, Alec Baldwin once said I was

the living manifestation of Destiny.

So if you'd like to introduce me that way in the future.

That's what I'll do next time I'll do next time so the Mission Impossible series has made billions of

dollars since its debut in 1996.

Tom Cruz plays Ethan Hunt,

...