Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning – Part One (in theaters) 

When you base an entire movie on one man’s angst, you’d better make sure he can deliver.

That’s the problem at the heart of the “Mission Impossible” series, one that has only grown with the last few entries. The latest entry is packed with big, splashy moments of adventure, but the emotional core they’re built around is as hollow as a chocolate Easter bunny. If it wasn’t for the moments of humor and the skills of the supporting cast, the movie would have no feeling at all.

I won’t bother trying to explain the plot of the movie, except to say that the stakes are somehow bigger and more world-shattering than they were last time. The action scenes are sized to match, enough that they’re the reason the movie got such a good rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The “Mission Impossible” series remains the master of dramatic set pieces, and when there’s a massive chase sequence going on the movie is just as entertaining as you could hope for. Even though this is only a part 1, they even manage to give it a satisfying conclusion.

Unfortunately, there are also whole stretches of the movie dedicated to Tom Cruise looking sad. Absolutely none of them work, with the “tragic” scenes feeling so mechanical you can see the plot gears turning underneath. The biggest moment of angst was so obvious I predicted it from the poster and so pointless it was almost an insult.

The moments of humor were much more effective. Part of this is because Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames continue to be the lifeblood of this series, and part because Cruise has genuine comic timing. Haley Atwell was charming, as expected, but the script gives her very little to do except be a problem for everyone. Maybe if they’d cut out some of the pointless brooding, she would have had time to establish herself.

That, or at least work in another action sequence.

Grade: Two and a half stars

The Out-laws (Netflix) 

“Out-laws” is like one of the better Adam Sandler comedies, with the added benefit of not having Adam Sandler in it.

Even better, the movie does have Pierce Brosnan and Ellen Barkin. The duo are easily the best part of the movie, so much so you can’t help wishing they had more screen time. They both fit in with the hijinks surrounding them and elevate them with their mere presence, clearly having fun while they do. If they were the stars of the movie this would be a delightful film.

Of course, cool people are never allowed to be the stars of an Adam Sandler movie. Here that job is taken by Adam Devine, and while he’s truly hapless he’s overall much less annoying than Sandler in “dumb comedy” mode. Some of the cringe jokes seem wildly misplaced, but there are moments when he manages real emotional sincerity.

Even at its best, “The Out-laws” is still very much a goofy, dumb comedy. It’s one of the better ones, though, and overall not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

Grade: Two stars

Jenniffer Wardell is an award-winning movie critic and member of the Utah Film Critics Association. Find her on Twitter at @wardellwriter or drop her a line at [email protected].