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I don't get the hype over the Mission Impossible films
- Thread starter Bor Gullet
- Start date
Tom Cruise is one of the last few non-retired actors performing their own amazing stunts(let alone american ones), among those like Donnie Yen, Charlize Theron, Jackie Chan(potentially retired already), and Tony Jaa. Since most of these actors are up there in age and might possibly retiring soon, it's saddening to see there aren't really any successors taking the mantle or being passed the torch. Self-stunts are about to be a lost art form in the next generation of filming so expect way more CG applied faces, quick cuts, CG bodies, and other trickery.
This is why I like the Mission Impossible series.
This is why I like the Mission Impossible series.
The MI films aren't exactly a vehicle designed to show off Tom's acting prowess but saying he is a shit actor is so wrong that it's almost comedic.
MI 2 is weak, MI 3 is solid and held up strongly by Hoffman as the villain, then MI 1 is of course a classic that has held up. I think the MI films have consistently gotten better and better since then. Ghost Protocol was really good, Rogue Nation was great, and then Fallout is far and away the best in the series and one of the greatest action films ever. It's one of the most consistent film franchises out there IMO. Also helps that Tom Cruise does all of his own stunts including a HALO jump and flying a helicopter himself:
You rarely get stunts like that in most action flicks nowadays.
You rarely get stunts like that in most action flicks nowadays.
2 has an awesome intro rock climbing scene. Shame it ended after that.
The last three have been pretty good, before that bar the first not really.
Yeah, story is daft, there is zero stakes most of the time, that's one of my issues with them but you can kinda overlook it for the spectacle and not so serious tone. Cast are bit long in the tooth now.
Are they better than Bond, more fun certainly and doesn't have the Bond era baggage which I think is a major plus point for Mission Impossible.
Yeah, story is daft, there is zero stakes most of the time, that's one of my issues with them but you can kinda overlook it for the spectacle and not so serious tone. Cast are bit long in the tooth now.
Are they better than Bond, more fun certainly and doesn't have the Bond era baggage which I think is a major plus point for Mission Impossible.
Exactly, the stunts themselves tell their own story. Knowing how much work was put into these movies makes me more of a fan.
He has three Golden Raspberry awards is one of the few things he can lay claim to. He's trash.
- Likeable cast and characters
- Not overly serious and broody
- Not centred around just one character like Bond, nor is the lead a misogynist
- Good action that's clear and easily followable
- Awesome locations with some great cinematography
- Great set pieces that are almost all real, making them iconic
- Even more impressive is that Tom does everything, which makes other actors want to step their game up.
That's all that matters in an action movie
- Not overly serious and broody
- Not centred around just one character like Bond, nor is the lead a misogynist
- Good action that's clear and easily followable
- Awesome locations with some great cinematography
- Great set pieces that are almost all real, making them iconic
- Even more impressive is that Tom does everything, which makes other actors want to step their game up.
That's all that matters in an action movie
They're just really fun comfort food. In a way I kinda regret that McQuarrie is the MI guy now because I love how the first 4 films had their own distinct identities and aesthetics.
But also Fallout is fuckin great. The fact that Cruise flew a fuckin helicopter himself is just insanity.
But also Fallout is fuckin great. The fact that Cruise flew a fuckin helicopter himself is just insanity.
I like the Mission Impossible series but I also find they evaporate pretty quickly from my brain for the most part. The first movie is still my favourite because it's actually memorable and involves some old-school spycraft. The last three movies are all technically spectacular and action-packed, but in terms of plots and characters I find it hard to distinguish between them. And yeah, Ethan Hunt is barely there as a character.
But as action movies, it's all about the setpieces, and Mission Impossible has always been good with those. They're really fun to watch, and honestly a lot of action movies can fail at being truly memorable--I think the last few Fast and the Furious movies have suffered from this as well. So I don't think I'd knock Mission Impossible too much for it.
But as action movies, it's all about the setpieces, and Mission Impossible has always been good with those. They're really fun to watch, and honestly a lot of action movies can fail at being truly memorable--I think the last few Fast and the Furious movies have suffered from this as well. So I don't think I'd knock Mission Impossible too much for it.
They're pretty consistently good. I didn't like the 2nd, which was a shame as I loved Woo's HK films and Face/Off, but otherwise they're all good to great to me. Yes, the plots are simultaneously convoluted and forgettable, but the characters are likable and the action is always good. Acting is often a plus as well.
In the time that the 6 MI movies came out there have been 7 Bond movies. Casino Royale, for me, is the only one that I'd say is better than the average MI movie. MI also has much more consistency than Borne movies.
In the time that the 6 MI movies came out there have been 7 Bond movies. Casino Royale, for me, is the only one that I'd say is better than the average MI movie. MI also has much more consistency than Borne movies.
Literally meaningless but go off on the overt wrongness, I guess.
Not to mention one of his Razzies is not even for acting (only one is for worst actor and it only took 35 years of acting to get it in 2017 for The Mummy). But, I guess easy to ignore his 3 Golden Globe acting trophies or 3 Oscar acting nominations. I don't even like Tom Cruise, but to say he can't act is ludicrous.
They're basically the spy version of Marvel movies. Nothing overtly special, but all (well except one) fun to watch. MI2=Thor 2.
A spy thriller that quickly turned into an action movie franchise staple, with only one slip up in MI:3 ( don't get JJ Abrams to direct your sequel, he'll put too much stupid shit in it). Ghost Protocol was excellent but McQuarrie somehow brought even more to the table. Now I just need Henry Czerny to come back in a prominent fashion.
I don't care about the story much, but the last few were very fun movies. The action sequences were crazy in Fallout.
OP
OP
I disagree. When I think of a movie like Die Hard, with incredibly magnetic screen performances by both Willis and Rickman, or a movie like Terminator 2 which mixes in incredible action and special effects with a story that dabbles in philosophical questions and emotion, those elements help codify them as two of the greatest action movies of all time. Don't get me wrong, the modern MI movies are perfectly enjoyable and fun, they're always worth seeing (Fallout was particularly well done), but I don't think they'll be movies people will be rewatching a ton 20-30 years from now, and it really lacks some of the stuff I mentioned that helps make them memorable.
Not every movie ever made has to be like an all time great, obviously, I just think there's more to an action movie than your checklist.
Those movie are like unicorns and an abnormality that are not standard because of them being outliers.
Like they've been trying to make Terminator 2 like 3 times now already and it never works.
lmao, you're not wrong.
I do think MI is in the better crop of modern action movies, I just never feel like they resonate with me especially besides being a fun thrill ride. But you're right, it's not like we're getting 3-5 Fury Roads every year.
I'm sad we disagree OP but I also fail to muster any sort of argument to try and change your mind.
Mission: Impossible feels like a long-standing entity of a very particular kind of film that I've cherished since the first one, and I feel the tone of the series (aside from the misstep of MI2) has generally moved from the MI1's attempted to revive spy thrillers into the 90's and more into kind of a fun, "humane"-substance spy action series that's fairly unique in both tone and actual action sequence execution... It's just sort of charming and thrilling in a way that no other action series is to me, and it's honestly one of my favorite long-running entertainment franchises in any medium.
Don't know what else to say about it.
Mission: Impossible feels like a long-standing entity of a very particular kind of film that I've cherished since the first one, and I feel the tone of the series (aside from the misstep of MI2) has generally moved from the MI1's attempted to revive spy thrillers into the 90's and more into kind of a fun, "humane"-substance spy action series that's fairly unique in both tone and actual action sequence execution... It's just sort of charming and thrilling in a way that no other action series is to me, and it's honestly one of my favorite long-running entertainment franchises in any medium.
Don't know what else to say about it.
I'd argue that the latest two MI films were far and away better than the latest Bond films (save for the upcoming one). But you'd be absolutely right.
I think the McQuarrie movies are just like functionally good films that aren't necessarily groundbreaking, but just pleasant to watch. They don't try to challenge you and give you a spectical.
That said, I love the fact that the last movie basically referenced every other movie before it... including MI1 of all things.
That said, I love the fact that the last movie basically referenced every other movie before it... including MI1 of all things.
the 'impossible' notion in mission: impossible is the draw. put people in increasingly difficult positions and see how they work their way out of it. admittedly, i don't care much for ethan hunt as he does feel like a self- insert for tom cruise, but the action scenes have a tension to them that make them very fun to watch.
Mission Impossible didn't truly matter until the fourth one. And the that's largely because it came out Post-Bourne and Hollywood figured out how to make fight scenes and set pieces not look like ass after watching and learning from Bourne.
Oh fuck right off with this Bourne shit. The Bourne films are one great film, two good films and the rest (I don't even know how many more there are) were forgettable, hence me not knowing how many there are