The Mission Impossible series is one of Hollywood's most iconic, but which of the seven stands out as the pinnacle of action blockbusters?
In 1996, Brian De Palma’s stylish Mission: Impossible hit the screen right in the middle of a summer packed with blockbusters — Twister and Independence Day, among others. Even then, it still managed to rake in $457 million worldwide on the back of Tom Cruise’s star power. While many were put off by the film’s confusing storyline, enough excitement was generated to warrant five sequels — and counting.
Alas, as is also the case with most JJ Abrams projects, much of what you see feels like remixed scenes from better movies. The central MacGuffin — aka, the Rabbit’s Foot – is never fully explained and the romantic subplot between Ethan and Michelle Monaghan’s Julia Meade feels like it was ripped straight out of Alias.
Dead Reckoning’s mistakes come between the action, where our heroes spend far too long setting up the next set piece. While the payoff almost always delivers, the nonstop exposition disrupts the pacing. Clocking in at two hours and forty-five minutes, the seventh entry is easily the longest in the franchise, unnecessarily so. A solid two-hour movie exists within the bloated runtime—one that gets to the high points faster and moves at a crisper pace.
Despite a solid start way back in the mid-90s, the Mission: Impossible franchise didn’t really find its stride until Brad Bird’s 2011 Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol. Not only did the fourth film finally force Cruise to share the screen with his unbelievably likeable castmates — Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, and Simon Pegg — but it’s the first one that allows the actor to fully embrace the daredevil persona that has since become something of a trademark for the superstar.
In hindsight, it was a mistake to turn good ol’ Jim Phelps into a bitter traitor — a plot point likely created to let Ethan fly solo — but as a standalone feature separate from the Mission: Impossible TV series, the twist works quite brilliantly as presented. Even now, nothing beats that now iconic heist at the CIA’s headquarters.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The Best Tom Cruise Movies to Watch After Mission: Impossible Dead ReckoningWith Dead Reckoning now playing in theaters, let's look at the best Tom Cruise movies from star's massive filmography.
Read more »
Review: Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One - Chicago Reader'Beneath the thrill of Tom Cruise’s stunts is a message of friendship.' 🍿 acmkhatib reviews the seventh (yes) installment of the Mission Impossible series, now playing at AMCTheatres and elsewhere 🎥
Read more »
What to Watch This Week: Mission: Impossible, What We Do in the Shadows, and MoreThis week's recommendations also include a lot of comedy, from a camp satire to the return of a cheeky murder mystery anthology series to a Farrelly brothers classic.
Read more »
Shea Whigham on the Common Thread Between ‘Mission: Impossible’ and ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’Shea Whigham thought his pursuit of Joaquin Phoenix’s 'Joker' would forever be his toughest assignment, but then Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt quickly proved him wrong in MissionImpossible — Dead Reckoning Part One
Read more »
The New Mission: Impossible Reveals That the Franchise Has Always Had an Unlikely Big BadThe Mission: Impossible movies may be high-tech, but that doesn’t mean they’ve made tech the hero.
Read more »
Tom Cruise gave ‘Mission: Impossible’ co-stars skydiving lessons, shark diving trips and coconut cakeTom Cruise's co-stars from 'Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One' - Simon Pegg, Hayley Atwell and Pom Klementieff - have detailed the gifts the star gave them during shooting.
Read more »