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[quietpineapple]

First time watching the Mission: Impossible franchise. Was not disappointed. The first few movies felt so drastically different from each other like they weren't quite set on what exactly they wanted the franchise to be.

The first one felt the most james bond like to me. Especially with the gadgets. It's like they took the classic James Bond Movies and wanted to make it a bit more grounded and realistic. Maybe my favorite just because it's the original and sort of lays the ground work for how the rest of the movies will play out (gadgets, masks, infiltration, teams, love interests(?), and going rogue lol).

The second movie takes the character of Ethan Hunt and James Bond-ifies him a bit more by having him in fancier outfits, nicer cars, and having him be a bit more of a ladies man and suave. This movie also seeks to up the stakes and trys to go bigger and better than the previous movie. The threat this time is not Ethan Hunt being framed or a list being leaked but a potentially world ending virus being released into the wild. And the action also trys to elevate itself feeling much more like a matrix movie with all of the acrobatics and slow motion. This movie feels a bit weaker than it's predecessor but I still was entertained by it.

The third movie tries to elevate it the franchise yet again but this time has more success. The story feels much more fleshed out and engaging than the previous as well as having a heart at the center of the story (Ethan trying to protect his wife). The action in this movie feels much more realistic than the acrobatics and dual wielding running and running of the previous. Feels more "militaristic" like Ethan is strategizing and has to think and improvise on the fly to get through situations. The villain in this movie is the best so far and might be my personal favorite for the whole franchise. What the villain is after in this movie is what he calls "the rabbits foot". That is all that we know of this device. Could be world ending could be less dramatic, but the audience does not know, but it is what everyone is chasing after. A true mcguffin.

The fourth movie and the first movie with a proper follow up title "Ghost Protocol" really sets the standard and lays out the blueprint for how the rest of the movies will be. The threat this time is nuclear. Another potentially world ending threat that our hero has to stop. Almost everything in this movie has been taken to the next level, the set pieces, the action, the danger, and the crazy stunts that Tom Cruise performs. An overall great and engaging movie.

In "Rogue Nation" we are faced with another nuclear threat brought to us by a villain who is seeking out to punish the countries that he claims made him who he is today. A very smart villain who seems to know just what to do to get what he wants. He knows how to manipulate people into doing his bidding and seems to know how every situation will play out. The first movie where the climatic ending battle is not really a physical battle but a battle with words which leads into a chase scene where this time Ethan finally has the upper hand and manages to outsmart our villain and lead him into a trap where he is captured.

"Mission: Impossible Fallout" is the first movie where a director returns to film a sequel. The same director from "Rogue Nation" Christopher McQuarrie returns to direct not only this movie but the movies after this as well. The movie with Henry Cavill that many fans claim is the best. It certainly has its big moments as well as big name actors but ultimately is a bit lackluster for me in terms of story. Henry Cavill fits great into this franchise as the sort of comedic co lead who is pretty much the anti- Ethan Hunt. To me the third act and final confrontation fell a bit flat. The movie also could not have made it more obvious who the secret villain really was (could have been intentional but idk). Some great chemistry and banter between Tom Cruises and Henry Cavills characters.

"Dead Reckoning" is the most recent but not last movie in this franchise. This is part 1 of a 2 part story. Part 2 releases later this year. My least favorite of the McQuarrie directed movies so far. The plot reminds me a lot of Metal Gear Solid 2. I think it is pretty funny that the main threat of this movie is A.I. because I am pretty sure when this script was being written a.i. wasn't as such of a hot topic. The story in this one for me is the most lackluster one so far but does have some new and interesting characters. The action and gadgets as always is top tier. Still waiting on part 2 which will be called The Final Reckoning to see how I feel about how they tie up this story. There is also a sequence in here at the end of the movie during the climax that is straight out of uncharted 2. For those who have played that game they will get what I'm talking about (it's a train escape scene).

Overall I feel like this is a very solid entertaining franchise and it's not surprising that they are as big of a box of success that they are. I'm eagerly anticipating the next and also potentially final movie in this franchise (at least with Tom Cruise playing our protagonist). I'm hoping they somehow go even bigger and better and really end this franchise with a bang. I hope that this is a franchise that people will continue to watch and talk about for a long time.

Hopefully you enjoyed reading this semi-review(?) I don't know what to call this, this is my first time doing something like this. I'm not sure if I will continue to make more of these types of movie related posts in the future but if not I hope you got some type of entertainment/enjoyment/whatever out of this.

(p.s. ignore Jason Statham and the Minecraft movie in the screenshot lol)