#Mission Impossible: Fallout Best Scene

[oh-great-authoress]

Well… the height matches.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE — FALLOUT dir. Christopher McQuarrie

[all-that-jazz-93]

Y'all practical effects bitches are really sleeping on the Mission: Impossible movies.

"Oh everything is CGI these days!" Mission: Impossible uses practical effects whenever it's safe to do so, and their definition of safe is incredibly skewed because Tom Cruise is, frankly, batshit insane.

The man refuses to use stunt doubles because he insists the audience can tell when it's not him. He's apparently one of the best stunt drivers in the world. He drove up a cliff and skidded to a stop right on the edge for real in Dead Reckoning. He got a fucking helicopter license and spent like three years training for the climactic scene in Fallout.

Most of the helicopter chase in Fallout was real. The midair oxygen-tank swap in that movie was also real. They practiced for it in a wind tunnel and then did the real thing in freefall.

When Tom Cruise dies, it's either going to be because he realized Scientology was a crock and tried to get out and they fucking killed him (highly unlikely that he'll ever come to that realization), or because his luck finally ran out while filming a stunt for a Mission: Impossible movie (significantly more likely).

Seriously, if you have the blu-rays of any of these movies, I strongly encourage you to watch them with the director's commentaries. Especially the ones directed by Christopher McQuarrie. That man has an almost pathological distaste for CGI (and when they do have to use it, he's incredibly respectful and complimentary of the people who do the special effects).

Do yourself a favor and watch these movies. They're not just kitschy action flicks. They're kitschy action flicks with a metric fuckton of practical effects, and a production team that really cares about the stories they're crafting.

[trekkiehood]

*Final Reckoning

Slight spoilers below:

Mission Impossible: Ethan must clear his name and find the mole who got his team killed. Hanging from the ceiling stunt.

MI 2: Did this one have a plot? There's a chase scene. Oh also rock-climbing.

MI 3: Ethan has to get the Rabbits Foot to save his wife Julia. Swinging from Shanghai building. Benji shows up.

Ghost Protocol: Ethan in a Russian prison. Kremlin bombing. Jeremy Renner shows up. Climbing up the Burj Khalifa skyscraper.

Rogue Nation: Hunley shuts down the IMF. Ethan is accused of being Lane and is on the run. We meet Ilsa. Ethan clings to the outside of an airbus. He also holds his breath for like six minutes.

Fallout: Ethan loses the plutonium and has to get it back. CIA causes problems. Lane wants to nuke Julia to get back at Ethan. Henry Cavill is there. Jumping between buildings (Tom Cruise breaks his ankle). Helicopter fight stunt.

Dead Reckoning: Gotta get the key to shut down the AI Entity. Ethan is haunted by his past. Haley Atwell is there. Handcuffed car chase. Motorcycle jump of death.

Final Reckoning: Just came out. Still trying to defeat the Entity. Submarine and airplane stunts.

[liverpool-enjoyer]

Would you mind ranking the mission impossible movies from best to worst?

OKOKOK FIRST OF ALL THANK YOU FOR ASKING I LOVE TO RANT ABT MISSION IMPOSSIBLE!!!

now ik you said best to worst but imma go from worst to best cause i think thats more dramatique

OK MY MISSION IMOPSSIBLE 1-7 RANKING:

7. mission: impossible 2 low hanging fruit i know. look i dont dislike this movie - im a diehard m:i fan, so i like all of them. this movie has its moments, n i rlly like john woo as a director, n i loved the rock climbing scene n knife stunt. the romance rlly brings it down for me tho, felt very shoehorned in there.

6. mission: impossible 3 here bc its better than 2 but not as good as 1. loved that it introduced my goats julia n benji, n i loved the building jump n the running scene. rlly solid movie, only this low bc i like the others more.

5. mission: impossible ik its pretty criminal to have the original at number FIVE, but the next four are just so goated. now obviously this movie is great, its the og. but tbh it doesnt stand out to me as much as the others do, doesnt have as much of a huge action setpiece that we've come to love. plus, modern day tom cruise wouldve done that helicopter in the tunnel bit for real.

now i call this next category the FOUR MOVIE PERFECTION RUN,,, bc thats what it is. every one of these next four are absolutely perfect in my eyes, n i could see any of them being someones number one

4. mission: impossible - ghost protocol perfect. down to the last minute detail. i,,, i mean where do i begin. THE burj khalifa stunt. adding benji to the team permanently. paula patton beating ass. the dude from lost dying like five minutes in. tying up the loose end that is ethan n julia. n ik this is niche but the lil outfit change ethan does when hes leaving the kremlin gets me every time. gosh theres just,,, SO much to love abt this movie idk what more i can say. this one was my mission impossible gateway drug.

3. mission: impossible - dead reckoning ok hear me out HEAR ME OUT. before you get mad. OBJECTIVELY SPEAKING, this is the best one. this is THE best one. but this is my personal ranking. the reason i put rogue nation n fallout over this MASTERPIECE is purely bc of,,, The Thing. yknow. the thing that happens to that one character. that one very beloved character. if youve seen the movie you know what i mean. but if youre not a mission fan, n youre not emotionally attached to these characters like i am, this is the best one. unfortunately, i am very emotionally attached to ethan n his pals.

2. mission: impossible - fallout now,,, what can i say abt fallout that hasnt already been said. its perfection. perfect, down to the last minute detail. the STUNTS. the continuity from rogue nation. introducing alanna n having her stab a man while wearing this GORGEOUS white two piece that i still think abt to this day. bringing back solomon lanes bitch ass. bringing back ILSA who is literally my number one my goat my everything. n tell me how every action setpiece n fight is imbedded with fucking CRACK. the club bathroom fight, the HALO jump, ilsa n benji duking it out w lane in that little shack, ethan n walker duking it out on a cliff, THE WHOLE ASS HELICOPTER SEQUENCE where tom cruise just casually flew a helicopter as one does. n OHMYGOSH THE RUNNING. im a simple man ok i could literally watch nine hours of simon pegg telling tom cruise where to run. oh also the fucking fake out in the beginning w the fucking hospital room n benji impersonating that cnn fellow is literally the most impressive thing in the series to me. i was FLABBERGASTED. ok i know im just rambling n listing things but this movie is just,,, so, so good

1 mission impossible - rogue nation see. im aware that fallout n dead reckoning are objectively better than rogue nation. however,,, nostalgias one HELLUVA drug. this movie came out when my family was moving n i was SUPER emo abt it. but i had been looking forward to this movie for like years at that point n even tho i was going through a tough time i was SO stoked to see rogue nation. n rlly i feel like its the perfect mission impossible movie. luthers back after being absent in ghost protocol. tom cruise holding his breath for six fucking minutes as one does. benji is the damsel in distress. n how could i forget the fact that this movie introduces THE BEST CHARACTER IN THE SERIES??? ilsa my GOAT. notice how the three movies shes in are the top three,,, yeah shes the best written character in the series not to mention shes uh just rlly cool n yeah. this blog proudly promotes ilsa faust supremacy.

[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)

[nobodys-hekatonchires]

Hello!

Is there a Mission Impossible movie you'd recommend to watch first?

I've become interested through your posts over the past few weeks, but I'm absolutely terrible at watching movies and will probably take forever to watch one alone. So, I wanted to see if you have a favourite that you can also watch if you know nothing about the franchise. ^^"

Hey :D

Oooo, well I'm happy to help!

There are 8 films so a lot to watch, especially the last two which are the longest. But, you can, sort of, jump in at any point really, except those last two imo; half because they're so long and half because Final Reckoning, there's some important context.

Anyway! Personally, my favourite is MI: Rogue Nation. It's no.5 and I think it's the best one. The main four people are introduced in earlier films but they're easy enough to get to know with this one. And Rogue Nation introduces some people that link to no.6, MI:Fallout, which are important to know but it won't ruin anything if you skipped Rogue Nation and went right to Fallout.

Pretty sure the director said this film is all about friendship (or family maybe?) so it's a good one.

Or

MI:3 - my 2nd favourite. I don't think it's a fan favourite though? But, anyway, it is very good. Ethan, the main protagonist, is very Average Man in it and I just like that. With lore from Final Reckoning, it is kinda made one of the most important films.

It has a really intense opening scene, which is just so good. And there'd a character, Julia, who I really love. Luther too, he's really good in this one.

There is good humour, action, stunts, and emotions in both, so you might have to flip a coin. I highly recommend either one. Ofc, MI:1 is good, so it Fallout, but Rogue Nation and MI:3 are my go-tos

I hope this helps! And whichever one you choose, I hope you enjoy :D lmk if you need anything else

[callmearcturus]

Mission Impossible: a Crazed Ramble by tentacledwizard

Re my mission impossible ask: gonna share my thoughts bc I just finished watching the series (sans 2 and 3) and boy do I have Thoughts. I think I’ll cover the ones I’m most interested in (Ghost Protocol, Rogue Nation, and Fallout) though I might ramble at u about 1 and 7 later lmao. So okay here we go

Ghost Protocol. I REALLY liked this one. This is 2nd on my ranking of MI movies.

This movie has the best team vibes. Might be my favorite iteration of The Team, even if Luther isn’t really there. I just got really emotionally attached to these guys and their interactions lmao..

I liked Brandt. Jeremy Renner didn’t have to do some heavy-duty acting for this role, and he didn’t. His role was to be small and cute and tormented, and it worked. So well that I mumbled “where is my wife” when I watched Fallout, and my brother looked at me strangely. 

Jane Carter holy moly. Dude you were NOT kidding about Jane Carter. I love her so much. I love how she’s not even slightly the love interest, how her and Ethan’s interactions have this respect and camaraderie, and even when they kiss it’s not romantic. It’s great. Loved how she got the dudely “gotta avenge my dead wife” backstory with her boyfriend getting killed, and how that propels her most ruthless actions. I guess I’m pretty much agreeing with everything you’ve said about Jane lmao. SHE’S GREAT. Also loved it when she fought Léa Seydoux, it was pretty cathartic. Let female characters be driven and reckless and (eyes Rose Lalonde pfp) yeah

Benji Dunn the man that you are. Okay I’d say that Benji is at his best in the next movie, but this is a damn good introduction. He’s newly promoted, a little bit out of his depth, and I’m a sucker for funny nerdy sidekicks okay. Gonna talk about him some more when I get to Rogue Nation probably.

Ethan Hunt has the best haircut in this film. Idk man that’s my Ethan Hunt commentary. Oh wait it was also funny when he wore the mustache

I GOT ALL FLUSTERED WHEN LÉA SEYDOUX WAS ON SCREEN. I DON'T KNOW WHY THIS IS. HOW PECULIAR

Didn’t watch 2 and 3, so the brief glimpse of Julia was very intriguing and bittersweet. Then of course in Fallout she Julias all over the place!

OKAY NOW I CAN TALK ABOUT THE BURJ KHALIFA

I’ve actually seen the Burj Khalifa irl and it is SO TALL (I know, very surprising) so I cannot wrap my head around the fact that this scene was shot on location (??) I need to look into that more.

I am a dork and I do not know much about how stunts and action scenes are calibrated, hence the sheer delight I derived from the way the camera moves in the Burj Khalifa scenes. Also my hands got really sweaty during the first half. (The “blue is glue, red is dead” part reminded me of “hasta lasagna don’t get any on ya” IDK MAN)

I spent the wall-climbing section gazing at the TV rapturously and occasionally mumbling “uh oh,” “Ethan Hunt: Human Gecko” or “the climberrrr” alternately. I literally was not hearing myself because I was watching so intently. My breath was BATED lmao.

And like I’d seen the gif sets, I knew he was gonna jump but I didn’t know when. So when Ethan does jump, it’s so sudden that you can’t help but go :O !! And it works. Anddd that’s my favorite stunt in the film (i am an easily impressed nerd with no technical knowledge but i AM dying on this hill. The Burj jump would impress ANYONE and for good reason)

I am replaying this scene in my head over and over. It’s just. It’s so good. My reaction to it reminded me of when I watched [S] Descend and it just Worked and I was amazed. To say nothing of Cascade lmao. Actually yeah this kind of is Cascade in a sense

I'm sure none of this commentary  is really original, but I really love it when Tom Cruise does a big jump heh. I am a simple man

So yeah this film is easily my 2nd favorite. It’s character-driven, there’s comedy elements, the way the team interacts and collides and argues with each other is wonderful. And I believe in Jane Carter supremacy.  

Oh yeah, Bogdan was funny too. So many good + funny moments here :D

Wait how could I forget the best character (the Russian man who has an enemies-to-friends arc with Ethan)? Love that guy.

OKAY this is too long so Im gonna separate this into 2 parts.

they sent three asks and then I responded, we're gonna use a cut here, LONG POST!!!!!

@tentacledwizard PART 2.

Rogue Nation. This one’s my favorite! I like how it begins not with Ethan but with the Team, because their interactions are good. And of course Ethan’s trying to jump on a plane. Just another Saturday.

I am not very good at talking about plot so let’s talk about Benji Dunn

ok wait first I gotta say that I like how they played with the usual IMF message. The “we ARE the syndicate” got me. Really good moment, and I bet if I rewatched it I’d catch all the little details that made me suspicious of whoever was talking. 

Anyway Benji Dunn.. the man that you are…

Like I said, Benji is at his best in this movie. There’s so many little moments that cement his greatness. He’s gaming on company time! He lies about not being Ethan’s friend on a daily basis :( also the sincere dorky smile he does on his way to the opera is so wonderful. 

I really like how sincere Benji is. He’s genuinely looking forward to the opera, and he’s eager to wear a mask someday, and he cares about Ethan so much. Yeah he’s a funny little British man but he’s also v sweet and you can see why Ethan goes crazy and kidnaps the prime minister to get him back. 

speaking of, I really think that Benji and Ethan’s relationship is… if not the core of the movie, it’s definitely a major part of that core. Does that make sense? Like, I tried to take a picture of the screen every time Ethan and Benji glanced at each other knowingly, and I ended up with a lot of pictures. Even with the 6-month separation (Ethan with a beard is something I never thought I’d see), they know each other. Ethan knows Benji wants to see the opera, and Benji will yell at Ethan when Ethan needs to be yelled at. Ethan compliments Benji’s tuxedo (as he should).

Also ffffuck whenever these guys worry about each other… like when Benji tells Ethan he’s probably going to take it too far one of these days.. Man. The scene where Ethan washes out of the giant torus with Ilsa and Benji goes to talk to him is so good.

oh and yeah Ethan did kidnap the prime minister. For benji. HE DID THAT!!!

Also the scene where Benji is forced to speak for Solomon was honestly incredible, it was like Ethan and Benji were having their own separate conversation with eye contact. When Ethan briefly put his hand on Benji’s shoulder, maybe to reassure him without having to talk, and Benji glances up at him… that’s good stuff right there. When Benji was finally able to talk it was cathartic. God I love these two

Plus the opera fight scene is so fun oh my god.

ok let’s talk about my queen Ilsa Faust

Ilsa Faust is great, and I really like how this series does female characters. Because she has her own shit going on, there’s a bit of romance between her and Ethan but they’re both agents with missions, and she’s never sexualized. I love that. Her signature move is filmed the way a male character would be filmed if he were fighting. That’s awesome.

I really loved Rebecca Ferguson’s performance here, the conflict between saving others and saving herself was neat. It’s also interesting how she has way less reservations about killing people, which plays off Ethan’s… everything. And she never makes it easy for Ethan, which I’d honestly do too if I was involved in the shit she has to deal with. 

But of course there are moments that show she does care about him (asking him to run away, the scene where she saves him in the underwater whirly spinner). The hug was pretty sweet.

Also, Ilsa is when I started really paying attention to the outfits in MI, because all of her looks were great. The yellow dress is iconic, and I REALLY liked the pleated coat she wears when talking to Solomon Lane. Plus the suit she wears in Fallout is Good.

Solomon Lane is a good villain. Jim is the MI villain I think of when I think of MI villains, but Solomon is very distinctive. I mean that voice, man. The VOICE. Lmao. He kind of reminded me of a parasitic worm made human, which is a 100% good thing.

So who has the more distinctive and weird voice? Solomon or Claire? That is the question. (I think it’s Claire tbh. Four am, four in the morning, four o clock)

So this is my favorite MI film. It’s fun, it has a good villain. We see Ethan’s personality start to shine through, too- he’s emotionally driven, as evidenced by when he fucking DOES ALL THAT TO SAVE BENJI GOD I LOVE THESE TWO. So yeah, this is the Ethan and Benji movie to me. It’s also a stellar debut for Ilsa Faust… wait what do you mean she gets fridged in the 7th movie. What do you mean

OH Jeremy Renner is still here! And more Luther! Hell yeah.

really want to rewatch this one so I can take more notes on the stunts and stuff, too

Ok time to make a part 3 because this is ridiculously long

PART 3

Fallout. Oh man. This one messed me up. 

So from the start, Fallout is a darker, queasier watch than the previous two. The more I watched, the more I realized that this movie Is Ethan Hunt’s Nightmare.

Like there’s the straightforward nightmare at the beginning, and then the film just Doesn’t Stop. It keeps messing with our minds again and again. 

This is the Ethan Hunt movie. This is our deep dive into Ethan Hunt’s mind, and at some points it kind of feels like a test of how well we know him- because he wouldn’t kill all those people, so this must be another nightmare, right? 

I am used to vivid nightmares, and this film perfectly captures the sheer horror of having one. And I was constantly doubting my own perception, bouncing between bad dream and reality along with Ethan. Man.

Like Mission Impossible has always kind of had that element, what with the masks and everything, but this film dials it up to eleven. I recognized the horror of Ethan’s situation here, and it was a feeling that stayed with me the entire time.

I mean at some points, it gets surreal. The line about Ethan literally being his own worst enemy (it’s true!), his wife showing up in little glimpses until she finally appears, Lane pinpointing Ethan’s fears, etc. When Ethan looks around at the church and says he’s terribly sorry, it’s such a small moment but it’s still kind of a gut punch. Ethan Hunt is trapped in his brain and so are we.

Even the title sequence shows everything burning around Ethan. The full theme song sounds like it’s going to end, but then it keeps going. This movie feels way more apocalyptic than any of the others.

Even Max is dead. I mean come on.

And we see how this screws up Ethan’s judgment, how his priorities are a little fucked in the grand scheme of things. He puts a few people over millions, for better or for worse.

Ethan Hunt running is an iconic part of the franchise, but what happens when all the messed-up stuff he went through catches up with him? What about the fallout?

So when the ending rolls around, it feels like Ethan is waking up, and that lends it a certain catharsis. But the uneasiness of most of the movie still stuck with me for a long time afterward.

Okay let’s talk about the new characters.

Alanna was neat, and I liked her outfits too. Though every time she flirted with Ethan, I had this vivid mental image of Ethan driving up and yelling “I fucked your mom, shit lips!” Probably something he’d say to Zola instead though.

Walker was such an asshole and that was kind of great actually. Not a single redeeming quality to be found. Have fun falling off that cliff, johnny boy.

Oh yeah and he got to say the only “fuck” in the entire series I believe. (It should have been Ethan. Well I can always hope.)

That conversation Ethan and Benji have about how Ethan won’t let anything happen to him, but then later Ethan does something that seems to put Benji in danger (making him be Solomon Lane)? Chef’s kiss. Also Benji FINALLY got to wear the mask, and he’s damn good at it.

More of Ilsa and Ethan’s relationship and man is it complicated haha. I like the scene where they’re walking through a symmetrical landscape, just paralleling each other, until finally they’re face to face. That’s good stuff right there. Also the scene where he’s in the hospital bed was sweet.

My wife [Brandt] is not here but luckily we get a lot of Luther. Luther is the constant in this series- he’s stuck with Ethan from the beginning, for better or for worse. (Better, because he’s a good character). So Luther really cares about Ethan, evidenced by his conversation with Ilsa. He probably knows Ethan better than anyone, except maybe Julia but then again she and Ethan have been apart for a while. 

Julia was great. The scenes with her and Ethan were v bittersweet. They still care about each other (just look at Ethan’s constant guilt over not protecting her), but she’s living her own life now. The conversation they had near the end was the culmination of all this, the moment we were waiting for. Plus I enjoyed her friendship with Luther, like I enjoyed Ilsa and Benji’s friendship. The scene where they’re cutting the wires/talking about Ethan was cute.

as for the stunts, hmm… I didn't really get the level of physicality I got from, say, MI1 or Ghost Protocol. Idk man maybe I’m just biased against helicopters?

ALSO I really like Face/Off and Hit Man so the John Lark thing was p cool to me. Ofc John was the asshole CIA agent though.

Anyway good movie, might take some time before I can rewatch it but it’s a masterful delve into Ethan Hunt’s mind. Not my favorite but also really really good and I wrote the most about it.

Conclusion. Wow that’s a lot of thoughts. Probably too many to put in one ask. Uh I kind of also want to talk about MI1 and Dead Reckoning as an echo of MI1 but this was a lot so idk if you’d want me to do that lmao. Anyway I have to thank you for convincing me to watch Mission Impossible all those months ago, because it is one of my obsessions now. (If you read all this I am sorry lmao, hope it wasn’t boring tho) 

And now I can finally read your Benthan fic! 8D hell yeah.

okay now it is my turn to reply

I frankly adore Brandt. I've joked to Brandt that I don't really ship Benthan, I just use it as a vehicle to write William Brandt and have him tell jokes. I adore his angry little bureaucratic ass. I am actually a fan of Renner when the material gives him actual shit he can do. Like, he was fucking WASTED in the MCU and the "Hawkeye" miniseries proves he could have been having fun this entire fucking time but they never GAVE him anything. And even if his role in MI is simple, McQuarrie is so damn good at writing characters that Brandt feels vibrant. In GP he goes from sad sweater boy to lowkey the weakest link of the team but everyone is there to help him. And in RN there's a THOUSAND lil moments I love with him. I always point to Benji's interrogation scene, there's a VERY VERY PRECISE bit of editing where Benji is going off on a tirade about how the CIA sucks, and the camera lingers on Brandt LITERALLY JUST LONG ENOUGH for Renner's mouth to make this tiny microexpression, like TWO FRAMES of Brandt indulging in admiring Benji's lie-craft.

Also the argument in the bigass car with Luther was Renner improvising according to McQ. Love it. Brandt's my angry little pencil-pushing angel. Any time he shows up in the PT AU, I'm 😍😍😍

GP lives and dies on the team dynamic tbh, which I find hilarious bc imo MI3 was pronounced dead on arrival bc the team dynamic is non-existent and like, why am I even here???? the chemistry is truly batshit.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE ALL THE TRULY MIND-BOGGLING FACTS BEHIND THE BURJ CLIMB AND HOW TERRIFYINGLY PRACTICAL IT WAS check out this post

Also Ethan's gorgeous LEAP at the end of the sequence is my second-fave Physicality Moment in that movie. The first is of course Ethan's silent vault over the railing after he leaves his prison cell. I'm a slut.

and I bet if I rewatched it I’d catch all the little details that made me suspicious of whoever was talking.

oh you want a fun one? in the record shop, there are two listening booths. ethan goes into the one on the left.

Solomon Lane is sitting in the one on the right.

re: Benji in Rogue Nation, I mean McQuarrie himself has said Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn is the beating heart and soul of the Mission franchise. so don't worry, we ALL stan.

ILSA FUCKING FAUST. /fans face. Yeah, the way MI handles women is like… I don't know how to go back to, like, James Bond films. I keep remembering Skyfall (which I remember as a good movie) and how one of the ~bond girls~ is casually executed and the whole point is how unfazed everyone is, how DISPOSABLE she is, how James Bond as a franchise wants backpats for pointing out "man it sure sucks how disposable women are in these spy flicks huh"

smash cut to Ghost Protocol, Rogue Nation, Fallout, and ESPECIALLY Dead Reckoning.

I keep saying this but MI manages to pull off the Metal Gear thing in that the Male Gaze of the camera is thoroughly bisexual. Long before we see Ilsa's amazing leg shot at the opera, we get a long lingering shot of Ethan's tiddies, and the way he's held captive is very female-coded, the position, the way he tries to wile his way out of it, the barefoot thing, all of it. There's such intense intentionality with how MI frames bodies.

Hell, I've been flicking between MI and the X-Men AU movies and comparing Ilsa to Mystique is super interesting because both of them fight with their legs-first. But the choreography of Mystique always has this "heh heh heh naked legg" feeling, while with Ilsa, her fighting style is so consistent, it feels like a natural result of her build and how she utilizes momentum. I remember there's a fast moment in Fallout where she very casually assists Ethan by taking out a guard as he extracts Alanna, and she does her leg flip thing. It feels Correct for her, rather than the MCU "make sure you fight pretty" bullshit.

Anyway I love Ilsa but Benji is actually the Love Interest in RN and we all know it.

"wait what do you mean she gets fridged in the 7th movie" SHE DOES NOT GET FRIDGED i am gonna die on this fucking hill, that Ilsa's death was good and actually meant something

Anyway I cosign all your thoughts on Fallout. I think it's the best movie and frankly I think it's a cinematic masterpiece. The claustrophobia of it, the nightmare of being Ethan Hunt, the repeated use of dreamlike imagery to convey that we're falling further into that nightmare with him, AND THE ENDING. I find the ending so bittersweet because yes, Ethan and the team pull it off, they push at the edges of possibility and reason until the universe yields and gives them the win

but then Julia says "I know you'll always be there" and its like watching a door slam in Ethan's face. He's always going to be in this dream/nightmare, a world that exists one layer removed from reality, and he can't get out. It's amazing. I want to kiss McQ on the mouth.

That Ilsa-Ethan scene was not in the original script and TC suggested it day-of and they just did it and its one of the most beautiful shots of the movie, with the green trees melding with the slight green tones of Ilsa's outfit and with Ethan's eyes. The fact they have an entire conversation between Ethan and Ilsa's eyebrows. I love them.

[rebeccalouisaferguson]

MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD RECKONING PART ONE REVIEW ROUND UP

Attention: The review roundup might contain spoilers for the film

Other than Hunt himself, trying to secure the key to The Entity are a number of returning figures: Simon Pegg’s affably frantic Benji, Ving Rhames’ cool Luther and Rebecca Ferguson’s classically enigmatic Ilsa Faust, perhaps the best thing that happened to the franchise since Cruise. (https://www.thewrap.com/mission-impossible-dead-reckoning-part-one-review/)

Dead Reckoning brings back Rebecca Ferguson’s silky-steely Ilsa Faust, of the most engaging characters from the franchise’s last two entries, Fallout (2018) and Rogue Nation (2015)...a gorgeously staged duel between Faust and Gabriel, set on a slender Venetian bridge: Faust wears a silky topcoat whose tails whirl about her as her sword slashes through the air, intensifying the already intense aura of Venetian mystery and drama. (https://time.com/6291965/mission-impossible-dead-reckoning-part-one-review-tom-cruise/)

Last but definitely not least, Ilsa Faust returns for another unpredictable mission, played by the always enchanting Rebecca Ferguson, who continues to command every scene that she is in with her passionate and gritty performance. (https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffconway/2023/07/05/mission-impossibledead-reckoning-part-one-is-the-thrill-ride-of-the-summer/?sh=7d5eeb2a18ce )

It's Rebecca Ferguson as the returning Ilsa Faust who provides the film with its soul. While they may be busy saving the world, Hunt and Faust get a couple of brief moments that demonstrate how much they mean to each other, and it's the most romantic thing I've seen in a Hollywood action blockbuster since The Empire Strikes Back (I could mention the influence of another spy movie but that would be a spoiler). The film might be packed with bombastic action but it never loses sight of its human relationships. Some of the most memorable moments are simple gestures, including a smile from Faust to Hunt that will melt your heart. (http://www.themoviewaffler.com/2023/07/mission-impossible-dead-reckoning-part-one-review.html)

Thanks to Hunt’s longtime cohort Ilsa Faust (god bless you,Rebecca Ferguson...(https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/mission-impossible-dead-reckoning-part-1-review-tom-cruise-1234779044/)

...it gives its veterans requisite time in the spotlight (with Ferguson remaining these films’ charismatic secret weapon) (https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/mission-impossible-dead-reckoning-review-tom-cruise-is-better-than-ever)

...the occasional helping hand from the ever-elusive Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson, magnetic but alarmingly underused)...(https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/mission-impossible-dead-reckoning-part-one-review)

The biggest sin of Dead Reckoning, however, is how it wastes two of its best talents with Fallout MVP Vanessa Kirby, reprising her role as The White Widow, and franchise mainstay Rebecca Ferguson, reprising her role as Ilsa Faust. Don’t get me wrong, both actresses are nothing short of spectacular in their returns to the role...Ferguson, who has arguably been the best character in the franchise since her introduction in Rogue Nation is criminally underseen throughout the movie. And what we do get of her results in significant baffling decisions that are made about her character, that will ultimately get fans of the franchise very upset (and we’ve never seen them very upset!) (https://thenerdsofcolor.org/2023/07/05/noc-review-mission-impossible-dead-reckoning-pt-1-is-a-non-stop-thrill-ride/)

Whereas Haley Atwell takes center stage in Dead Reckoning Part One, Rebecca Ferguson’s Isla Faust unfortunately takes a back seat. The Dune and Silo star is fantastic as usual, yet when almost everyone else has so much to do in this script, it’s disappointing to see her receive the short end of the stick. This is a rather bizarre decision on Christopher McQuarrie’s behalf since he was the one who made a star out of the character in Rogue Nation and Fallout. You also can’t help but feel like Dead Reckoning Part One falls into some old action genre tropes by shoving one female character to the side in order to let another one thrive – as if this movie couldn’t allow Atwell and Ferguson to shine together. Maybe Ferguson’s shooting schedule is now too packed to even include Mission: Impossible? Regardless, it’s the most damning aspect of this sequel.(https://discussingfilm.net/2023/07/05/mission-impossible-dead-reckoning-part-one-review-tom-cruise-reaches-new-levels-of-absurdity/)

For all that the film primarily functions as a bone-jangling espionage thriller, it’s the fuse-fizzing chemistry between Cruise and Rebecca Ferguson, returning for her third stint as MI6 spook Ilsa Faust, as well as Cruise and Hayley Atwell, making her first appearance in the series as Grace, a world-class pickpocket and rent-a-thief, that makes everything click. Whenever it shifts focus away from the winning Atwell-Cruise-Ferguson trifecta, the film really suffers. (https://lwlies.com/reviews/mission-impossible-dead-reckoning-part-one/)

Dialogue-free vignettes between Cruise and Ferguson, whether they’re sharing a platonic hug on a rooftop or holding hands on a gondola in Venice, are tender stolen moments.(https://freshfiction.tv/mission-impossible-dead-reckoning-part-one-review-another-action-master-class/)

There are still plenty of bullets fired, but there’s also a moonlit sword fight between Gabriel and Rebecca Ferguson’s ice-cold (and oh so cool) Ilsa Faust atop the Ponte Minich, a luminous bridge in the Sestiere Castello.  (https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/mission-impossible-dead-reckoning-part-one-review-1234881243/)

[autolabrum]

Watched Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1

MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW!!!! Significant improvement from the last two entries in at least a few ways. It actually feels like McQuarrie is directing with a much stronger aesthetic vision, the set pieces are neither too sparse (as in Rogue Nation) nor too dense (as in Fallout). That train action sequence is easily the best in the three movies. It's almost even about something. I am willing to believe that there is some intentionality behind the relationship between artifice and doing things to some standard of 'real' and the production structure of the Mission: Impossible movies within the context of contemporary filmmaking (although I think McQuarrie and Jendresen a little out of their epistemological depth as screenwriters). I'm even willing to believe that the Entity is a potentially potent way of constructing this analogy. It certainly does not succeed in all respects, but this movie is actually trying to say something, which is more impressive than the previous installations I have seen over the past few weeks.

I'm not willing to extend enough good will to believe that Ilsa's fridging is some meta-commentary on bad scriptwriting because it was orchestrated by an artificial intelligence. I think that it is an interesting angle, but it's also a very convenient excuse to eliminate the character who was so mistreated in the last installment. On the bright side, Atwell's Grace is a significantly more realized character and a real step in the right direction. It's just too bad that McQuarrie is only willing to have one female team member at a time.

There are a couple of other minor ups and downs, like the wonderful typewriter shot (love love love), the brief grasp at a real sense of a new digital epistomology, the disappointing lack of emphasis on the non-use of technology in the final act, and the juvenile, absurd nightclub scene where rave lights and circular screen graphics are meant to instill some deep sense of fear. Broadly, this movie does function. Unlike Rogue Nation, I don't feel a frustration with the ridiculous political positioning (although perhaps I've just gotten used to ignoring it), and unlike Fallout I don't have quite the pit forming in my stomach about how much I enjoyed the 'Tom Cruise is the best' show. We'll see how the final chapter stacks up.

[letterboxdd]

My first thoughts straight after watching Dead Reckoning!  

SPOILERS 

I am so disappointed.

From the start, the film is a mess. The writing is pretty bad, to be honest. The humour doesn't quite click like the others but most of all, the plot is.. what?  

They really shouldn't have gone with AI. God, I wish they hadn't. That opening. Meh. 

Oh and here's two halves of a key. That keeps getting pickpocketed. They're really important but no one knows why. They try to explain it so many times but none of us gets it. That's how dumb it is. 

Uh, so is Ethan like the head of the IMF now? Like wtf, the whole bit about the IMF is confusing and bad. The choices they apparently all had to make? Nah. That flashback? Nah. 

An arms dealer hosts a party in Venice? And posts two guards outside the door? Sure. Why not. 

One of the biggest letdowns is what they did with the female characters. I've always praised McQ for his writing of female characters. You'd think that having Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Pom Klementieff and Hayley Atwell would be great. But no. 

The biggest letdown is obviously the treatment of Ilsa Faust, a fan favourite. Ilsa has always been written so well. Remember how they deleted the kiss in Fallout because it made Ilsa weak at Ethan's expense? 

And yet Ilsa's very short storyline in the entire film, no wait, in the first half only (?!) is that she is killed in order to hurt Ethan? And the reason why is because an AI is making Ethan choose between two women, only one can live…

Talk. About. Making. Her. Weak. At. Ethan's. Expense. And bad writing. 

Also, we have Kittridge saying Ethan is always helping Ilsa out of trouble when it is *literally* the other way around. Did I mention bad writing or is it just Kittridge getting it all wrong? 

They fridged the best character of the franchise? And then, in the next scene, Ethan looks sad for a moment, Benji wipes a tear and then the next moment, the team convinces this stranger, this thief, who kept running away from Ethan.. to join the team? I-. No words. 

They had every chance of making Ilsa join the team. She was out of MI6. Literally, all we've seen of Ilsa with the team has been great? Fallout? She smiles and seems happy to be with them and they work so well together. But no, kill Ilsa for no reason and have this sort of damsel in distress *replace* her? 

Sure. Because we can't have two women on the team. Wow. 

Not to mention Pom as Paris, who is this kickass, cool baddie who turns… Good when Ethan saves her life? Okay. 

Vanessa Kirby doesn't have much to do either, unfortunately. 

I don't wanna get too much into it with Grace, but the forced moments between her and Ethan are so cringe. Like, he just met her and all she's done is run away from him but yeah, let's have these moments where we say each other's first names and look like we're about to cry and oh, are you okay? 

To me, it doesn't even really feel like a Mission: Impossible movie. Something feels off. And with the writing.. It's like they had these three big action scenes, the desert, car chase and the train scene and they didn't know how to put them together?

I know M:I is fun action and it's always been a bit over the top but.. The train sequence. When Gabriel times that fall? And just as Grace is about to get shot Ethan crashes into the train. I-. 

Sorry but.. This doesn't do it for me.

[yeah-w-r-i-t-e]

You reblogged the "send me questions and bother me" tumblr ask post so I thought I'd come to your inbox. I'm feeling like I'm about to get ill (you know, the first symptoms coming up but you can't grasp it yet) and I need some distraction from it.

So: please rank the Mission Impossible characters by how much you like them (please also add characters that only occurred once or twice throughout the series if you want to). Please tell me why. And then rank them again by the chaotic energy they're radiating :D

Do that only if you want to, that is. Thank you and all the best 🧡

Hey, thanks for the ask! I'm putting the rankings under a cut cause it's gonna get pretty long haha

My number one is obviously Benji!! I'm not sure I can put into words why and how much I love him, but I'll try. Benji became my favorite as soon as I watched Ghost Protocol. I love his nervous energy, how he rambles a lot, and how he clearly has a deep admiration for Ethan. My favorite thing about him, however, is how much he grows over the course of the movies! In mi3, he's just tech support. In Ghost Protocol, he's a freshly-made field agent. Obviously he knows his stuff, but he doesn't have much experience. He also has some major hero worship of Ethan going on (and, as Simon Pegg himself said, a crush). Then, in Rogue Nation, we see him confident enough in both his abilities and relationship with Ethan to yell at him and insist on helping. His character development is beautiful, and I only wish mi3 Benji could see Fallout Benji. I'll have to write that someday.

Number two is also obviously Ethan. He's so fucking crazy and I love that for him. But I also love how he's so obviously good. He's such a genuinely good person. And he has so much hope. He basically runs on hope; even when a mission goes disastrously wrong, he still hopes for the best outcome. That's why he's unwilling and unable to sacrifice any life; he has hope for the best outcome and always aims for that rather than a perhaps more realistic one. Have I mentioned I love how he's insane? One of my favorite tropes is when people underestimate how crazy and competent he is or think he's the bad guy, and he proves them wrong. Think Rogue Nation. I love him sm<3

I think Ilsa and Luther are tied for my 3rd favorites! I don't have as much to say about them but Ilsa is so competent (I love that scene where she's sitting on that one guy's shoulders and uses her legs to strangle him and then lands on her feet??? Fucking awesome) and Luther's sarcasm is hilarious (and he's stuck by Ethan this whole time). They're the two best members of Team Hunt (other than Benji ofc).

Okay while I do like the other IMF agents (like Brandt and Jane) I'm gonna skip them to go to my favorite villain: Owen Davian. NOT because I like the guy but because he's a FANTASTIC bad guy!! The interrogation scene where he pretends to have Julia killed??? AMAZING! I think he's the scariest villain of the whole franchise (Gabriel could never lol). He makes me genuinely afraid because he promised to go after Ethan's loved ones and did. He reached Julia, who was supposed to be safe as a civilian, and Ethan could do nothing about it. 10/10 villain right there

Okay, now in level of chaotic energy:

Okay number one is obviously Ethan. He is, as stated before, INSANE. It's not as obvious in the first movie (or even the second, despite the odd showboaty stunts), but it becomes clear when he does crazy shit like CLIMB THE BURJ KHALIFA and HANG OUTSIDE AN AIRPLANE IN FLIGHT that he's CRAZY!!! As Hunley says in Rogue Nation, he's the living manifestation of destiny. Whatever he wants to do, he'll do it, no matter how impossible (no pun intended) it seems.

Number two is Paris! My only evidence is that scene where she goes into road rage in the car chase. I mean, look at this!!!

Possibly controversial but I'm ranking Sean Ambrose from mi2 in third because he cut off his employee's finger and shot him like a million times. And because of this picture of him:

I just think it's funny.

You may be thinking. Where is Benji on this list? Does he not have enough chaotic energy to be in the top 5 at least? The answer is that yes, he does, but I'm afraid I am incapable of being unbiased when it comes to Benji. Ethan is obviously the crazy man of the franchise, but I can't tell if I'm exaggerating Benji's chaotic energy in my mind because I spend all my spare time shaking him in a little metaphorical glass jar. Benji's somewhere on the list. Maybe 2 and a half??

Anyways thank you again for the ask, and I hope you feel better! Sorry it's so late; I had a lot of family stuff today:)

[imfagentsworld]

The following contains spoilers of Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning part one, you have been warned.

Goodbye Mission Impossible series. Goodbye IMF team.

When I watched Dead Reckoning Part One, I was heartbroken, angry, and confused. Now a few days later, I don't have any of the above emotions, I only have infinite disappointment and feeling sorry for them, for this great series, for a group of actors who are one of the best in the world, and for those brilliant characters that the audience loves dearly.

I feel so fucking insane, How did this even occur? What the actual fuck are you doing? McQ? You're telling me this is what we've been waiting five years for?

Where is the man who can write a script with a well-conceived, plausible plot that resonates with audiences and makes them want to walk into the theater again and again? (All the people around me are saying they won't watch it again because it's heartbreaking and overlong. Box office receipts won't be low because of the dazzling stunts that will seal the mouths of people who want to give it bad reviews.)

What about not weakening one character for the sake of highlighting another?

(You mean the White Widow who became retarded to set up Grace's awesomeness? Or Ilsa, who ridiculously sacrificed her life to put Grace on the throne? The White Widow is a ruthless, highly intelligent arms dealer who trust no one. And she just casually enters a compartment with no private security. Have you forgotten how great a fighter she was in the Grand Palais in Paris? And she was instantly overpowered by a petty thief with absolutely no training. Ha, just like that. Oh, and we should thank you for interspersing a couple of giddy, goofy scenes of her, that worked. She does looked retarded and weak.

Ilsa, a world-class top agent who can kill men much stronger than her with her bare hands, who can kill Bone Doctor with a knife and beat Solomon Lane even if she's tied to a chair at first.

She's holding a sword. Using a long weapon against Gabriel's short blade. Do you have any common sense in weapons melee combat? Ilsa can cut him to pieces. But hey, don't worry, let's make Ilsa drop the long sword and spin around a couple times to get stabbed to death by Gabriel. Omg it's so smart. I don't care if Ilsa faked her death or will come back to life in MI8, you've already ruined everything.)

What about "story is king"?

（The whole movie revolves around the queen Grace and various stunts, plus the concept of AI ruling human society, and a few dry laughs. At nearly 3 hours long, it doesn't tell the story well. All the wonderful characters are completely instrumentalized. Large stretches of unnecessary dialog and stunts for the sake of stunts make the movie worse.）

Rebecca and Vanessa please don't return for the next movie, I'm shocked how you even agreed to come back to MI7? It seems like you guys think like us that they won't mess it up haphazardly. You guys exist to set someone up for greatness and your characters have been ruined. So go to a movie crew that actually values you and go work happily in a toxin free environment. I'd rather Fallout be the last in the whole series. I refuse to accept everything shown in Dead Reckoning.

You have failed to live up to the legacy and reputation that the great directors, thousands of cast and crew members have built for the series over the years. You have failed to live up to the expectations of all the IMF fans and viewers around the world. You have ruined the good characters and outstanding results you created before. You killed Ilsa and the love for this movie series in the hearts of countless audiences. That's a crime.

I wonder who will take the blame, the unknown and unrepresented Eric the old man? Or you, the man who built and destroyed everything? The cinema is dead, the last worth waiting for series is gone, and maybe that's the worst thing in this industry. Goodbye mission impossible, goodbye IMF team. When we started this journey, no one would have thought it would end this way.

[calkale]

As someone who relatively enjoyed MI7 (bc I go no thoughts mode and just watch Tom run around), im sooo curious about your thoughts

im putting this under the cut cause I need to rant about it again and its gonna be LONG, thank you for asking tho

a lot of this is gonna be a repeat of what I said when I watched the movie (I have not seen it since it was in theatres), idk where those posts are but they should be under #mi7 spoilers if you wanna find them.

okay first off im not gonna talk about the overall plot, I couldn't care less about it and I knew that going into the movie. its the stunts and the overall feel of that movie that piss me off. I watch mi movies because I wanna have a good time and watch tom cruise do cool stuff and thats not what I got out of this movie.

im starting with the cliff jump stunt cause I was just thinking about it. the buildup was Ass with a capital A. they cut away from ethan riding up the mountain too many times and for too long at a time. I was comparing it to the scene when ethans chasing walker in fallout because to me that was cut perfectly. Cutting from ethan to benji and sometimes walker for a few seconds so I knew where ethan was and where he was trying to get to but I still felt the build up, I knew he was gonna catch walker but I was still thinking "omg is he gonna make it?". and the cuts to benji and luthor worked well because they were still a part of what was going on and the map on benjis ipad helped visualize what was going on. in mi7 when Ethans riding up the mountain the cuts between him and benji where really good but I hate that they kept cutting back to the train. They could've easily had more obstacles for ethan on the way up the mountain if they needed! its a long ride but showing the mountain and a few shots of Ethan at different parts would've been good enough, we could've had Benji asking him "are you there yet?" like every minute so we get that a lot of time is passing but not enough that the tension stops building and a funny little joke between the two of them. I understand why it cuts back to grace/alanna on the train during that time but those are two very different things going on that are building tension in very different ways. call me crazy but ethan jumping off a cliff is different than grace dressed as someone she's not sitting down to talk to someone. it was just really hard to get invested in either of the two things going on. then the actual jumping off the cliff was such a letdown, I did not feel a fucking thing when he jumps off then it cuts away immediately after like that wasn't The Stunt of the movie?? you dont put a stunt like that on posters and post a 20 minute behind the scenes video about it for it to feel like that and show basically none of it!! show ethan flying through the sky!! show him landing on the train!!! I thought he was gonna land on the train but no that gets taken away in favour of a fucking joke when he crashes through the window. yes mi movies are supposed to be funny im fine with that I love that but come on!! let tom cruise land on the train!!! he can still slip and fall on top of the train but let that old man get his enrichment time!!

now for the train. Im sorry but it looked horrendous, the cgi was Not Good and I can't get past it. with other movies I try my best to not care but this is Mission Impossible. I know they did crash a train I love that but all the cgi added in around it and when Ethan and Grace are climbing through the train looks So Bad. it takes away from everything going on because you know its not real. I get it yeah yeah they can't dangle actors from wires while a train is slipping off a cliff but theres gotta be some way to make it look better. like I said about the bike stunt there was no tension there to me and I felt so disconnected from the movie and the characters, I like putting myself in situations and its hard when im like hm thats not real.

the fiat car chase. this was when I was like "fuck, I hate this movie", im sure we all know by now I am not a hayley atwell fan, so what sue me im allowed to not like people. I didn't like this car chase because it was mostly her driving. BABE THIS IS MISSION IMPOSSIBLE IM HERE TO SEE TOM CRUISE DRIVE NOT HER!!! if she was good then whatever but shes not for the bit. I feel like a lot of things that could've been really cool were pushed aside in favour of humour in this movie and I hate it. you can have both!! they literally did it in rogue nation and you're allowed to have callbacks in this movie so you can have a car chase like the one in rogue nation again!!! just let tom drive so it looks cool or even let hayley drive I dont care I just want it to look cool and have the humour stay inside the car. doing bits like this made the movie feel more generic and like they were trying to appeal to, dare I say, mcu fans. i like mission impossible because they get the ratio of humour to action perfect every time, and they're always so good at timing it too but in this movie especially during this chase it did not work for me and I didn't even find it funny if im being honest.

obviously I also have to talk about ilsa and im gonna shit on mcqs writing so apologies. there are two ways to look at this, one shes dead and two shes not dead, both are bad writing IN MY OPINION. if she is dead that was an awful way to send off such a loved character, she was hardly in the movie. im all for more women in movies but she definitely could've replaced grace and I think it would've given her and ethan a much better dynamic. ilsa barely has any lines??? I wouldn't even call her a side character in this movie like my friend didn't even know her name thats how insignificant she was. the sword fight was cool as fuck, rebecca slayed, but she really should've won that fight? maybe if she was outnumbered id be like okay thats a little more likely but it just feels really out of character for me. now if she DIDNT die then im also pissed because fake killing a character twice in the same movie is a little much for me, if it happened at the start of the movie and the end of the movie then okay I can deal with it but she died twice in like the first part of the movie? im sorry to say it but im sure most casual viewers forgot about her by the end of the movie and if they go back for part two and she comes back it's not gonna mean a whole lot to them. and ethans reaction to her death didn't sit right with me, this guy was a theatre kid he can at least somewhat act sad when the girl he loves fake dies and he should be allowed to, for like 5 minutes at least, I know theres a lot of stuff going on but he loved her!! let him cry a little!! and if we're supposed to believe shes dead then ethan not reacting is not helping.

one last thing I wanna add and I know im probably the only one who feels this because I know most people liked the movie, but when you make a part one and part two that release at different times you want people to like part one. it needs to be able to stand well on its own so people want to watch part two and are excited for it. am I gonna watch part two? probably yeah I wanna see that plane stunt but im not excited for it and I really feel like im just gonna be let down in the same ways again. I dont want to go see a movie for the stunts when I know I hated the stunts in the first part and I didn't come out of it caring about the plot or the characters (other than benji <3) so what am I going for? i have no reason to see that movie or be excited for it

I would also like to add I know this is not the movie tom and mcq wanted to put out since the original cut was like what 4 hours? and the movie was extremely over budget because of covid but I can still be mad about the finished product

[trinitynox]

Trin Reviews: Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part I

This review contains spoilers for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part I

-----

Amidst the memery and hyper of Barbenheimer, Tom Cruise’s latest attempt at tempting fate and spiting god appears to have slipped by audiences – kinda like how Ethan Hunt slipped by his pursuers in the movie though he probably intended it.

As someone who hasn’t even watched every movie in the franchise (never saw M:I 1 or 2; vaguely remembers 3-6), some easter eggs and themes are going to be lost on me, so do forgive me. I also rate Fallout to be the best Mission: Impossible before going into this one. Has this entry changed my ranking?

The movie opens with a tense scene in a Russian submarine, the Sevastopol, in a sea-trial gone wrong that sets the movie in motion. Ethan is then sent to rescue Ilsa from mercenaries sent by his boss. In true Mission: Impossible fashion, the fight isn’t easy. The power couple has to shoot their way out (I agree with Hideo Kojima, Rebecca Ferguson with an eye patch, sniping... sweats) of a sandstorm and fake Ilsa’s death. Maybe because I’ve seen the trails too many times but the camera work didn’t feel as impressive to me in this scene as I thought it would from the trailers. Or maybe it’s the score? I don’t know. 

I was originally going to continue on scene by scene but then it wouldn’t really be a review, would it? It’d be a text based reaction commentary. 

So anyway, the movie was supremely entertaining. My partner who has never watched a single Mission: Impossible, was very happy with the movie and had the urge to watch every preceding movie after we came out of the theatre. 

The action was fantastic. A lot of hype and attention was given to Tom Cruise biking off a cliff and parachuting down but to me, the more impressive stunt was the fight atop the Orient Express, where they had built a train to shoot on and eventually wreck because they couldn’t find a train that they could also destroy. 

Tom Cruise and Esai Morales (and his stunt person, I guess?) fighting on a moving train was one of the tensest and most exhilarating fight sequence I’ve seen. One wrong move and the whole thing could’ve been over. Then there was the part where they had to fight on their bellies while the train was going through a tunnel. God. What a show. I’m really interested in knowing how the whole sequence was filmed.

A fight that I was not a huge fan of was between Rebecca Ferguson (Ilsa) and Esai Morales (Gabriel). Ilsa entered the fight with a sword while Gabriel had a knife. In theory, as long as Ilsa kept her distance, she had the advantage. BUT SHE KEPT CLOSING THE DISTANCE, WHERE SHE HAD EVERY DISADVANTAGE. That ticked me off so badly, and made me so anxious, especially since Ilsa is my favourite MI girl. She had Gabriel locked with her legs at one point, which he obviously used as an opportunity to stab her in the thigh...

Needless to say, I was quite upset with Ilsa’s death (they faked her death once, they can do it again. C’mon McQ) especially with her role in this movie. She felt less like a character and more like an NPC team member whose role is to get the MC to the next plot point.

Haley Atwell was a welcomed addition to the crew, if only it wasn’t so obvious she would be replacing Rebecca Ferguson. Ethan being given a choice on whether Grace or Ilsa should die may seem weird, and it kinda is, given that Ethan and Ilsa has been through so much together. Even if not romantic partners, Ilsa should’ve been the obvious choice for Ethan to save over Grace. But I think him not being able to choose or refusing to choose is very in character for Ethan. He will have his cake and eat it too, or die trying.

Anyways, back to Grace. The chemistry between Ethan and Grace is fantastic, and I think it’s carried by Haley Atwell’s charm. She definitely showed that she has the potential to be a stellar field agent but not one yet. Someone put it well, she’s well versed in the criminal world but terrible in the spy world. I think she just needs some training and polishing, which I think she will get with the implication of her joining the IMF.

Which leads me to the comedy in this movie. I think this is the funniest Mission movie of the ones I can remember. The jokes are not the quippy Marvel fare, which has gotten grating over the years with almost every character having a one-liner. The comedy in this one is more situational, more like 2 close friends giving each other shit and being themselves, and of course lamp-shading how absurd the series has gotten. (What does the International Monetary Fund got to do with this?)

I think almost every joke landed for me or at least got a chuckle out of me. And it didn’t detract from the emotional moments while adding some levity to moments that didn’t need to be as serious where other franchises might’ve taken very seriously. 

I have tried to find a way to work in parts about Vanessa Kirby and Pom Klementieff in this review but failed to because their characters were fairly minor and not very relevant to the central core of the plot. They’re not irrelevant, just minor.

Nothing much to say about Vanessa Kirby’s White Widow except the way looks she gives throughout the movie makes me feel things. Such a powerful and commanding presence whenever her character is relevant to the scene. 

Pom Klementieff’s Paris was fun. I’m glad she survived and hope to see her in Part II. Her enjoying the thrill of the chase and fight with Ethan in a tight alley makes me think she could be a very good Harley Quinn. Maybe an alternate version since Margot Robbie currently owns that role? 

I thought the story was a little weak compared to Fallout, but the latter had set a high bar for Mission so it’s not a failure on Dead Reckoning Part I to not meet that bar. It was a little confusing who the players are, which side they’re on etc, but perhaps that is the point? 

In this crazy crazy world where facts almost don’t matter, how can you know who is good and who is bad? Who is right and who is wrong? The movie has pointed out that Ethan has gone rogue frequently to save the world and that he has always been right to do so. But what if he’s wrong once? What will the consequences be when Ethan thinks he’s doing what he’s doing for the greater good but is actually becoming the very villain he has tried to stop time and time again? ...That might be a good potential movie idea. TC, McQ, gimme a call.

There’s also a question of what is the Entity’s end goal? What does it want? Besides killing Ethan, of course.

I hope these question can be answered in the next movie, along with a proper emotional payoff for Ilsa’s death (SHE BETTER NOT BE DEAD)

8.5/10

[ultrahpfan5blog]

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One.......a thoroughly fun but unsettling blockbuster

MI films are all films that I enjoy. I like MI2, which every shits on. I think MI3 is underrated. MI4, 5, and 6 is where the series became great. So I was very much looking forward to MI7. Having seen it today, I am not sure what to feel about it. The movie is great, with phenomenal action, but I think this is easily the most somber and most unsettling MI movie yet. MI movies have always been a bit outlandish. Dealing with masks, secret organizations, nuclear threats, which while possible, feel like something that would happen in a movie. So it provided escapist entertainment. But Dead Reckoning stumbles into real world concerns about technology and delivers it a way that genuinely made me a bit uneasy at times, because it isn't outside of the scope of imagination of something like this existing. The film is also tonally darker than most previous MI films. There is real world peril and consequences to characters and their fates. The characters themselves look like they are under more strain than in previous films. The action sequences are phenomenal. The entire train sequence, the bike jump, the Rome car chase are all expertly done. The story is interesting and constantly involving. The film also feels like it completes one chapter of the story, so it feels like a complete movie, teasing the next chapter, as opposed to leaving big cliffhangers for Part 2. I also liked the general sense of eeriness in the film. The use of close ups and dutch angles are interesting. Also liked the exploration of what makes an IMF agent and what role they play in the intelligence network.

That being said, there were a few complaints that I had. As a villain, Garbriel left a little to be desired. There is a past teased between Ethan and Gabriel, but it is never explained. Maybe Part 2 will get into it, but it feels like something that should have been covered in this one given that their personal relationship is pretty important in the story. The way Ilsa is used in the story is not something I am a big fan of. Jasper Briggs and his partner felt like a bit of a waste of screen time. In general, it felt like the movie had a few too many characters and Briggs and his partner weren't really necessary in this film. Additionally, the team aspect of MI got diluted a bit because Benji and Luther are sidelined due to the nature of the threat. Whereas the team played big parts in the resolution in Fallout, Rogue Nation, and Ghost Protocol, here it did feel like the Ethan and Grace show. Also, while the action sequences are fabulous, there are times that it feels like they go on for a bit too long, so some editing could have been done.

Tom Cruise, as usual, is a his best and giving his all in the movie. Hayley Atwell really steals every scene she's in and she has great chemistry with Tom. Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames now are at ease with their characters. Henry Czerny is a welcome return as Kittridge. Pom Klementieff makes an impact as an assassin. Its kind of odd to see her in a role like this after seeing her as Mantis. Rebecca Ferguson is excellent as always, though I wasn't a big fan of how her character was sidelined and handled in the movie. Esai Morales is a little underwhelming as the main physical threat in the movie. There's nothing wrong with him or his performance, but he doesn't really deliver on the threat level. Vanessa Kirby is excellent in the movie. Shea Whigham and Cary Elwes are welcome presences.

Overall, McQuarrie continues to knock it out of the park and the tease for Part 2 is interesting. I do want to watch this again before I finalize my ranking. Right now it is about an 8/10 for me.

[girlysword]

My Mission Impossible Ranking: Worst to Best

MI2: Would be “so stupid it is amazing” were it not for the way some of the characters talk about women. I know we are not supposed to like the misogynist characters, but what they say is so vile that if this movie had been rated R and they just called Newton’s character the c-word a bunch of times I would have found that less offensive.

MI1 and MI3: I could come up with a bunch of seemingly objective reasons why these are so low, but the truth is, because I was too young to even be aware of these movies much less see them when they were released, they don’t feel like they belong to me the way the movies from Ghost Protocol onwards have.

Dead Reckoning Part 1: I loved some things and hated others. 

Ghost Protocol: The perfect movie to introduce me to this franchise.

Rogue Nation: The introduction of Ilsa Faust and the opera scene, need I say more?

Fallout: Lady Gaga gif “amazing, show-stopping, never the same...”