Mission: Impossible - films and tv series

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  • Posts: 2,168
    LucknFate wrote: »
    Feyador wrote: »
    By point of comparison with Bond, the Cruise character is so sexless and without style, such a marked contrast, and thus in keeping with our somewhat dour times, I guess.

    Has he ever had a romantic relationship in the series? I think there's something in the backstory,which I'm struggling to recall, but feels so inconsequential it may be hardly worth the bother.

    Was there much if any hint of such potential with any of the three or four female leads, I must confess to having dropped off once or twice in viewing the film yesterday. That they're all much younger actresses probably renders this potential verboten. Nevertheless they were all very much the highlight for me, especially the new character, Grace. That plus situating the various set pieces and scenes in a larger Bond context.

    Shame about the often risible dialogue and McGuffin plot about which I struggled to care .....

    I mean, there was the entire movie about his wife, and the follow-up movie that brought her back for the finale. You don't seem very serious.

    And Nyah in MI2.

    But I do agree about the whole backstory element trying to create a more emotional and historical link between Hunt and Gabriel. It risks falling into the SP/NTTD trap of all the heroes and villains knowing each other prior to the event of the film, and usually that doesnt really work.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,999
    Yeah that's one of the few complaints I walked away with. It felt too easy. They should've gone with something like:
    Gabriel being illusive enough and only getting spotted momentarily by Ethan at the Abu Dhabi International Airport, but it results in him killing Isla or somebody else earlier on by his own hand, giving Ethan a fresh and hungry desire to kill him. I didn't need to see another loved one of Ethan's was killed off years prior by Gabriel or that Ethan was once a criminal or anything like that.
  • edited July 2023 Posts: 4,617
    Its always one of the big challenges, to come up with interesting villains. I dont think you need a back story, Lane IMHO just seemed more evil, whether it was script, casting or execution ?, Lane worked and Gabs didn't work so well. Of course, Davien was brilliant. I'm sure McQ would have loved to have such a villain.
  • edited July 2023 Posts: 352
    Feyador wrote: »
    By point of comparison with Bond, the Cruise character is so sexless and without style, such a marked contrast, and thus in keeping with our somewhat dour times, I guess.

    Has he ever had a romantic relationship in the series? I think there's something in the backstory,which I'm struggling to recall, but feels so inconsequential it may be hardly worth the bother.

    Was there much if any hint of such potential with any of the three or four female leads, I must confess to having dropped off once or twice in viewing the film yesterday. That they're all much younger actresses probably renders this potential verboten. Nevertheless they were all very much the highlight for me, especially the new character, Grace. That plus situating the various set pieces and scenes in a larger Bond context.

    Shame about the often risible dialogue and McGuffin plot about which I struggled to care .....

    The genius of Bond is he is highly sexual, a misogynist, playful yet cold. Charming but deadly.

    Tragically, I feel the next incarnation of Bond will be wokeified to such extent he'll be similar to Ethan Hunt.

    The essence of Bond is the antithesis of woke. Given the popularity of MI and John Wick how can there be a very sexist, promiscuous spy like Bond? I can't see it happening. Never going to return. Bond 26 will be chasing the shadow of Dead Reckoning Parts 1 and 2.
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 8,238
    Ethan Hunt I see without style? Throughout the series his suits consistently topped Craig’s.
  • Posts: 669
    I saw it Monday night and enjoyed it very, very much. I'll need to see it again to collect my thoughts but overall I thought it was great fun. I would definitely recommend it and I would also recommend seeing on a big screen for maximum effect.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,196
    Anyone using the term “woke” earnestly ought to sort out their priorities.
  • Posts: 3,278
    patb wrote: »
    Its always one of the big challenges, to come up with interesting villains.
    It shouldn't be. A great actor who has some great lines should suffice. MI3 proved that.
  • matt_umatt_u better known as Mr. Roark
    Posts: 4,343
    Mallory wrote: »
    matt_u wrote: »
    So it looks like it will collect $250/270M til Sunday.
    Besting Fallout and crossing $800M globally sounds quite likely with such an opening.

    For comparison, Fallout did $153m opening weekend worldwide in 2017, though I think that was a Fri-Sun take only, making a comparison a little trickier.

    Fallout had a 5.2x multiplier from opening weekend ($791m total). If DRP1 follows, it places it at $1.3bn.

    In any case, an excellent start for the film.

    Well yes any comparison is kinda pointless to a regular 3 day opening.
    Domestic numbers looking fine but not great. Next weekend Barbie and Nolan will storm the boxoffice.
    China is a big let down and Korea as well. It really needs incredible late legs. The billion is obviously impossible.
  • Posts: 348
    Zekidk wrote: »
    patb wrote: »
    Its always one of the big challenges, to come up with interesting villains.
    It shouldn't be. A great actor who has some great lines should suffice. MI3 proved that.

    The dialogue was awful in that film.
  • edited July 2023 Posts: 256
    matt_u wrote: »
    Well yes any comparison is kinda pointless to a regular 3 day opening.
    Domestic numbers looking fine but not great. Next weekend Barbie and Nolan will storm the boxoffice.
    China is a big let down and Korea as well. It really needs incredible late legs. The billion is obviously impossible.

    Hopefully M:I DR reach $800m (i'm sure it will be great legs), this movie deserve that, one of the last action films where the stunts are real. China is over for Hollywood-Movies...

  • Jordo007Jordo007 Merseyside
    Posts: 2,641
    I'm seeing it tonight, haven't been this excited to see a film since seeing Top Gun last year
  • edited July 2023 Posts: 440
    Have a lot of positive thoughts but since many of them have been expressed here, I'll just rant about something people haven't really brought up so far. IMO this is probably the worst shot film in the franchise to date.

    It was a big mistake to put a guy who had basically only ever DPed one movie before this in charge of the cinematography (especially given the switch to digital and the fact that it's deliberately visually echoing the 1996 film).

    I didn't like the look of the third one but that was at least because it was just a style I didn't enjoy, I could still see that it was well done for what it was.

    Looking at this and the DePalma/Burum work on the first one back to back just made me sad about how blocking and shooting massive blockbusters in an interesting way outside of their action scenes has really stopped being a concern for most non-Bond franchises.

    Hell, even if you look at Elswit's work on Rogue Nation, it just blows this film out of the water.

    The sad thing is, this is still one of the better recent blockbusters because it's at least competent and visually coherent, but I wish it was more.

    The action stuff is probably the best shot but nowhere in the film is there any bit of blocking/camerawork as marvellously elegant as this one single introduction shot in the first one.

    This scene has the thankless task of being both a character introduction and an exposition dump, yet you can learn so much about the characters just from watching its first 10 seconds on mute.

    0rb0s2Q.gif


  • edited July 2023 Posts: 3,278
    M_Blaise wrote: »
    Zekidk wrote: »
    patb wrote: »
    Its always one of the big challenges, to come up with interesting villains.
    It shouldn't be. A great actor who has some great lines should suffice. MI3 proved that.
    The dialogue was awful in that film.
    Ehhmmm. No!

    It's a feast of clever oneliners and phrases like "please don't interrupt me when I'm asking rhetorical questions", "I will bleed on the American flag to make sure those stripes stay red", " You hung me out of a plane. You can tell a lot about a person's character by how they treat people they don't have to treat well."
  • Jordo007Jordo007 Merseyside
    Posts: 2,641
    I must be in the minority but I really enjoyed MI3, it's not without it's flaws but it felt more like MI film than MI2 (even though that's a guilty pleasure of mine)
  • SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria
    Posts: 2,158
    MI2 is a guilty pleasure of mine. But I feel like it's from Ghost Protocol that the franchise started discovering itself.
  • Jordo007Jordo007 Merseyside
    Posts: 2,641
    MI2 is a guilty pleasure of mine. But I feel like it's from Ghost Protocol that the franchise started discovering itself.

    Yeah definitely mate, they found their "formula" and took the series to the next level
  • SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria
    Posts: 2,158
    Jordo007 wrote: »
    MI2 is a guilty pleasure of mine. But I feel like it's from Ghost Protocol that the franchise started discovering itself.

    Yeah definitely mate, they found their "formula" and took the series to the next level

    Exactly.
  • Posts: 1,496
    MI2 is a guilty pleasure of mine. But I feel like it's from Ghost Protocol that the franchise started discovering itself.

    Ghost Protocol is my fav so far. Seeing MI7 tomorrow.
  • talos7talos7 New Orleans
    Posts: 8,238
    Jordo007 wrote: »
    I must be in the minority but I really enjoyed MI3, it's not without it's flaws but it felt more like MI film than MI2 (even though that's a guilty pleasure of mine)

    I absolutely love MI:3; it may not be as polished as came afterward but it's where the series established it's own identity. By giving him a life outside of the spy world, Hunt is made a much more three dimensional character; wisely though the series didn't wallow in the personal side and focused on action, adventure and intrigue.
  • SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria
    Posts: 2,158
    ColonelSun wrote: »
    MI2 is a guilty pleasure of mine. But I feel like it's from Ghost Protocol that the franchise started discovering itself.

    Ghost Protocol is my fav so far. Seeing MI7 tomorrow.

    Yeah, Ghost Protocol is a good one.
  • Posts: 669
    ColonelSun wrote: »
    MI2 is a guilty pleasure of mine. But I feel like it's from Ghost Protocol that the franchise started discovering itself.

    Ghost Protocol is my fav so far. Seeing MI7 tomorrow.

    Yeah, Ghost Protocol is a good one.

    Ghost Protocol is so good. Not my favorite, but I think that (along with the first one) it's the most important film in the series. I don't think it's hyperbole to say it saved the franchise.
  • SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria
    edited July 2023 Posts: 2,158
    ColonelSun wrote: »
    MI2 is a guilty pleasure of mine. But I feel like it's from Ghost Protocol that the franchise started discovering itself.

    Ghost Protocol is my fav so far. Seeing MI7 tomorrow.

    Yeah, Ghost Protocol is a good one.

    Ghost Protocol is so good. Not mDry favorite, but I think that (along with the first one) it's the most important film in the series. I don't think it's hyperbole to say it saved the franchise.

    Yeah. Ghost Protocol was where the formula as we know it today, was finally discovered and massively built upon. It indeed saved the franchise. Ghost Protocol is the franchise's GoldenEye & Casino Royale. Only difference is, James Bond found his formula much earlier, right from Dr. No and was cemented in Goldfinger.
  • Posts: 1,496
    ColonelSun wrote: »
    MI2 is a guilty pleasure of mine. But I feel like it's from Ghost Protocol that the franchise started discovering itself.

    Ghost Protocol is my fav so far. Seeing MI7 tomorrow.

    Yeah, Ghost Protocol is a good one.

    Ghost Protocol is so good. Not my favorite, but I think that (along with the first one) it's the most important film in the series. I don't think it's hyperbole to say it saved the franchise.

    When I was in the editing rooms I did work on MI 1 at Pinewood Studios. First off, Cruise is a gentleman and treats everyone on the crew with respect and, how the hell he does it, he remembers everyone's names and positions on the film. We screened the first cut at BAFTA for the editing team and the producers, director etc. and the initial reaction wasn't too favourable. The film needed, from what I recall, a lot of tightening up and other work, but it came together in the end.
  • LucknFateLucknFate 007 In New York
    Posts: 1,661
    ColonelSun wrote: »
    ColonelSun wrote: »
    MI2 is a guilty pleasure of mine. But I feel like it's from Ghost Protocol that the franchise started discovering itself.

    Ghost Protocol is my fav so far. Seeing MI7 tomorrow.

    Yeah, Ghost Protocol is a good one.

    Ghost Protocol is so good. Not my favorite, but I think that (along with the first one) it's the most important film in the series. I don't think it's hyperbole to say it saved the franchise.

    When I was in the editing rooms I did work on MI 1 at Pinewood Studios. First off, Cruise is a gentleman and treats everyone on the crew with respect and, how the hell he does it, he remembers everyone's names and positions on the film. We screened the first cut at BAFTA for the editing team and the producers, director etc. and the initial reaction wasn't too favourable. The film needed, from what I recall, a lot of tightening up and other work, but it came together in the end.

    Cool! Happy to hear Cruise is a decent guy one-on-one.
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,509
    Hey all:

    A friend led me to the latest “Scriptshadow” article re: Mission: Impossible, and action set pieces in general.

    I admittedly have lost the plot with M:I films. The last three all blended together, and I genuinely forget which is which.

    I also have my own personal prejudice against Cruise that started during the first Top Gun, when I was a kid. Everyone loved the film, and I loathed it. And I didn’t like the leading man. This was, and still is, my cross to bear, 😂.

    However, this article may’ve struck-on why I forget these films so easily, but, because I’m obviously not the intended audience (I won’t be seeing this film, or any Cruise film in the future), and my perspective is tainted with bias, I throw this article to all the M:I fans (those who have seen the new one, but also those who’ve yet to see it). I’m very curious to see what your take is. Thanks for taking the time to read and share your thoughts (where the writer is wrong, where he’s right, what he’s missing…):

    http://scriptshadow.net/
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    edited July 2023 Posts: 40,999
    That article makes a good point in regards to contained and simple setpieces. There's a reason people are still talking about the heist sequence in the first installment or even the flashy and beautifully choreographed bathroom right in Fallout.
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,509
    @Creasy47 , that's the thing that struck me; I saw the first Mission when it came out, and I still remember so much of it, including the scene he discusses... But I remember the story and many other scenes, and characters

    But the last three?.... I can't remember what happened in which film. And forget about what the stories are about, and other than remembeing Paula Patton (she made my heart beat fast...), beating up a young Maddy Swan, and Simon Pegg bumbling about, I can't rember very many characters (unless my head is given a shake)...

    Thanks for commenting, and I'm curious about this from a writing perspective (cuz it all starts on the page...)
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,999
    peter wrote: »
    @Creasy47 , that's the thing that struck me; I saw the first Mission when it came out, and I still remember so much of it, including the scene he discusses... But I remember the story and many other scenes, and characters

    But the last three?.... I can't remember what happened in which film. And forget about what the stories are about, and other than remembeing Paula Patton (she made my heart beat fast...), beating up a young Maddy Swan, and Simon Pegg bumbling about, I can't rember very many characters (unless my head is given a shake)...

    Thanks for commenting, and I'm curious about this from a writing perspective (cuz it all starts on the page...)

    I have a friend who's excited to see the latest installment this weekend and I told him he had to at least see the first film, which he managed to ignore all these years cause he doesn't like "older films" (AKA stuff from the '90s and earlier, despite being born in the late '80s himself - his loss). He knew nothing of the film and yet even that sequence had stood out to him as something he remembered seeing a few times in the past. It's really iconic.

    How many times have you seen the previous three installments? I have no such confusion, but then again I saw all of them in cinemas and have seen them lots of times since. I know if I only saw them one time over several years, I'd probably get them mixed up too.

    And of course, thank you for sharing that link. I did browse it, make my comment, and then return to read it in full, but it was entertaining nevertheless.
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,509
    @Creasy47 i saw the first two in the cinema, but so loathed the second one, I skipped the third when it was released. Ironically, and controversially, when I DID see the third film (on DVD), that was, and still is, by far, and without competition, my favourite Mission film and the only one I’ve seen more than twice.

    The next three I took my son to, and then watched with the family again, but, almost complete amnesia after the viewings, 😂….

    And, although I couldn’t stand number two, I (painfully) remember more about this entry, than the last three combined.
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