Mission: Impossible - films and tv series

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  • ProfJoeButcherProfJoeButcher Bless your heart
    Posts: 1,711
    I'm probably a little late on this, but a quick MI7 review:

    It was surprisingly bad. This is my third favorite film franchise (after Bond and JP), and I just can't wrap my head around how the film turned out this way. It's bloated with characters (how many different unsavory government officials do we need? How many badass women of opaque allegiances?) and even unnecessarily doubles its Macguffin into two parts.

    And that Macguffin is terrible. I'm sure I'm exaggerating, but it felt like there were a dozen moments where a character effortlessly pickpocketed the thing off-camera. This is not dynamic storytelling. It was like watching Ocean's 12 over and over.

    The action--maybe this is just me--didn't do anything for me. Fallout is not a favorite of mine, mostly because the tone is a little darker than I'd want and they don't do a proper infiltration, but the action is undeniably inventive and memorable. Every sequence in Dead Reckoning felt like something I've seen before. And frankly, I don't think DR did anything better. I thought the trailer scene in The Lost World was more suspenseful than the train carriages in this film. I honestly think the FYEO Citroen chase is more effective than the comic chase in DR.

    MI hasn't had a ton of strong villains, but Gabriel must be at the bottom of the list. The made up backstory was kind of pointless, and the strange hints of psychopathy (playing with a dead body strung out on the train) seemed a bit desperate.

    I really did not see this coming. I feel I have fair expectations of these franchises I like. (I love all four of the last Bond movies and all six Jurassic movies) I'm not terribly hard to please with this franchise genre stuff. Very odd movie.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,496
    I've been listening to the Empire Spoiler Special interview with McQ on this film (it's part one of perhaps three) and as per usual it's full of fascinating stuff. It's three and a half hours with more on the way.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,984
    Is that something accessible to all or do you need some subscription for it? I'm still obsessing over DR Part One so would love to give it a listen.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited July 2023 Posts: 16,496
    You do need to subscribe, but these are always so good that I've bitten the bullet and paid my £2.99. I'll probably cancel once they're done, but they're always worth a listen. His spoiler specials for the last two M:I films are on there too and very much worth a listen if you haven't heard them before, they're fascinating.

    He talks a lot about the very interesting character of Marie in this one (so far- I'm less than an hour in!), how the opening sequence of the film had to be completely restructured, how it nearly had a de-aged sequence (with Julia Roberts!), and has also mentioned how he had to direct quite a few scenes remotely due to be contact traced by the COVID tracker whilst making it.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,984
    That's a shame but that's a small price to pay for something surely so entertaining. Let me know when all three (or however many there are) are out and ready, I might subscribe then so I can binge through them over a couple of days.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited July 2023 Posts: 16,496
    Sure, will do. There's even a live show tomorrow night with McQ in London if you're near, only £12.50, not sure if it's sold out yet. I considered it but thought it'll probably be available as a podcast.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,984
    mtm wrote: »
    Sure, will do. There's even a live show tomorrow night with McQ in London if you're near, only £12.50, not sure if it's sold out yet. I considered it but thought it'll probably be available as a podcast.

    What a steal. If London was near my small town in West Virginia, I'd absolutely be there.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited July 2023 Posts: 16,496
    Ah righto; I wasn't sure where you were- I sensed the Cuba thing probably wasn't accurate(!)

    Another interesting thing: McQ says that the de-aging sequence he had planned (with Julia Roberts?!) was quoted to cost as much as the train sequence- and there's a lot in that sequence! That maybe shines a light on why Indy 5 had such a big budget.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,984
    That de-aging tech must be way more costly than I realized. It was going to have Julia Roberts involved? Well I'm certainly glad that didn't pan out then. She would've felt very out of place in that film.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,496
    Well I don't think he was being entirely serious when he talked about her, but maybe he was to an extent. The idea was to show the origins of Ethan's beef with Gabriel and the death of Marie in 1989 or thereabouts, and McQ's thoughts were along the lines of 'who would have made an M:i film in 1989 and who would've been the sort of breakout star to play Marie?'- and he thought that a Tony Scott type might have made it, and Julia Roberts would have been the perfect co-star then, and I don't think he's wrong.
    So that was his thought process for that part, not that it sounds like it went very far. He said he even costed up the 'cheap youtube version' of de-aging, just with deepfakes etc.
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,509
    I love the way McQ thinks (who'd have made an M:I film, which leading lady would have starred)..

    Being in my early-mid teens in the last couple years of the 80s, I can't argue with his choices.
  • M_BaljeM_Balje Amsterdam, Netherlands
    Posts: 4,527
    Dutch Boxoffice update: After 2 weaks with stil 136 screens the movie doing now $3,750,275. That's means 1,2 in second weak. It possible that those numbers wil updated later and wil end a litle higher.

    Opperheimer and Barbie be released that weak..
  • matt_umatt_u better known as Mr. Roark
    edited July 2023 Posts: 4,343
    Bad times for M:I at the domestic boxoffice after a pretty bad $3M Friday. Fallout had $5.3M. 3rd weekend is gonna be a disappointing $10/11M.
    Full run in the US likely to end around $175M, lower than what De Palma’s first film made in the nineties. Lowest M:I also adjusting for inflation.
    Worldwide is likely gonna end below the $600M mark, unless it explodes Japan.
    Before release I was petty confident that topping Fallout would’ve been an almost impossible task but ending with roughly $100M less then Rogue Nation being a thing? Yikes I didn’t see that coming.
    Paramount really messed up.
    Let’s see if it will be able to top Quantum’s $589M from 15 years ago.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,192
    Where are all those folks who claimed MI7 was going to run circles around NTTD at the box office because Cruise knew how to please audiences better than Eon? I never bought the hype that this would repeat TOP GUN: MAVERICK, but I didn’t expect it to be such a drop from FALLOUT either.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    matt_u wrote: »
    Bad times for M:I at the domestic boxoffice after a pretty bad $3M Friday. Fallout had $5.3M. 3rd weekend is gonna be a disappointing $10/11M.
    Full run in the US likely to end around $175M, lower than what De Palma’s first film made in the nineties. Lowest M:I also adjusting for inflation.
    Worldwide is likely gonna end below the $600M mark, unless it explodes Japan.
    Before release I was petty confident that topping Fallout would’ve been an almost impossible task but ending with roughly $100M less then Rogue Nation being a thing? Yikes I didn’t see that coming.
    Paramount really messed up.
    Let’s see if it will be able to top Quantum’s $589M from 15 years ago.

    Ouch. I had some issues with Dead Reckoning, but I figured it would have better legs. Why has it faltered now?
  • Posts: 678
    It's not a good release date because everyone already moved on to Barbie and Oppenheimer.
  • LucknFateLucknFate 007 In New York
    Posts: 1,658
    I think release date will get the blame but as someone with some critiques of the movie, I'm ready to have that conversation about the movie potentially letting audiences down a little bit when we get there.
  • Posts: 678
    I have more than my fair share of complaints for the movie but are we really gonna say t the movie wasn't good enough with the stellar ratings it has, both audience and critics? Even if the Metacritic is lower than Fallout, being in the 80s in that site is still impressive for a movie of its type.
  • Posts: 2,165
    matt_u wrote: »
    Bad times for M:I at the domestic boxoffice after a pretty bad $3M Friday. Fallout had $5.3M. 3rd weekend is gonna be a disappointing $10/11M.
    Full run in the US likely to end around $175M, lower than what De Palma’s first film made in the nineties. Lowest M:I also adjusting for inflation.
    Worldwide is likely gonna end below the $600M mark, unless it explodes Japan.
    Before release I was petty confident that topping Fallout would’ve been an almost impossible task but ending with roughly $100M less then Rogue Nation being a thing? Yikes I didn’t see that coming.
    Paramount really messed up.
    Let’s see if it will be able to top Quantum’s $589M from 15 years ago.

    Ouch. I had some issues with Dead Reckoning, but I figured it would have better legs. Why has it faltered now?

    I think there are a couple of reasons, the main one being Barbie and Oppenheimer completely over-performing in a perfect pop culture maelstrom (Barbenheimer) just a week after MI came out.

    It took the spotlight entirely away from MI, along with the premium screens. Barbenheimer is looking to have another massive second weekend and MI will loose screens to those.

    Its a shame as I think the film is great, but it had the unfortunate luck of running head first into quite the unforeseen cultural phenomenon.

    Also, as an aside, calling it “Part One” probably didnt help.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,192
    It would be ironic if its popularity catapults on streaming, which leads to a bigger box office hit for 2… but that’s what he should probably hope for if he really intends on making more beyond MI8 like he says he wants.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    I haven't seen the other two films, though I have seen their trailers. Barbie looks like some throwaway fluff, and Oppenheimer look like it is guaranteed big award nominations, regardless of its box office.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,192
    BARBIE surprisingly goes Matrix levels of deep, though obviously on a more satirical/cynical note.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,496
    I saw there was a chance that it may see rerelease on IMAX, possibly when films start to slow down because of the strikes, and also because it didn't get a fair crack of the whip on those screens.
  • Last_Rat_StandingLast_Rat_Standing Long Neck Ice Cold Beer Never Broke My Heart
    Posts: 4,594
    Still haven't seen it. I've seen from MI3 on and I don't want to break the streak. Just don't know when I'll be able to make it to the theater.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,984
    I had to go see it one more time in theaters today and loved it even more.
  • mattjoesmattjoes THE MOONRAKER TAPES ARE LOST THE MOONRAKER TAPES ARE LOST
    edited July 2023 Posts: 7,040
    Finally watched it. I enjoyed it a lot, and definitely more than Fallout. Random notes (spoilers, of course):

    - The beginning reminds me of TSWLM.
    - The "antagonist" in this film is so eerie and memorable, despite being something intangible and without personality (so far). Really feels like something almost unstoppable. I wouldn't mind if the Bond films explored this "villain" as well.
    - My man Cary Elwes, great to see him.
    - Same with Henry Czerny, it's been a while. I love how he's still not a full-fledged villain.
    - Loved the image of a thousand typewriters, and all the analog technology mentioned in the film.
    - Also loved the security camera manipulation at the airport to conceal Hunt's location.
    - Briggs is a really cool character. I wasn't familiar with actor Shea Whigham.
    - In the Venice scene, I noticed Vanessa Kirby did a certain facial twitch once or twice, and I think Vanessa Redgrave did a similar gesture in the first film. If so, it was obviously meant to connect the characters. I enjoyed that a lot. I thought Kirby was even better here than in Fallout.
    - Loved how Grace impersonated The White Widow.
    - Loved the idea of the AI predicting betrayal from Paris.
    - The ending with the falling train carriages is great. What I particularly liked about it at first was the fact it is so drawn out. The carriages don't fall in quick succession, but gradually-- a disaster in slow motion. Then, I very much enjoyed the logistics and suspense of Hunt and Grace navigating each carriage's dangers and obstacles.

    I missed/didn't understand some aspects of the plot of this film. Some synopses I've read online are either not detailed enough, or appear to contain some mistakes. I'll probably give the film another watch and clarify those bits. Perhaps someone here can answer a couple of questions though?

    - I could have misunderstood, but I think the original plan was for Grace to sell the key on the train, and then for Hunt to follow the buyer to find out what the key was for. If so, after choosing not to accept the money, why did Grace take the key back?
    - Luther deduced that the AI ordered Gabriel to kill one of the women so that Hunt, in a possible chain of events, could not resist killing Gabriel, thus killing the only one who knew what the key was for. But his comment must have been inaccurate, since the DNI also knew the purpose of the key. And at that moment, the team's plan was based on the expectation that the buyer would also know (but in the end, it turns the buyer --Kittridge-- did not know). And Paris knew as well, right? So maybe I misunderstood or misheard Luther's words?
  • edited July 2023 Posts: 1,971
    DeadReckoning Part 1. The best Mission Impossible movie ever made. Not only was all the action and stunts out of this world, but the plot, storytelling, and the dialogue is some of the best I have ever seen. Go watch this movie if you haven’t! My partner who does not like Tom Cruise as a person, thought he was gonna hate the film cause of that. The movie was so good my partner was able to look past his hate for Cruise cause of how drawn into the movie he was.
  • Posts: 1,971
    Does anybody know what crazy stunt or stunts will part 2 have? If you know can someone please put it in the spoiler tag for me.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,192
    Probably something that Paramount will over expose to the point that when it finally happens in the film it won’t be all that thrilling anymore, or worse, fall flat.

    That’s what happened with the bike jump for me. It’s like Paramount saw the reaction to MAVERICK and thought “people love crazy Tom Cruise doing stunts, let’s market the hell out of that!”

    Whoops!
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