mission: Impossible reviews
By Lyall Carter
To celebrate the release of Mission: Impossible - Fallout we at Movie Army thought we would chuck together mini reviews of all of the previous Mission movies. I know. We're so good to you.
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Mission: Impossible, Mission: Impossible 2, Mission: Impossible 3, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, and Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation are available on newly released special edition 4K HD with Blu-ray from all good 4K HD providers.
mission: impossible (1996)
★★★
mission: impossible 2 (2000)
Generally cinematic adaptions of TV spy shows haven't gone incredibly well. Remember The Saint or The Avengers (two Mrs. Peels)? Didn't think so.
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So Mission: Impossible is a bit of an anomaly because it not only more than works as a film but it also launched a franchise.
When an IMF covert assignment takes a murderous turn, Ethan Hunt becomes the only survivor and the prime suspect. Now a fugitive, Hunt recruits brilliant hacker Luther and maverick pilot Franz Krieger to help him sneak into a heavily guarded CIA building to retrieve a confidential computer file that will prove his innocence.
Mission: Impossible definitely has the feel of being a movie from 90's in the way its shot, the action sequences, and CGI. But it doesn't stop it from being a great movie with the Langley heist creating one of the classic action sequences in modern cinema. A mouse, taunt rope, drops of sweat, a slow mo falling knife (not quite as good as De Palma's previous use of slo mo in The Untouchables (1987) but still fantastic) all help to ramp up the incredible tension.
Second outings can always be tricky. There has to be a balance between what people loved the first time around and having something new. Even though Mission: Impossible 2 made more money than M:I, it wasn't half as good and almost sunk the franchise.
Ethan Hunt leads his IMF team on a mission to capture a deadly German virus before it is released by terrorists. His mission is made impossible due to the fact that he is not the only person after samples of the disease. He must also contest with a gang of international terrorists headed by a turned bad former IMF agent who has already managed to steal the cure.
Mission: Impossible 2 tries too hard to be a romance instead of a true blue spy action film. Only John Woo will ever know why he decided to shoot it more like a music video than a film with constant slow motion shots of people moving towards each other in a sultry manner. And the moment a dove flies through an exploded hole in a door followed by Ethan Hunt takes the cake.
mission: impossible 3 (2006)
★★★★
Fresh from the TV success of Lost and Alias, Tom Cruise brought a fairly unknown J J Abrams on board as director to give the Mission franchise a fresh look and direction. Boy did it pay off.
Retired from active duty, and training recruits for the Impossible Mission Force, agent Ethan Hunt faces the toughest foe of his career: Owen Davian, an international broker of arms and information, who is as cunning as he is ruthless. Davian emerges to threaten Hunt and all that he holds dear -- including the woman Hunt loves.
Mission: Impossible 3 gets it all back on track with a great ensemble cast, a multi thread plot, and cracking action. This time they got the romantic element right remembering that this is a spy action film first and allowing Ethan's love interest motivate him instead of being the dominant feature of the story.
The scene between Cruise and Seymour Hoffman in the plane is an electric, verbal sparring session and show two actors at the top of their craft.
mission: impossible - ghost protocol (2011)
★★★★
Having brought the franchise back to its origins and adding fresh, new action sequences and great IMF characters, Ghost Protocol continues to thrill and entertain its audience.
Blamed for a terrorist attack on the Kremlin, Ethan Hunt and the entire IMF agency are disavowed by the U.S. government, while the president initiates the Ghost Protocol. Forced to go off the grid with no resources or backup Hunt must somehow clear the agency's name and prevent another attack.
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Again the plot is layered, again the acting is first class, and again the action is inventive and exciting. But everyone that has seen Ghost Protocol only talk about one thing. When Tom Cruise actually scales the worlds tallest building. I've gotta be honest. I hate heights. So I was watching most of that scene through my fingers. Just outstanding.
mission: impossible - rogue nation (2015)
★★★★★
After Mission: Impossible 3 and Ghost Protocol you wonder how the team behind the franchise could possibly make a better movie. But hold onto your secret IMF masks they have and its perhaps one of the best spy action films of the decade.
With the IMF now disbanded and Ethan Hunt out in the cold, a new threat called the Syndicate soon emerges. The Syndicate is a network of highly skilled operatives who are dedicated to establishing a new world order via an escalating series of terrorist attacks. Faced with what may be the most impossible mission yet, Ethan gathers his team and joins forces with Ilsa Faust, a disavowed British agent who may or may not be a member of this deadly rogue nation.
The opening stunt is just ludicrous with Tom Cruise hanging onto the side of a plane as it takes off and you wonder how they could possibly top that. But they do time and time again. Whether its a brutal fight scene, a car chase, or Ethan having to hold his breath for way longer than you should it just never stops. But the story, the cast (especially newcomer to the franchise Rebecca Fergusson), and the humour is all fantastic. I could watch this film over and over again and still walk away entertained and with a big stupid grin on my face.
★★★★★
mission: impossible - rogue nation (2018)
M:I - Fallout never relents in action, plot, and pace. One of the best action films to be released in a long time. Find the biggest screen in town and go see it. You won't be disappointed.
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