Mission: Impossible (film series)
Mission: Impossible is an American action and agent film series based on the television series Cobra, Take Over (1966–1973) and In a Secret Mission (1988–1990). Tom Cruise can be seen in all six films released by Paramount Pictures to date as the protagonist Ethan Hunt .
overview
| year | title | Director | script | producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Mission: Impossible | Brian De Palma |
David Koepp & Robert Towne Story: Steven Zaillian |
Tom Cruise & Paula Wagner |
| 2000 | Mission: Impossible II | John Woo | Robert Towne Story: Ronald D. Moore & Brannon Braga |
|
| 2006 | Mission: Impossible III | JJ Abrams | Alex Kurtzman , Roberto Orci & JJ Abrams | |
| 2011 |
Mission: Impossible - Phantom Protocol (Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol) |
Brad Bird | André Nemec & Josh Appelbaum | Tom Cruise, JJ Abrams & Bryan Burk |
| 2015 | Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation | Christopher McQuarrie | Christopher McQuarrie Story: Drew Pearce |
Tom Cruise, JJ Abrams, Bryan Burk, David Ellison , Don Granger & Dana Goldberg |
| 2018 | Mission: Impossible - Fallout | Christopher McQuarrie | Tom Cruise, JJ Abrams, Christopher McQuarrie & Jake Myers |
|
| 2021 | Mission: Impossible 7 (working title) | Tom Cruise, JJ Abrams | ||
| 2022 | Mission: Impossible 8 (working title) |
action
Mission: Impossible
Ethan Hunt from the Impossible Mission Force, or “IMF” for short, is supposed to work with a team in Prague to prevent a list of the aliases of all undercover agents from being handed over. However, the mission fails, with all other team members, including team boss Jim Phelps, perishing. He learns from the CIA that the whole mission was only to expose a mole at the CIA and that the arms dealer Max is also involved. Since Hunt is the only survivor and therefore a suspect, he has to flee and decides, together with some ex-agents, including Luther Stickell, to swap the real list with Max for the name of the traitor. To do this, the team breaks into the CIA headquarters and steals the data carrier before it is handed over to Max in Paris. Phelps, who is not dead, turns out to be a true traitor. Hunt and Stickell can eliminate Phelps and his allies and arrest Max, both of which are rehabilitated.
Mission: Impossible II
The IMF agent Sean Ambrose steals a flu virus and its antidote while on a job and goes into hiding. Ethan Hunt is now given the mission to secure both objects, which is why he recruits Nyah Nordoff-Hall, Ambrose's ex-girlfriend, for his team. Nyah regains Ambrose's trust and learns that Ambrose is working with John C. McCloy, head of a pharmaceutical company. With only the worthless antidote in Ambrose's possession, Hunt decides to destroy the remaining viruses. When it comes to a fight between the two, in which Ambrose takes Nyah hostage, she injects the virus herself. At a meeting between Ambrose and McCloy, Hunt is able to secure the antidote, kill Ambrose and finally Nyah, with whom he is romancing. save.
Mission: Impossible III
While Ethan Hunt has retired because of his wife Julia, he receives information from his former colleague John Musgrave that the criminal Owen Davian Hunt's former student Lindsey has kidnapped. Thereupon Hunt tries with his team to free Lindsey, whereby they can secure information about Davian, but Lindsey dies. They can use the information to capture Davian and obtain information about a weapon called a "rabbit paw". A little later Davian is freed and now wants to take revenge on Hunt, which is why he kidnaps his wife and wants to exchange her for the "rabbit's paw" located in Shanghai. After the team was able to steal the weapon, it is revealed at the handover that Davian is working with Musgrave. Hunt can then take out Musgrave and use Benji Dunn to find out Julia's whereabouts. Before he can free her, however, there is a fight with Davian, in which he is killed, but was previously able to activate a bomb in Hunt's head. To deactivate this, Hunt builds a makeshift defibrillator and thus manages to destroy the bomb. Julia can resuscitate him and shoot Musgrave with his gun.
Mission: Impossible - Phantom Protocol
The French assassin Sabine Moreau steals activation codes for a nuclear suitcase during an IMF mission that leads to a terrorist named "Cobalt", which is why Hunt is freed from a Russian prison by his team. They hope to get information about cobalt through a break-in in the Kremlin, but are duped by the latter and are subsequently portrayed as the cause of the Kremlin explosion. The American government must now deny any connection to the IMF, the team that consists of from Hunt, Benji, and Jane Carter, however, are still available to the analyst William Brandt. In Dubai, the business between Cobalt and Moreau should be settled. The IMF team tries to prevent this through a deception, killing Moreau, Kurt Hendricks, who is behind the identity of Cobalt and wants to start a nuclear war, but can escape with the codes. After buying a Soviet satellite in Mumbai to control the missile launched from a submarine on San Francisco, he falls to his death in a fight with Hunt. Hunt is able to deactivate the nuclear missile at the last second and thus finally convince the Russian authorities of the innocence of the IMF.
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
After Ethan Hunt is kidnapped by a syndicate led by Solomon Lane, he escapes with the help of MI6 double agent Ilsa Faust. Meanwhile, the IMF was taken over by the CIA under the leadership of Alan Hunley, who does not believe in the existence of the syndicate and blames Hunt for its crimes, which is why he goes into hiding. Six months later, Hunt, Benji and Ilsa prevent an attack by Lane on the Austrian Chancellor for the time being. The three of them can then access secret files on an encrypted USB stick in Morocco, with Ilsa betraying her allies and handing the stick over to her superior Atlee. Since he is responsible for creating the syndicate, he deletes all information on the stick and sends Ilsa back to the mission. Lane now wants to get to the secret data and therefore kidnaps Benji because the IMF team has made a copy of the stick. With the help of Hunley, they can decrypt the stick, convict Atlee and arrest Lane at the planned handover.
Mission: Impossible - Fallout
The terrorist group "The Apostles" formed from the syndicate are said to come into possession of weapons-grade plutonium for a stranger named John Lark. Hunt and his team are given the task of preventing the handover to the apostles, but fail. That is why the CIA reluctantly puts Agent August Walker at their side to secure the plutonium. The arms dealer "White Widow" is supposed to thread the deal between the apostles and Lark, which is why Hunt and Walker kill the supposedly real Lark with the help of Ilsa Faust, who suddenly appears, and Hunt poses as Lark to the White Widow. In return for the plutonium, the apostles demand the rescue of Solomon Lane, which Hunt eventually does and brings him to the IMF team in safety. During the supposed handover, Walker can be convicted as a real John Lark. However, this is freed by the apostles together with Lane in a fight with the IMF, in which Hunley is killed. In India, Lark and Lane want to contaminate Asia's water supply by detonating an atomic bomb. The IMF team can defuse the bombs in time, kill Hunt Lark and Lane be captured by Ilsa and Benji. Lane is then handed over to MI6 alive, which means Ilsa is no longer out of favor.
Cast and dubbing
Film staff
reception
Box office results and audience numbers
With total grossing over $ 3.57 billion, the Mission Impossible film series is ranked 13th among the financially most successful series of all time . Only Mission: Impossible - Fallout was able to make it into the top 100 of the financially most successful films of all time and is in 88th place (as of August 8, 2020).
All films in the series were able to make it into the top 10 financially successful films in their year of release, with Mission: Impossible being the third most financially successful film of 1996 and Mission: Impossible II being the financially most successful film of 2000 . In Germany, so far only Mission: Impossible and Mission: Impossible II have made it into the top 10 most-visited films in their respective release years and occupy 7th and 2nd place there.
| Movie | Publication (Germany) |
Box office earnings in US dollars | Budget in US dollars |
Spectator (Germany) |
swell | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Germany | Worldwide | |||||
| Mission: Impossible | Aug 7, 1996 | 180.981.856 | 23,630,026 | 457.696.359 | 80 million | 3,309,721 | |
| Mission: Impossible II | July 6, 2000 | 215,409,889 | 25,018,930 | 546.388.105 | 125 million | 4,447,937 | |
| Mission: Impossible III | May 4, 2006 | 134.029.801 | 10.310.411 | 397.850.012 | 150 million | 1,246,368 | |
| Mission: Impossible - Phantom Protocol | Dec 15, 2011 | 209.397.903 | 16,257,743 | 694.713.380 | 145 million | 1,584,671 | |
| Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation | Aug 6, 2015 | 195,042,377 | 13,266,429 | 682.714.267 | 150 million | 1,417,882 | |
| Mission: Impossible - Fallout | Aug 2, 2018 | 220.159.104 | 15.903.179 | 791.115.104 | 178 million | 1,285,778 | |
| Total (as of January 25, 2019) | 1.155.020.930 | 104.386.718 | 3,570,477,227 | 828 million | 13,292,357 | ||
Reviews and analysis
(As of March 1, 2019)
| Movie | Rotten tomatoes | Metacritic | IMDb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mission: Impossible | 63% (57 reviews) | 59 (29 reviews) | 7.1 (354,550 ratings) |
| Mission: Impossible II | 57% (148 reviews) | 59 (40 reviews) | 6.1 (287,020 ratings) |
| Mission: Impossible III | 70% (221 reviews) | 66 (42 reviews) | 6.9 (302,348 ratings) |
| Mission: Impossible - Phantom Protocol | 93% (240 reviews) | 73 (47 reviews) | 7.4 (422,923 ratings) |
| Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation | 93% (303 reviews) | 75 (46 reviews) | 7.4 (305,950 ratings) |
| Mission: Impossible - Fallout | 97% (389 reviews) | 86 (60 reviews) | 7.8 (217,127 ratings) |
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GS Perno from Cinelinx.com sees the success of the Mission Impossible film series above all because of the changing directors and their respective idiosyncrasies that would have made the series one of the most successful action film series. Every film feels unique, and the fact that sequels are not planned in advance is special compared to other franchises. The first part, Mission: Impossible , differed from other films in the mid-1990s mainly through its complexity, creative marketing campaigns and very broad release. The engagement of Tom Cruise , who was previously seen mainly in film dramas, was an innovative idea for an expensive film production because he wanted to control his films creatively and perform stunts himself. The first part is less of an action film, although there are some crazy stunts and action sequences, but rather a spy thriller. In Mission: Impossible II , the requirements and risks for Cruise were then increased, which has continued since then. The thrill arises less from intrigue, but rather from the action itself, which, in addition to extreme stunts, is mainly based on weapons and cars. The director John Woo relied on new elements such as shootings, slow motion, martial arts and fashionable costumes, which was not well received by the audience. They would have considered the film insubstantial and would not have approved the change from a plot full of plot twists to straightforward action. As Perno points out, the second part tarnished the reputation of the original film and required a change of direction for a sequel. So the film series with JJ Abrams ' Mission: Impossible III was subjected to a kind of soft reboot , as he did not rely on excessive weapons or espionage. Rather, he used techniques that would have been successful on television. The film was more character-focused, Ethan Hunt would get more support from his team and figure deaths caused shock moments. In terms of tonality, you position yourself between the two predecessors, establishing Hunt as an action hero alongside James Bond and Jason Bourne and rekindling interest in the franchise. With the fourth part, Mission: Impossible - Phantom Protocol , the film series was rebooted again, as it was supposed to appeal to a younger audience who did not have to have seen the previous films. For the first time, IMAX cameras by director Brad Bird were used in action scenes, the narrative speed increased and physical as well as comedic elements used, making the film feel much lighter than its predecessors, but at the same time Cruise's commitment remains high. The team elements of the predecessor were retained, but Bird no longer relied on character development, but again on action. This could also be retained in the sequel Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation . Christopher McQuarrie , who already worked on the script of Phantom Protocol , was able to bring a continuity to the series through his familiarity and deals, for example, with the consequences of the predecessor for the main characters. So be Mission: Impossible finally become a modern film series in which they may receive many elements from previous films and back spit old figures. The stunt focus as well as the participation of actors in this have finally become a trademark and differentiator.
Tim George from Den of Geek shares Perno's view that the quality of the films largely depends on the directors, which is atypical, since motifs, aesthetics and themes remain the same in other major film series. He also says that success comes mainly from the talent behind the camera and Cruise's willingness to do his own stunts. Each director brought in his own visions and thus separated all films from one another. In Mission: Impossible , Brian De Palma mainly uses themes and styles by Alfred Hitchcock , where the main focus is on building tension. With sophisticated camera work that almost approaches the characters' subjective point of view, De Palma determines what the viewer gets to see at what point in time. Influences from the Italian Giallos , such as split screens for building tension, can also be found in the film, with De Palma mixing his own style with the standards of the genre. In Mission: Impossible II , on the other hand, director John Woo used motifs that are typical for him, such as doves or the brotherly rivalry between hero and villain, which, however, in combination with the film series only leads to moderate success. The film differs from Woo's previous works in that it emphasizes a romantic relationship, whereas previously it would have focused on a strong bond between men. Nevertheless, women would only play a subordinate role in the film: either they are portrayed as comedically incompetent or as idealized victims who are supposed to contrast with Hunt's male abilities. George criticizes that the plot is sacrificed for action sequences without character dynamics or thematic subtext, which means that secondary characters and the villain have completely faded or become sidekicks . That changed with JJ Abrams, who neglected the visual style but used new narrative techniques. With him there was a continuity in the film series for the first time, as he again focuses on the team in addition to familiar motifs and characters. In addition, he is the only one who understands the true structure of the secret organization IMF and puts the focus next to it on Hunt's private life, which he wants to reconcile with his work. Furthermore, Abrams create a completely insane opponent, which offers him an exaggerated playground. Mission: Impossible III is dramaturgically far more extensive and successful than its predecessor, but the character development is more like an entire television series squeezed into a two and a half hour film. After all, Brad Bird would have switched Mission: Impossible - Phantom Protocol from a spy thriller to a more physical and comedic film that could be the first to reunite all the components of Mission: Impossible . The main focus is on exciting missions with ironic elements, in which Cruise's physicality is used as a punchline . In addition, he keeps the team elements of the predecessor. Each team member brings their own skills and weaknesses with them, has to overcome their own obstacles and can only function perfectly in a team.
Tobias Mayer from Filmstarts is critical of Christopher McQuarrie's participation in the film series. As he points out, the strength of Mission: Impossible lies in trading the guarantee of good films for the chance to take a fresh approach. The first film was very demanding to direct and resembles a film noir with a ludicrously twisted plot including Hitchcock references. John Woo makes Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible II a "casual sunny boy" in a story that is too stupid and not exciting. In Mission: Impossible III , JJ Abrams directs Hunt more personally than ever before, and it is the only film in which Hunt is portrayed as completely desperate and in love. Furthermore, by using a wobbly camera in action scenes, it is difficult to understand what the action is about. So every director brings his very own touch to the films, with Brad Bird, for example, it's the humor, but McQuarrie can't do it. His films are very good, but by linking connections and using recurring characters, this valuable change ends, which is why McQuarrie's engagement for parts 7 and 8 is disappointing for Mayer.
Forbes ' Scott Mendelson blames Tom Cruise's development within the series for its success. This is how he goes from being an inconspicuous secret agent to a risk-taking action hero. In the first part, which is comparatively short, cold and confusing, Hunt believes in his work, is very idealistic and acts authentically. Cruise embodies "James Bond Jr.", who develops into a romantic action hero in Mission: Impossible II . The big difference lies in the behavior of the character, who also stops once and explains to the audience what is happening. In the film, intended as an emotional and romantic film drama, you see a different Hunt who is more familiar with weapons and stunts. JJ Abrams takes this idea further and turns Hunt into a human super spy who is conventionally portrayed as an invincible and ruthless superhero. Hunt became interchangeable, which ultimately had an impact on the success of the film. Also due to the portrayal as a romantic ideal, which Cruise was not at that time away from the camera, he temporarily fell into disrepute. In Mission: Impossible - Phantom Protocol , Cruise's reputation is finally restored. Brad Bird portrays Hunt as just as human, error-prone and angry as anyone else, making him approachable again for the audience. The sequel Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation cemented Ethan Hunt 's position as Cruise's dominant role. The film is darker and more intense than its predecessors and focuses on the protagonists' failures: they trust the wrong people, get no backing and make mistakes. In summary, the success comes mainly from practical effects, real locations, a good cast, the high quality and Cruise's willingness to accept injuries during the shooting, which makes Mission: Impossible the best non-fantasy film series at the moment.
Individual evidence
- ^ Mission: Impossible in the German dubbing index
- ↑ Mission: Impossible II in the German dubbing index
- ↑ Mission: Impossible III in the German dubbing index
- ^ Mission: Impossible - Phantom Protocol in the German dubbing index
- ^ Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation in the German dubbing index
- ^ Mission: Impossible - Fallout in the German dubbing index
- ↑ a b Mission: Impossible in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- ↑ a b Mission Impossible II in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- ↑ a b Mission: Impossible III in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- ↑ a b Mission: Impossible - Phantom Protocol in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- ↑ a b Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- ↑ a b Mission: Impossible - Fallout in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- ↑ Top Lifetime big things. Box Office Mojo, accessed August 8, 2020 .
- ↑ 1996 Yearly Box Office Results In: BoxOfficeMojo.com, accessed January 20, 2019.
- ↑ 2000 Yearly Box Office Results In: BoxOfficeMojo.com, accessed January 20, 2019.
- ↑ Mission: Impossible In: BoxOfficeMojo.com, accessed January 16, 2019.
- ↑ Top 100 Germany 1996 In: insidekino.de, accessed on January 20, 2019.
- ↑ Mission: Impossible II In: BoxOfficeMojo.com, accessed January 16, 2019.
- ↑ Top 100 Germany 2000 In: insidekino.de, accessed on January 20, 2019.
- ↑ Mission: Impossible III In: BoxOfficeMojo.com, accessed January 16, 2019.
- ↑ Top 100 Germany 2006 In: insidekino.de, accessed on January 20, 2019.
- ↑ Mission: Impossible - Phantom Protocol In: BoxOfficeMojo.com, accessed January 16, 2019.
- ↑ Top 100 Germany 2011 In: insidekino.de, accessed on January 20, 2019.
- ↑ Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation In: BoxOfficeMojo.com, accessed January 16, 2019.
- ↑ Top 100 Germany 2015 In: insidekino.de, accessed on January 20, 2019.
- ↑ Mission: Impossible - Fallout In: BoxOfficeMojo.com, accessed January 25, 2019.
- ↑ Top 100 Germany 2018 In: insidekino.de, accessed on January 25, 2019.
- ↑ Mission: Impossible Movies at the Box Office In: BoxOfficeMojo.com, accessed January 25, 2019.
- ↑ Mission: Impossible at Rotten Tomatoes (English)
- ↑ Mission: Impossible at Metacritic (English)
- ↑ Mission: Impossible II at Rotten Tomatoes (English)
- ↑ Mission: Impossible II at Metacritic (English)
- ↑ Mission: Impossible III at Rotten Tomatoes (English)
- ↑ Mission: Impossible III at Metacritic (English)
- ↑ Mission: Impossible - Phantom Protocol at Rotten Tomatoes (English)
- ↑ Mission: Impossible - Phantom Protocol at Metacritic (English)
- ↑ Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation at Rotten Tomatoes (English)
- ↑ Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation at Metacritic (English)
- ↑ Mission: Impossible - Fallout at Rotten Tomatoes (English)
- ↑ Mission: Impossible - Fallout at Metacritic (English)
- ^ The Evolution of the Mission: Impossible Franchise. July 6, 2018, accessed January 20, 2019 .
- ^ Mission: Impossible films: how each director made their mark. January 6, 2015, accessed January 20, 2019 .
- ↑ So it's a shame that the "Fallout" director also shoots "Mission: Impossible 7 + 8". January 19, 2018, accessed January 20, 2018 .
- ↑ How The 'Mission: Impossible' Sequels Saved Tom Cruise's Career. July 25, 2018, accessed January 21, 2019 .