Mission: Impossible (film series)

Mission: Impossible
Blu-ray box set of the six films
Directed by Brian De Palma (1)
John Woo (2)
J. J. Abrams (3)
Brad Bird (4)
Christopher McQuarrie (5–6)
Produced by Tom Cruise
Paula Wagner (1–3)
J. J. Abrams (4–6)
Bryan Burk (4–5)
David Ellison (5)
Dana Goldberg (5)
Don Granger (5)
Christopher McQuarrie (6)
Jake Myers (6)
Based on Mission: Impossible
by Bruce Geller
Starring Tom Cruise
Ving Rhames
Simon Pegg
(See below)
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date
 1996 – present
Running time
 769 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget Total (6 films):
$828 million
Box office Total (6 films):
$3.570 billion

Mission: Impossible is a series of American action films based on the television series of the same name. The series is co-produced by and stars Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt, an agent of the Impossible Missions Force (IMF).

Beginning in 1996, the films follow the missions of the IMF's main field team under the leadership of Hunt, who is forced to take over after the team is betrayed from within during the first film. The series focuses on Hunt as the lead character as opposed to the ensemble cast structure of the television series, although some characters, such as Luther Stickell (played by Ving Rhames) and Benji Dunn (played by Simon Pegg) have recurring roles in the films.

The series has received a positive reception from critics and is the 16th-highest-grossing film series of all time, with a worldwide gross of over $3.5 billion to date.[1] The sixth and most recent film, titled Mission: Impossible – Fallout, was released in July 2018.

Films

Film U.S. release date Director Screenwriter(s) Story by Producer(s)
Mission: Impossible May 22, 1996 Brian De Palma David Koepp and Robert Towne David Koepp and Steven Zaillian Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner
Mission: Impossible 2 May 24, 2000 John Woo Robert Towne Ronald D. Moore & Brannon Braga
Mission: Impossible III May 5, 2006 J. J. Abrams Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci & J. J. Abrams
Mission: Impossible
Ghost Protocol		 December 16, 2011 Brad Bird Josh Appelbaum & André Nemec Tom Cruise, J. J. Abrams and Bryan Burk
Mission: Impossible
Rogue Nation		 July 31, 2015 Christopher McQuarrie Christopher McQuarrie and Drew Pearce Tom Cruise, J. J. Abrams, Bryan Burk, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger
Mission: Impossible
Fallout		 July 27, 2018 Christopher McQuarrie Tom Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie, Jake Myers and J. J. Abrams

Mission: Impossible (1996)

Ethan Hunt is framed for the murder of his IMF team during a botched mission in Prague and accused of selling government secrets to an arms dealer known only as "Max". On the run, Ethan seeks to uncover the real traitor and clear his name. The film was directed by Brian De Palma.

Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)

Ethan sends international thief Nyah Nordoff-Hall (Thandie Newton) undercover to stop rogue IMF agent, and Nyah's former lover, Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott) from stealing a deadly virus to start a pandemic and sell the antidote to the highest bidder. The film was directed by John Woo.

Mission: Impossible III (2006)

Ethan, retired from being an IMF team leader and engaged to be married, assembles a team to face the elusive arms and information broker Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who intends to sell a mysterious dangerous object known as "The Rabbit's Foot". The film was directed by J.J. Abrams.

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)

Ethan and the entire IMF are blamed for the bombing of the Kremlin while investigating an individual known only as "Cobalt" (Michael Nyqvist). He and three other agents are left to stop him from starting a global nuclear war. The film was directed by Brad Bird.

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)

Ethan Hunt comes under threat from the Syndicate, a near-mythical organization of rogue agents who kill to order. Faced with the IMF's disbandment, Hunt assembles his team for their mission to prove the Syndicate's existence and bring the organization down by any means necessary. The film was directed by Christopher McQuarrie.

Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)

When an IMF mission ends badly, the world is faced with dire consequences. As Ethan Hunt takes it upon himself to fulfill his original briefing, the CIA begins to question his loyalty and his motives. The film was written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie.

Principal cast

Character Films
Mission: Impossible Mission: Impossible 2 Mission: Impossible III Mission: Impossible
Ghost Protocol		 Mission: Impossible
Rogue Nation		 Mission: Impossible
Fallout
1996 2000 2006 2011 2015 2018
Ethan Hunt Tom Cruise
Jim Phelps Jon Voight
Eugene Kittridge Henry Czerny
Claire Phelps Emmanuelle Béart
Franz Krieger Jean Reno
Luther Stickell Ving Rhames
Sarah Davies Kristin Scott Thomas
Max Vanessa Redgrave
Sean Ambrose Dougray Scott
Nyah Nordoff-Hall Thandie Newton
Hugh Stamp Richard Roxburgh
Billy Baird John Polson
John C. McCloy Brendan Gleeson
Dr. Nekhorvich Rade Šerbedžija
Owen Davian Philip Seymour Hoffman
John Musgrave Billy Crudup
Declan Gormley Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Benji Dunn Simon Pegg
Julia Meade Michelle Monaghan Michelle Monaghan
Lindsey Farris Keri Russell
Zhen Lei Maggie Q
Theodore Brassel Laurence Fishburne
William Brandt Jeremy Renner
Jane Carter Paula Patton
Kurt Hendricks Michael Nyqvist
Ilsa Faust Rebecca Ferguson
Solomon Lane Sean Harris
Alan Hunley Alec Baldwin
August Walker / John Lark Henry Cavill
Erica Sloan Angela Bassett
Alanna Mitsopolis / White Widow Vanessa Kirby

Additional crew and production details

Crew/detail Film
Mission: Impossible Mission: Impossible 2 Mission: Impossible III Mission: Impossible -
Ghost Protocol		 Mission: Impossible -
Rogue Nation		 Mission: Impossible -
Fallout
Composer Danny Elfman Hans Zimmer Michael Giacchino Joe Kraemer Lorne Balfe
Editor Paul Hirsch Christian Wagner
Steven Kemper		 Maryann Brandon
Mary Jo Markey		 Paul Hirsch Eddie Hamilton
Cinematographer Stephen H. Burum Jeffrey L. Kimball Dan Mindel Robert Elswit Rob Hardy
Production companies Cruise/Wagner Productions Skydance Productions
TC Productions
Bad Robot Productions
Distributor Paramount Pictures
Running time 110 minutes 123 minutes 126 minutes 132 minutes 131 minutes 147 minutes

Reception

Box office performance

Film U.S. release date Box office gross All-time Ranking Budget Ref(s)
U.S. and Canada Other territories Worldwide U.S. and Canada Worldwide
Mission: Impossible May 22, 1996 $180,981,856 $276,714,503 $457,696,359 #239 #226 $80 million [2]
Mission: Impossible 2 May 24, 2000 $215,409,889 $330,978,216 $546,388,105 #171 #167 $125 million [3]
Mission: Impossible III May 5, 2006 $134,029,801 $263,820,211 $397,850,012 #427 #275 $150 million [4]
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol December 16, 2011 $209,397,903 $485,315,477 $694,713,380 #180 #109 $145 million [5]
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation July 31, 2015 $195,042,377 $487,671,890 $682,714,267 #206 #111 $150 million [6]
Mission: Impossible – Fallout July 27, 2018 $220,150,420 $570,473,501 $790,623,921 #155 #79 $178 million [7]
Total $1,155,012,246 $2,414,973,798 $3,569,986,044 #21 #16 $828 million [8]

Critical response

Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScore
Mission: Impossible 64% (55 reviews)[9] 59 (29 critics)[10] B+[11]
Mission: Impossible 2 57% (146 reviews)[12] 59 (40 critics)[13] B[11]
Mission: Impossible III 70% (221 reviews)[14] 66 (42 critics)[15] A−[11]
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol 93% (238 reviews)[16] 73 (47 critics)[17] A−[11]
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation 93% (295 reviews)[18] 75 (46 critics)[19] A−[11]
Mission: Impossible – Fallout 97% (351 reviews)[20] 86 (60 critics)[21] A[11]
Average 79% 70 A−

Controversy

Some fans of the TV series were upset that Jim Phelps, team leader in the series, became a traitor in the first film, selling the details of government agents to an arms dealer. Actor Greg Morris, who portrayed Barney Collier in the original television series, was so disgusted with the film's treatment of the Phelps character that he walked out of the theater before the film ended.[22] Martin Landau, who portrayed Rollin Hand in the original series, was equally negative concerning the films. In an MTV interview in October 2009, Landau stated: "When they were working on an early incarnation of the first one – not the script they ultimately did – they wanted the entire team to be destroyed, done away with one at a time, and I was against that", he said. "It was basically an action-adventure movie and not 'Mission.' 'Mission' was a mind game. The ideal mission was getting in and getting out without anyone ever knowing we were there. So the whole texture changed. Why volunteer to essentially have our characters commit suicide? I passed on it. The script wasn't that good either."[23]

Change to theme music

The television version is in a rarely used 5/4 (five quarter-notes to a measure) time and is difficult to dance to,[24] as was proven by a memorable segment of American Bandstand in which teenage dancers were caught off-guard by Dick Clark's playing of the Lalo Schifrin single release.

The opening theme music for the first six films are stylized renditions of Schifrin's original iconic theme, preserving the 5/4 rhythm, by Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer, Michael Giacchino, Joe Kraemer and Lorne Balfe, respectively. Most of the versions included in the score also retained the 5/4 time signature.[24]

However, for Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr.'s version featured on the first film's motion picture soundtrack, the time signature was changed to standard pop 4/4 (four quarter-notes to a measure) time to make it more dance-friendly, although the intro is still in 5/4 time.[24] Also, the Limp Bizkit song "Take a Look Around" from the soundtrack to the second film was set to a similar 4/4 modification of the theme, with an interlude in 5/4.

References

  1. ↑ "Mission Impossible Moviesat the Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Mission: Impossible (1996)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Mission: Impossible III (2006)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Mission: Impossible Movies at the Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Mission: Impossible (1996)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  10. ↑ "Mission: Impossible Reviews". Metacritic.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Cinemascore". cinemascore.com.
  12. ↑ "Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  13. ↑ "Mission: Impossible II Reviews". Metacritic.
  14. ↑ "Mission: Impossible III (2006)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  15. ↑ "Mission: Impossible III Reviews". Metacritic.
  16. ↑ "Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol (2011)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  17. ↑ "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol Reviews". Metacritic.
  18. ↑ "Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  19. ↑ "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation Reviews". Metacritic.
  20. ↑ "Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  21. ↑ "Mission: Impossible – Fallout Reviews". Metacritic.
  22. ↑ 'Mission: Impossible' TV stars disgruntled. CNN. May 29, 1996.
  23. ↑ Martin Landau Discusses 'Mission: Impossible' Movies, MTV Movies Blog, October 29, 2009
  24. 1 2 3 They Shot, He Scored by Dave Karger. Published June 7, 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
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