Each time a long-running movie franchise enjoys constant field workplace success, certainly one of two issues sometimes occurs. The franchise in query both evades important acclaim completely, proving in style with audiences however by no means fairly managing to win over critics, or the collection begins off robust earlier than steadily declining in high quality with every passing installment.
Very hardly ever does a film franchise start someplace between “common” and “good,” then transition towards true greatness over the course of a number of films. Sequels historically end in diminishing returns; that is the precise reverse, and the very best instance of such a uncommon phenomenon belongs to an IP that has, throughout virtually three many years, changed into a cinematic powerhouse.
The First Mission: Unimaginable Film Is Good, However By no means Nice
Point out the Mission: Unimaginable model to anybody in 2025, and their thoughts will instantly leap to Tom Cruise running as intensely as any human can run. They will be imagining an ever-present bastion of cinema that has embedded itself deeply into popular culture, and shone as an plain image of the theatrical expertise. As such, it is simple to miss the truth that Mission: Unimaginable‘s first three films have been nothing particular.
Because the entry that began all of it, 1996’s Mission: Impossible was by no stretch of the creativeness a nasty film. It is a completely gratifying espionage caper with an intriguing conceit, some really nice sequences (the Langley heist being the obvious), and motion that also holds up in the present day.
However Tom Cruise’s first mission underneath the guise of Ethan Hunt turned out removed from nice. Hunt himself felt poorly outlined past the essential “betrayed spy” archetype, and solely Ving Rhames’ Luther stood out from the supporting gamers, after which solely through sheer drive of charisma.
Mission: Unimaginable‘s plot was equal components unambitious and nonsensical, however the actual drawback might be discovered within the tone. Brian De Palma acquired caught between modernizing the unique Mission: Unimaginable TV present and doing his model of a Timothy Dalton Bond film. This was not a movie that appeared like the start of a $4.7 billion behemoth (through TheNumbers).
After A Poor Sequel, Mission: Unimaginable 3 Turned The Franchise’s Prototype
Not like its predecessor, Mission: Unimaginable II isn’t a straightforward film to take pleasure in. Admittedly, Tom Cruise eased into his position a bit extra and the sequel deserves credit score for making an attempt to completely abandon the TV present’s tone, however the execution was all improper. Mission: Unimaginable II banked onerous on a chemistry between Cruise and Thandiwe Newton that merely did not exist, whereas Newton herself waded via among the most painful dialogue within the franchise.
In comparison with the primary film, the crew dynamic felt weaker, the story made much less sense, and Ethan Hunt’s abrupt transformation right into a martial arts hero proved jarring. Director John Woo’s standing as a legend of the motion style was already assured, however his distinctive type rubbed awkwardly in opposition to a film that was constructed for one thing fairly totally different.
With J.J. Abrams on board, Mission: Unimaginable III was the place the ship started to regular. An enormous enchancment on the second film, Abrams leaned extra closely into the bombastic motion parts, however crucially made room for the ensemble to shine. Not solely have been the likes of Julia (Michelle Monaghan), Benji (Simon Pegg) and Zhen Lei (Maggie Q) huge upgrades on Hunt’s earlier allies, however Philip Seymour Hoffman gave Mission: Unimaginable its best villain to that time.
By promising an adrenaline rush higher than the rest on the large display screen and the prospect of correct characterization, with heroes audiences may get emotionally invested in, Mission: Unimaginable III offered the tough prototype for all entries to come back.
Mission: Unimaginable – Ghost Protocol then took these substances and perfected them. A brand new chapter for Ethan Hunt was written, as missions turned extra interconnected (the primary three films share little or no continuity), the listing of recurring characters grew, and Cruise’s bold stunts turned a focal promoting level.
The movie business is a cutthroat enviornment the place judgments are made shortly, however even essentially the most affected person viewer would have been forgiven for writing off Mission: Unimaginable‘s important credentials after that preliminary trio of releases. Ethan Hunt and the gang reside proof that it is by no means too late for a film franchise to show opinion in its favor.
Sources: The Numbers
