The Mission: Impossible franchise intrigues me solely because of the rotating door that lets a new director handle each entry, resulting in a franchise that crosses genres and styles. The 1996 entry came from Brian DePalma, and he gave the series a good ol’ fashioned paranoia thriller feel. John Woo’s sequel was a Hong Kong secret agent mash-up. J.J. Abrams third entry was basically a big budget version of Alias.
The fourth entry comes from Brad Bird, the director of The Iron Giant, Ratatouille, and The Incredibles. Judging by the trailer he’s delivered an update of the 60s era “spy on the run” film, the classics where our main characters have their backs up against the walls and nothing to lose. There’s an edge there that the franchise hasn’t had since the first entry, and I love it.
Tom Cruise returns and Jeremy Renner is on hand to inherit the franchise if this entry proves successful, and I hope it is. With live action stunts shot in IMAX and Warner Bros putting the Dark Knight Rises prologue ahead of the film, I am definitely gooing to be there on opening night.
Mission: Impossible–Ghost Protocol opens on December 16th, 2011
