A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Cathedral: Tom Cruise: Action Star and the Best of Mission: Impossible

It’s been awhile since I’ve had the time to write anything. Between the end of the Spring semester, traveling in May, and hospital chaplaincy in the summer, I’ve been extremely busy. I now have a few days where I can catch up on some things, and I wanted to actually sit down a write a little something. Here goes.

As much as I don’t like him as a person, it pains me to admit that Tom Cruise is the best action star going. He literally throws himself into parts, and is about the only star now who will do every stunt. In fact, it’s become a major part of the Mission: Impossible franchise: seeing how much they can push him to do crazy stunts. And that’s the real reason why I’m writing this today, because Mission: Impossible is the best action franchise now, and it just added another great entry. Here’s my ranking of the franchise movies:

1. Rogue Nation

This one is the most complete movie. It’s action packed and it has an intriguing story. It also introduces probably the best character of the franchise, Rebecca Ferguson’s Isla Faust.

2. Ghost Protocol

In some ways this is a retread of the first movie, but it sets the template for the following movies. It has the huge stunt piece that’s so crazy it’s hard to believe it’s real. The only knock is that it peaks a little early and the third act is a bit of a letdown.

3. Fallout

This was an excellent movie, and like the best of them it had me at the edge of my seat. The action pieces are amazing, particularly the chase through Paris and the brutal fight in the bathroom. There are two problems with it. 1: it’s predictable (I don’t want to spoil anything but I knew exactly what was going to happen throughout the movie). 2: I could not suspend my disbelief at one point in particular (SPOILER: there is no way a hook and rope can hold up a helicopter. That really took away from the ending to me. Also, the shot of the hook was the biggest foreshadowing for a villain being killed by a hook since Cobra).

4. Mission: Impossible

I still think it’s funny that when this came out people said it was too complicated to follow. It’s a really good movie, and still has one of the most iconic stunts in movies (people still reference Cruise hanging from the ceiling). It’s not really an action movie, though, certainly not compared to the others. It’s more of a spy movie, which isn’t bad.

5. Mission: Impossible III

This is the one that really re-started the series. The biggest problem is the whole story is based around one of the biggest MacGuffins in history. That and almost all of the new crew are one-and-done.

6. Mission: Impossible 2

Easily the worst of the bunch, it’s the only one that is less than good and it’s terrible. It’s so bad I haven’t seen it again since seeing it in the theaters, outside of a few scenes here and there.

Aside from just the movies, there are two things that really stand out in this franchise for me: stunts and music. So, here’s my ranking of the scores:

1. Rogue Nation (Joe Kraemer) – what a surprising delight since I didn’t really know Kraemer before this

2. Mission: Impossible (Danny Elfman) – not your typical Elfman, he weaves in the classic theme well but also has his own interesting twist on spy music

3. Mission: Impossible III (Michael Giacchino) – Giacchino is the best at using other people’s themes and expanding on them into his own thing

4. Ghost Protocol (Michael Giacchino) – more of the same, which is not bad

5. Mission: Impossible II (Hans Zimmer) – the least Mission: Impossible of the scores, it’s largely rote Zimmer late 90s action

6. Fallout (Lorne Balfe) – maybe because it’s the newest, I can’t get into it as a stand alone. It works fine in the movie, but is unoriginal

Best stunts:

1. Hanging from the Burj Khalifa in Dubai (Ghost Protocol)