- Mission: Impossible (film series)
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Mission: Impossible series 
Mission: Impossible trilogy blu-ray box setDirected by Brian De Palma
John Woo
J. J. Abrams
Brad BirdProduced by Tom Cruise
Paul Hitchcock
Elias Badra
Paula WagnerWritten by David Koepp
Robert Towne
Steven Zaillian
Ronald D. Moore
Brannon Braga
Alex Kurtzman
Roberto Orci
J. J. AbramsStarring Tom Cruise
Ving RhamesMusic by Danny Elfman
Hans Zimmer
Michael GiacchinoCinematography Stephen H. Burum
Jeffrey L. Kimball
Daniel MindelEditing by Paul Hirsch
Steven Kemper
Christian Wagner
Maryann Brandon
Mary Jo MarkeyStudio Cruise/Wagner Productions Distributed by Paramount Pictures Release date(s) 1996-present Country United States Language English Budget $355,000,000 Box office $1,401,934,476 The Mission: Impossible films are a series of action films based on the television series of the same name. The films feature Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt, an I.M.F agent.
Contents
Films
Mission: Impossible
Main article: Mission: Impossible (film)Set in the year 1996, Ethan Hunt is framed for not only the murder of his fellow IMF agents during a Prague Embassy mission gone wrong, but is also wrongly accused of selling government secrets to a mysterious international criminal known only as "Max."
Mission: Impossible II
Main article: Mission: Impossible IISet in 2000, Ethan Hunt sends Nyah Nordoff-Hall undercover to stop an ex-IMF agent's mad scheme to steal a deadly virus and sell the antidote to the highest bidder.
Mission: Impossible III
Main article: Mission: Impossible IIISet in 2006, Ethan Hunt, retired from being an IMF team leader and now engaged, assembles a team to face a ruthless arms and information broker intending to sell a mysterious, dangerous object known as "The Rabbit's Foot."
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Main article: Mission: Impossible – Ghost ProtocolMission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is scheduled for release on December 16, 2011. It will star Tom Cruise and be written by Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec. J. J. Abrams will not return to direct the next film, but he will produce with Cruise through his Bad Robot Productions.[1][2] In May 2010, Cruise confirmed that Brad Bird (director of The Incredibles and Ratatouille) will direct the film.[3] Returning cast members include Ving Rhames as Luther Stickell and Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn. New cast members include Vladimir Mashkov, Josh Holloway, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Samuli Edelmann, Anil Kapoor, and Michael Nyqvist as the film's villain.[4]
Cast and characters
Character Film Mission: Impossible Mission: Impossible II Mission: Impossible III Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol Ethan Hunt Tom Cruise Luther Stickell Ving Rhames Jim Phelps Jon Voight Claire Phelps Emmanuelle Béart Eugene Kittridge Henry Czerny Franz Krieger Jean Reno Sarah Davies Kristin Scott Thomas Max Vanessa Redgrave Hannah Williams Ingeborga Dapkunaite Jack Harmon Emilio Estevez 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 Swanbeck Anthony Hopkins Owen Davian Phillip Seymour Hoffman John Musgrave Billy Crudup Julia Meade Michelle Monaghan Declan Gormley Jonathan Rhys Meyers Lindsey Farris Keri Russell Zhen Lei Maggie Q Theodore Brassel Laurence Fishburne Benji Dunn Simon Pegg Brandt Jeremy Renner Trevor Hanaway Josh Holloway Jane Carter Paula Patton TBA Michael Nyqvist Reception
Box office performance
Film Release date Box office revenue Box office ranking Budget Reference United States Foreign Worldwide All time domestic All time worldwide Mission: Impossible May 22, 1996 $180,981,856 $276,714,503 $457,696,359 #121
#141(A)#87 $80,000,000 [5] Mission: Impossible II May 24, 2000 $215,409,889 $330,978,216 $546,388,105 #81
#149(A)#56 $125,000,000 [6] Mission: Impossible III May 5, 2006 $134,029,801 $263,820,211 $397,850,012 #241 #115 $150,000,000 [7] Total $530,421,546 871,512,930 $1,401,934,476 $355,000,000 List indicator(s)
- (A) indicates the adjusted totals based on current ticket prices (calculated by Box Office Mojo).
Critical reaction
Title Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes Cream of the Crop Metacritic Yahoo! Movies Mission: Impossible 60% (47 reviews)[8] 50% (18 reviews)[9] 60 (17 reviews)[10] B- (7 reviews)[11] Mission: Impossible II 57% (141 reviews)[12] 63% (30 reviews)[13] 60 (33 reviews)[14] N/A Mission: Impossible III 70% (218 reviews)[15] 63% (43 reviews)[16] 66 (38 reviews)[17] B (16 reviews)[18] Trilogy average 62% 59% 62 N/A Reaction
Some fans of the TV series were upset that Jim Phelps, team leader in the series, became a traitor in the first movie, 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 first film's treatment of the Phelps character that he walked out of the theater before the film ended.[19] 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."[20]
Change to theme song
The television version is in a rarely used 5/4 (5 beats to a measure) time and is difficult to dance to, 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.[21]
The opening theme music for the first three films are stylized renditions of Lalo Schifrin's original iconic theme, preserving the 5/4 rhythm, by Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer, and Michael Giacchino respectively by the films' chronology. Most of the versions included in the score also retained the 5/4 time signature.[21]
However, for Adam Clayton & Larry Mullen Jr.'s remix featured on the first film's motion picture soundtrack, the time signature was changed to standard pop 4/4 (4 beats to a measure) time to make it more dance-friendly, although the intro is still in 5/4 time. 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.[21]
References
- ^ "Tom Cruise Signs On For 'Mission: Impossible IV'". MTV. 10 February 2010. http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1631614/story.jhtml. Retrieved 10 February 2010.
- ^ "Abrams and Cruise Reuniting for Mission: Impossible 4". ComingSoon.net. http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=56202. Retrieved 2009-11-06.
- ^ "Brad Bird Confirmed To Direct M:I4". empireonline.com. http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=27811. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
- ^ "Michael Nyqvist To Menace Cruise & Co. In M:I 4". http://www.ugo.com/movies/michael-nyqvist-to-play-villain-in-mission-impossible-4.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible (1996)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb.com, Inc. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=missionimpossible.htm.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible II (2000)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb.com, Inc. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=mi2.htm.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible III (2006)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb.com, Inc. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=mi3.htm.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible". Rotten Tomatoes. IGN Entertainment, Inc. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mission_impossible/. Retrieved 2009-11-27.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible (Cream of the Crop)". Rotten Tomatoes. IGN Entertainment, Inc. 2009-11-27. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mission_impossible/?critic=creamcrop.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. 2009-11-27. http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/missionimpossible.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible". Yahoo! Movies. Yahoo!. 2009-11-27. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1800256345/critic.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible II". Rotten Tomatoes. IGN Entertainment, Inc. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mission_impossible_ii/?name_order=asc. Retrieved 2009-11-27.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible II (Cream of the Crop)". Rotten Tomatoes. IGN Entertainment, Inc. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mission_impossible_ii/?critic=creamcrop. Retrieved 2009-11-27.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible 2". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. http://www.metacritic.com/video/titles/missionimpossible2. Retrieved 2009-11-27.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible III". Rotten Tomatoes. IGN Entertainment, Inc. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mission_impossible_3/. Retrieved 2009-11-27.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible III (Cream of the Crop)". Rotten Tomatoes. IGN Entertainment, Inc. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mission_impossible_3/?critic=creamcrop. Retrieved 2009-01-25.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible III". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. http://www.metacritic.com/video/titles/missionimpossible3. Retrieved 2009-11-27.
- ^ "Mission: Impossible III". Yahoo! Movies. Yahoo!. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808728916/critic. Retrieved 2009-11-27.
- ^ 'Mission: Impossible' TV stars disgruntled, CNN, May 29, 1996
- ^ Martin Landau Discusses 'Mission: Impossible' Movies, MTV Movies Blog, October 29, 2009
- ^ a b c They Shot, He Scored by Dave Karger. Published June 7, 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
Mission: Impossible Television 1966 series · 1988 seriesFilms Mission: Impossible · II · III · Ghost ProtocolCharacters Willy Armitage · Dan Briggs · Cinnamon Carter · Barney Collier · Rollin Hand · Ethan Hunt · Jim Phelps · Luther StickellVideo games Mission: Impossible (NES) · Mission: Impossible (1998) · Mission: Impossible (GBC) · Mission: Impossible – Operation SurmaFilm soundtracks Mission: Impossible · II (score) · IIISee also Categories:- American films
- English-language films
- Mission: Impossible
- Action films by series
- Cruise/Wagner Productions
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