We rewatched last weekend and went on Saturday to an enormous Marcus theater. There were not many people at 10:30 but lot of people coming in for the next one. Also lots of tiny people coming in for LILO and Stitch. I enjoyed it. It was also long. Some of the airplane scene could have been taken out. I also had a cold and developed a horrible headache about halfway through. So maybe I just wanted to go home. lol We were kind of sad it seemed like not a movie to rewatch? My 16 yo really likes to rewatch favorite movies, but thinks it might not be the same.
Saw that 1st MI movie in 1996… well done in terms of action & effects & twists. Didn’t make me care to see any of the sequels. As an adolescent with the original Dan Briggs on our family’s b&w TV 30 years earlier, I had a different vision. Focus was on brains (no disrespect, Willy!), psychology, camaraderie among the force, often using the baddies powers against them in moral endings. Maybe the world hadn’t changed so much between ‘66 & ‘96? …even tho I had.
From ‘96 till now? Yikes. The world is upside down & sideways. Maybe I should give Cruise another reckoning?
Whether I see it or not, Sonny has again woven a great article on the film, the times, the changed connections between us as people in the seats or at home starting into our private screens. Excellent read. One of my highest praise favorite quotes: “that’s the kind of story I like, the kind that makes ya think” (Steve Earle)
Wow thank you! I’ve never had my viewing personally curated by a professional reviewer!! The Bulwark keeps surprising me with the possibilities of community on the web. Sincerely appreciate this - jim
If you want to give the series another shot, I'd recommend watching III and then just skipping straight to The Final Reckoning. There's enough recap in the opening hour that you won't HAVE to watch the rest of the series to keep up. (That said, I think Ghost Protocol through The Final Reckoning is the most consistent run of action blockbusters maybe ever ... five movies, all of them roughly three to three point five stars out of four. I wouldn't say any of them is an all-time GREAT, but they're all very consistent and well done.)
Im glad Bulwark has the movie blogs and shows. It's easy to spend too much time on the politics. Which God knows are important but at the same time life is happening still and there is more to discuss and ponder than DJT. THANKS SONNY
To paraphrase another Tom Cruise movie, "You had me at Henry Czerny."
I have seen most, not all, movies of the Mission Impossible franchise, but only one in the theater. The first one.
It was at the Neptune, U-District/Wallingford, Seattle, WA. Balcony, middle of the week, middle of the day, middle of the row.
I dragged 4 of my twenty-something friends to this matinee showing. I think I said something to the effect, "Play hooky from work today, meet me at the Neptune, maybe get almost ticketed for jaywalking, and get some drinks after.'
We had a blast.
So, I think it's fitting that I see Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning in the theater as well.
Thank you to Sonny for convincing me to go to a movie theater and play hooky for an afternoon.
Loved your essay. Loved the movie. My appreciation for Tom Cruise has grown over the last few years. He inspires and keeps open the path for other movie stars/icons to emerge such as Timothee Chalamet, Michael B Jordan and Pedro Pascal. So not only is he trying to save the movie industry, but the very idea and magic of movie stars. His mission. And I don't think it is impossible. :)
Maybe it's because I'm a geezer but I always found young actors more interesting and artistically solid as they got older. DiCaprio is one. Tom Cruise is another. He brought comedic flair to Edge of Tomorrow.
Like they're not BAD movies, but I'm just always perplexed at how so much money can obviously be on screen and yet I can't remember anything that happened in any of the MI movies since maybe the second one (was that the one with the motorcycle joust?) or the bit with the video curtain under the Kremlin (was that the 4rh? Maybe?).
I'm sure the problem is me. Maybe I just don't really like Tom Cruise (though "Collateral" is one of my favorite films so maybe not), or just don't like him in the role. Maybe I just don't care about what's happening in the story (I genuinely can't remember the plot of any of them since the first ["elaborate mole-hunt gone wrong" is about as detailed as my recollection gets]). Maybe I just fundamentally don't like fun.
Maybe it's because I also have limited theatre time. 3 small kids will do that to a dad.
In any case, I don't HATE "Mission Impossible: Another One". It just didn't leave an impression. Looks very nice, for what that's worth.
Sonny, sorry to highjack the comments section here, but if you have any interest I'd love to hear your, and the gang's take on this awesome little indy/fan short film I just saw. It's basically a short film that's "Alien" but in WWI. Some of the effects are a little cheesey, but ultimately not bad, and the Aliens are awesome.
Maybe you guys could do a indy-shorts episode? This one is called "No Man's Land" and I think the acting, action, sets, and most effects are incredible. -I'll catch up on this episode lol; just thought that no man's land was so well done and so many excellent small-time projects rarely get the attention (and money) and follow up they deserve.
Whoa...I was probably going to see it anyway, but ow you really convinced me, I may have to watch the first two again, it has been years since I saw them
My H and I plan on watching all of them in order before going to see this one. I remember that right before seeing Dead Reckoning in the theater, Cruise came on the screen with a special message about the beauty of seeing movies in movies theaters, instead of on a tv set. He said that in the post-Covid apocalypse, he had decided to buck the trend to fast track a film to home viewing so people didn’t have to go to a theater. Cruise said he firmly believed that movies were meant for movie theaters and he wanted audiences to get back to that experience asap. I forget all the exact words, but they were inspiring, and so was he. You’re lucky you caught some of the magic in Dallas.
Went yesterday and had fun? I put a question mark on that because the scene in the submarine were all of my phobias brought to life at once!
FUN!
We rewatched last weekend and went on Saturday to an enormous Marcus theater. There were not many people at 10:30 but lot of people coming in for the next one. Also lots of tiny people coming in for LILO and Stitch. I enjoyed it. It was also long. Some of the airplane scene could have been taken out. I also had a cold and developed a horrible headache about halfway through. So maybe I just wanted to go home. lol We were kind of sad it seemed like not a movie to rewatch? My 16 yo really likes to rewatch favorite movies, but thinks it might not be the same.
Saw that 1st MI movie in 1996… well done in terms of action & effects & twists. Didn’t make me care to see any of the sequels. As an adolescent with the original Dan Briggs on our family’s b&w TV 30 years earlier, I had a different vision. Focus was on brains (no disrespect, Willy!), psychology, camaraderie among the force, often using the baddies powers against them in moral endings. Maybe the world hadn’t changed so much between ‘66 & ‘96? …even tho I had.
From ‘96 till now? Yikes. The world is upside down & sideways. Maybe I should give Cruise another reckoning?
Whether I see it or not, Sonny has again woven a great article on the film, the times, the changed connections between us as people in the seats or at home starting into our private screens. Excellent read. One of my highest praise favorite quotes: “that’s the kind of story I like, the kind that makes ya think” (Steve Earle)
Wow thank you! I’ve never had my viewing personally curated by a professional reviewer!! The Bulwark keeps surprising me with the possibilities of community on the web. Sincerely appreciate this - jim
If you want to give the series another shot, I'd recommend watching III and then just skipping straight to The Final Reckoning. There's enough recap in the opening hour that you won't HAVE to watch the rest of the series to keep up. (That said, I think Ghost Protocol through The Final Reckoning is the most consistent run of action blockbusters maybe ever ... five movies, all of them roughly three to three point five stars out of four. I wouldn't say any of them is an all-time GREAT, but they're all very consistent and well done.)
Im glad Bulwark has the movie blogs and shows. It's easy to spend too much time on the politics. Which God knows are important but at the same time life is happening still and there is more to discuss and ponder than DJT. THANKS SONNY
To paraphrase another Tom Cruise movie, "You had me at Henry Czerny."
I have seen most, not all, movies of the Mission Impossible franchise, but only one in the theater. The first one.
It was at the Neptune, U-District/Wallingford, Seattle, WA. Balcony, middle of the week, middle of the day, middle of the row.
I dragged 4 of my twenty-something friends to this matinee showing. I think I said something to the effect, "Play hooky from work today, meet me at the Neptune, maybe get almost ticketed for jaywalking, and get some drinks after.'
We had a blast.
So, I think it's fitting that I see Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning in the theater as well.
Thank you to Sonny for convincing me to go to a movie theater and play hooky for an afternoon.
Loved your essay. Loved the movie. My appreciation for Tom Cruise has grown over the last few years. He inspires and keeps open the path for other movie stars/icons to emerge such as Timothee Chalamet, Michael B Jordan and Pedro Pascal. So not only is he trying to save the movie industry, but the very idea and magic of movie stars. His mission. And I don't think it is impossible. :)
Great essay even though I haven't seen a single one of the films.
Maybe it's because I'm a geezer but I always found young actors more interesting and artistically solid as they got older. DiCaprio is one. Tom Cruise is another. He brought comedic flair to Edge of Tomorrow.
Every time one of these comes out my reaction is an identical "Jeebus, are they still making these?"
Lol, another Bulwark draw for me - people who understand "ohhh save me Jeebusssss ". Won't find that in Fox.com comments.
interesting thanks for the contribution
Like they're not BAD movies, but I'm just always perplexed at how so much money can obviously be on screen and yet I can't remember anything that happened in any of the MI movies since maybe the second one (was that the one with the motorcycle joust?) or the bit with the video curtain under the Kremlin (was that the 4rh? Maybe?).
I'm sure the problem is me. Maybe I just don't really like Tom Cruise (though "Collateral" is one of my favorite films so maybe not), or just don't like him in the role. Maybe I just don't care about what's happening in the story (I genuinely can't remember the plot of any of them since the first ["elaborate mole-hunt gone wrong" is about as detailed as my recollection gets]). Maybe I just fundamentally don't like fun.
Maybe it's because I also have limited theatre time. 3 small kids will do that to a dad.
In any case, I don't HATE "Mission Impossible: Another One". It just didn't leave an impression. Looks very nice, for what that's worth.
Your pieces have been a great added benefit of the Bulwark. Thanks and boy did you stick the ending. Was not expecting that.
Hey look it’s not every day you get to wander near Tom Cruise.
Sonny, sorry to highjack the comments section here, but if you have any interest I'd love to hear your, and the gang's take on this awesome little indy/fan short film I just saw. It's basically a short film that's "Alien" but in WWI. Some of the effects are a little cheesey, but ultimately not bad, and the Aliens are awesome.
Maybe you guys could do a indy-shorts episode? This one is called "No Man's Land" and I think the acting, action, sets, and most effects are incredible. -I'll catch up on this episode lol; just thought that no man's land was so well done and so many excellent small-time projects rarely get the attention (and money) and follow up they deserve.
Whoa...I was probably going to see it anyway, but ow you really convinced me, I may have to watch the first two again, it has been years since I saw them
I plan on watching all of them in order before going to see this one. A true marathon. Some of the best movies ever made imho.
Watch the first and the third, which is surprisingly present through this one.
Yeah, the thirst, the third, and Dead Reckoning are probably the most important to rewatch.
My H and I plan on watching all of them in order before going to see this one. I remember that right before seeing Dead Reckoning in the theater, Cruise came on the screen with a special message about the beauty of seeing movies in movies theaters, instead of on a tv set. He said that in the post-Covid apocalypse, he had decided to buck the trend to fast track a film to home viewing so people didn’t have to go to a theater. Cruise said he firmly believed that movies were meant for movie theaters and he wanted audiences to get back to that experience asap. I forget all the exact words, but they were inspiring, and so was he. You’re lucky you caught some of the magic in Dallas.