Mission: Impossible feature films
Encyclopedia
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.
Mission: Impossible 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."
.
In May 2010, Cruise confirmed that Brad Bird
(director of The Incredibles
and Ratatouille
) will direct the film.
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.
, 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. 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."
in which teenage dancers were caught off-guard by Dick Clark's playing of the Lalo Schifrin
single release.
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.
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.
Film series
A film series is a collection of related films in succession. Their relationship is not fixed, but generally share a common diegetic world. Sometimes the work is conceived as a multiple-film work, for example the Three Colours series, but in most cases the success of the original film inspires...
of action films based on the television series of the same name
Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible is an American television series which was created and initially produced by Bruce Geller. It chronicled the missions of a team of secret American government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force . The leader of the team was Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, except in...
. The films feature Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
as Ethan Hunt
Ethan Hunt
Ethan Hunt is the central protagonist in the Mission: Impossible film series.-Mission: Impossible:In Mission: Impossible, Hunt acts as the IMF point man for an established and experienced field team, led by veteran Jim Phelps, with whom he has a particularly close bond...
, an I.M.F agent.
Mission: Impossible Set in the year 1996, Ethan Hunt
Ethan Hunt
Ethan Hunt is the central protagonist in the Mission: Impossible film series.-Mission: Impossible:In Mission: Impossible, Hunt acts as the IMF point man for an established and experienced field team, led by veteran Jim Phelps, with whom he has a particularly close bond...
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
Set 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
Set in 2006, Ethan Hunt, retired from being an IMF team leader and now engaged to be married, 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
Mission: 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 ProductionsBad Robot Productions
Bad Robot Productions is an American film and television production company owned by J. J. Abrams. It is responsible for the television series Alias, Lost, What About Brian, Fringe, Six Degrees, Undercovers, Person of Interest and the feature length films Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol , ...
.
In May 2010, Cruise confirmed that Brad Bird
Brad Bird
Phillip Bradley "Brad" Bird is an Academy Award-winning American director, voice actor, animator and screenwriter. He is best known for writing and directing Disney/Pixar's The Incredibles and Ratatouille . He also adapted and directed the critically acclaimed 2D animated 1999 Warner Brothers...
(director of The Incredibles
The Incredibles
The Incredibles is a 2004 American computer-animated action-comedy superhero film about a family of superheroes who are forced to hide their powers. It was written and directed by Brad Bird, a former director and executive consultant of The Simpsons, and was produced by Pixar and distributed by...
and Ratatouille
Ratatouille (film)
Ratatouille is a 2007 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the eighth film produced by Pixar, and was directed by Brad Bird, who took over from Jan Pinkava in 2005...
) will direct the film.
Returning cast members include Ving Rhames
Ving Rhames
Irving Rameses "Ving" Rhames is an American actor best known for his work in Bringing Out the Dead, Pulp Fiction, Baby Boy, Don King: Only in America, and the Mission: Impossible film series.-Early life and education:...
as Luther Stickell and Simon Pegg
Simon Pegg
Simon Pegg is an English actor, comedian, writer, film producer, and director. He is best known for having co-written and stared in various Edgar Wright features, mainly Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and the comedy series Spaced.He also portrayed Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the 2009 Star Trek film...
as Benji Dunn. New cast members include Vladimir Mashkov
Vladimir Mashkov
Vladimir Lvovich Mashkov is a Russian actor best known to Western audiences for his work in the 2001 film Behind Enemy Lines. Mashkov has also worked as a film director, producer and writer for the 2004 Russian film "Papa".-Theatre work:...
, Josh Holloway
Josh Holloway
Joshua Lee "Josh" Holloway is an American actor and model from Free Home, Georgia. He is best known for his role as James "Sawyer" Ford on the American television show Lost.-Early life:...
, Jeremy Renner
Jeremy Renner
Jeremy Lee Renner is a two-time Academy-Award-nominated American actor and musician. Renner appeared in films throughout the 2000s, mostly in supporting roles. He came to prominence in films such as Dahmer , S.W.A.T. , Neo Ned , 28 Weeks Later and The Hurt Locker...
, Paula Patton
Paula Patton
Paula Maxine Patton is an American actress. She is mostly known for her appearances in the films Idlewild , Déjà Vu , Mirrors , Swing Vote , Precious , Just Wright , and Jumping the Broom .-Early life and career:Patton was born in Los Angeles, to Joyce , a European-American...
, Samuli Edelmann
Samuli Edelmann
Samuli Casimir Edelmann is a Finnish actor and singer.-Family and career:Samuli Edelmann is the son of actress Marja-Leena Kouki and composer Toni Edelmann. Edelmann has two children, Venla and Ilmari, with his wife Laura Tuomarila...
, Anil Kapoor
Anil Kapoor
Anil Kapoor is an Indian actor and producer who mainly appears in Bollywood films. He won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in Yash Chopra's film Mashaal ....
, and Michael Nyqvist
Michael Nyqvist
Rolf Åke Michael Nyqvist is a Swedish actor. Educated at the School of Drama in Malmö, he became well known from his role as police officer Banck in the first series of Beck movies made in 1997. He is recently most recognized for his role in the internationally acclaimed Millennium series as...
as the film's villain.
Principal cast
| Character | Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission: Impossible Mission: Impossible (film) Mission: Impossible is a 1996 action thriller directed by Brian De Palma and starring Tom Cruise. Following on from the television series of the same name, the plot follows a new agent, Ethan Hunt and his mission to uncover the mole within the CIA who has framed him for the murders of his entire... |
Mission: Impossible II Mission: Impossible II Mission: Impossible II is a 2000 action film directed by John Woo, and starring Tom Cruise, who also served as the film's producer... |
Mission: Impossible III Mission: Impossible III Mission: Impossible III is a 2006 spy film, the third based on the spy-themed television series Mission: Impossible starring Tom Cruise who reprises his role of IMF agent Ethan Hunt.... |
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol | |
| Ethan Hunt Ethan Hunt Ethan Hunt is the central protagonist in the Mission: Impossible film series.-Mission: Impossible:In Mission: Impossible, Hunt acts as the IMF point man for an established and experienced field team, led by veteran Jim Phelps, with whom he has a particularly close bond... |
Tom Cruise Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards.... |
|||
| Luther Stickell Luther Stickell Luther Stickell is a supporting fictional character from the Mission: Impossible film series. The character first appeared in Mission: Impossible in 1996 and is the only character besides Ethan Hunt to appear in all four films.... |
Ving Rhames Ving Rhames Irving Rameses "Ving" Rhames is an American actor best known for his work in Bringing Out the Dead, Pulp Fiction, Baby Boy, Don King: Only in America, and the Mission: Impossible film series.-Early life and education:... |
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| Jim Phelps | Jon Voight Jon Voight Jonathan Vincent "Jon" Voight is an American actor. He has received an Academy Award, out of four nominations, and three Golden Globe Awards, out of nine nominations. Voight is the father of actress Angelina Jolie.... |
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| Claire Phelps | Emmanuelle Béart Emmanuelle Béart Emmanuelle Béart is a French film actress, who has appeared in over 50 film and television productions since 1972. Béart won a César Award for Best Supporting Actress in the film Manon des Sources . She has been nominated a further seven times for Most Promising Actress and Best Actress.- Early... |
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| Eugene Kittridge | Henry Czerny Henry Czerny - Career :Czerny received formal training at the National Theatre School in Montreal. After graduating in 1982, he went on to perform onstage across Canada, from Ottawa's National Arts Centre to Edmonton's Citadel Theatre and the Stratford Festival. By the late 1980s, he had established himself as... |
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| Franz Krieger | Jean Reno Jean Reno Jean Reno is a French actor. Working in French, English, Spanish and Italian, he has appeared not only in numerous successful Hollywood productions such as The Pink Panther, Godzilla, The Da Vinci Code, Mission: Impossible, Ronin and Couples Retreat, but also in European productions such as the... |
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| Sarah Davies | Kristin Scott Thomas Kristin Scott Thomas Kristin A. Scott Thomas, OBE is an English actress who has also acquired French nationality. She gained international recognition in the 1990s for her roles in Bitter Moon, Four Weddings and a Funeral and The English Patient.... |
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| Max | Vanessa Redgrave Vanessa Redgrave Vanessa Redgrave, CBE is an English actress of stage, screen and television, as well as a political activist.She rose to prominence in 1961 playing Rosalind in As You Like It with the Royal Shakespeare Company and has since made more than 35 appearances on London's West End and Broadway, winning... |
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| Hannah Williams | Ingeborga Dapkunaite Ingeborga Dapkunaite Ingeborga Dapkūnaitė is a Lithuanian actress, who stars mostly in Russian movies.-Youth:Ingeborga Dapkunaite was born in Vilnius, Lithuanian SSR. Her father was a diplomat and her mother a meteorologist. For many years her parents worked in Moscow, and she only saw them on holidays... |
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| Jack Harmon | Emilio Estevez Emilio Estevez Emilio Estevez is an American actor, film director, and writer. He started his career as an actor and is well-known for being a member of the acting Brat Pack of the 1980s, starring in The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire... |
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| Sean Ambrose | Dougray Scott Dougray Scott -Early life:The son of Elma, a nurse, and Alan Scott, an actor and salesperson, Stephen Dougray Scott was born in Glenrothes, Fife and attended Auchmuty High School... |
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| Nyah Nordoff-Hall | Thandie Newton Thandie Newton Thandiwe Nashita "Thandie" Newton is a British actress. She has appeared in a number of British and American films, including The Pursuit of Happyness, Mission: Impossible II, Crash, Run, Fatboy, Run and W.... |
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| Hugh Stamp | Richard Roxburgh Richard Roxburgh Richard Roxburgh is an Australian actor who has starred in many Australian films and has appeared in supporting roles in a number of Hollywood productions, usually as villains.-Early life:... |
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| Billy Baird | John Polson John Polson John Polson is an Australian actor, director and founder of Tropfest. In February 2001, Polson attended the 12th Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival in Hokkaidō, Japan where his film Siam Sunset won the Minami Toshiko Award... |
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| John C. McCloy | Brendan Gleeson Brendan Gleeson Brendan Gleeson is an Irish actor. His best-known films include Braveheart, Gangs of New York, In Bruges, 28 Days Later, the Harry Potter films, The Guard and the role of Michael Collins in The Treaty... |
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| Dr. Nekhorvich | Rade Šerbedžija Rade Šerbedžija Rade Šerbedžija , occasionally credited as Rade Sherbedgia in some English-language productions, is a Croatian actor, director and musician of Serb origin. He was one of the most popular Yugoslav actors in the 1970s and 1980s. He is now internationally known mainly for his supporting roles in... |
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| Swanbeck | Anthony Hopkins Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins, KBE , best known as Anthony Hopkins, is a Welsh actor of film, stage and television... |
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| Owen Davian | Phillip Seymour Hoffman | |||
| John Musgrave | Billy Crudup Billy Crudup William Gaither "Billy" Crudup is an American actor of film and stage. He is well known for his roles as guitarist Russell Hammond in Almost Famous, Will Bloom in Big Fish, and Ashitaka in Princess Mononoke. He also starred in the 2007 romantic comedy film Dedication, alongside Mandy Moore... |
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| Julia Meade | Michelle Monaghan Michelle Monaghan Michelle Lynn Monaghan is an American actress known for her roles in Mission: Impossible III, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Gone Baby Gone, Made of Honor, The Heartbreak Kid, Eagle Eye, and Source Code.-Early life:... |
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| Declan Gormley | Jonathan Rhys Meyers | |||
| Lindsey Farris | Keri Russell Keri Russell Keri Lynn Russell is an American actress and dancer. After appearing in a number of made-for-television films and series during the mid-1990s, she came to fame for portraying the title role of Felicity Porter on the series Felicity, which ran from 1998 to 2002, and for which she won a Golden Globe... |
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| Zhen Lei | Maggie Q Maggie Q Margaret Denise Quigley , professionally known as Maggie Q, is an American-born actress and former fashion model. She currently stars as the titular character on the action-thriller TV series Nikita.-Early life:... |
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| Theodore Brassel | Laurence Fishburne Laurence Fishburne Laurence John Fishburne III is an American film and stage actor, playwright, director, and producer. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Morpheus in the Matrix science fiction film trilogy, as Cowboy Curtis on the 1980's television show Pee-wee's Playhouse, and as singer-musician Ike Turner... |
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| Benji Dunn | Simon Pegg Simon Pegg Simon Pegg is an English actor, comedian, writer, film producer, and director. He is best known for having co-written and stared in various Edgar Wright features, mainly Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and the comedy series Spaced.He also portrayed Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the 2009 Star Trek film... |
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| Brandt | Jeremy Renner Jeremy Renner Jeremy Lee Renner is a two-time Academy-Award-nominated American actor and musician. Renner appeared in films throughout the 2000s, mostly in supporting roles. He came to prominence in films such as Dahmer , S.W.A.T. , Neo Ned , 28 Weeks Later and The Hurt Locker... |
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| Trevor Hanaway | Josh Holloway Josh Holloway Joshua Lee "Josh" Holloway is an American actor and model from Free Home, Georgia. He is best known for his role as James "Sawyer" Ford on the American television show Lost.-Early life:... |
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| Jane Carter | Paula Patton Paula Patton Paula Maxine Patton is an American actress. She is mostly known for her appearances in the films Idlewild , Déjà Vu , Mirrors , Swing Vote , Precious , Just Wright , and Jumping the Broom .-Early life and career:Patton was born in Los Angeles, to Joyce , a European-American... |
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| Kurt Hendricks | Michael Nyqvist Michael Nyqvist Rolf Åke Michael Nyqvist is a Swedish actor. Educated at the School of Drama in Malmö, he became well known from his role as police officer Banck in the first series of Beck movies made in 1997. He is recently most recognized for his role in the internationally acclaimed Millennium series as... |
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Principal crew
| Role | Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission: Impossible Mission: Impossible (film) Mission: Impossible is a 1996 action thriller directed by Brian De Palma and starring Tom Cruise. Following on from the television series of the same name, the plot follows a new agent, Ethan Hunt and his mission to uncover the mole within the CIA who has framed him for the murders of his entire... |
Mission: Impossible II Mission: Impossible II Mission: Impossible II is a 2000 action film directed by John Woo, and starring Tom Cruise, who also served as the film's producer... |
Mission: Impossible III Mission: Impossible III Mission: Impossible III is a 2006 spy film, the third based on the spy-themed television series Mission: Impossible starring Tom Cruise who reprises his role of IMF agent Ethan Hunt.... |
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol | |
| Director | Brian De Palma Brian De Palma Brian Russell De Palma is an American film director and writer. In a career spanning over 40 years, he is probably best known for his suspense and crime thriller films, including such box office successes as the horror film Carrie, Dressed to Kill, Scarface, The Untouchables, and Mission:... |
John Woo John Woo John Woo Yu-Sen SBS is a Hong Kong-based film director and producer. Recognized for his stylised films of highly choreographed action sequences, Mexican standoffs, and use of slow-motion, Woo has directed several notable Hong Kong action films, among them, A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, Hard... |
J.J. Abrams | Brad Bird Brad Bird Phillip Bradley "Brad" Bird is an Academy Award-winning American director, voice actor, animator and screenwriter. He is best known for writing and directing Disney/Pixar's The Incredibles and Ratatouille . He also adapted and directed the critically acclaimed 2D animated 1999 Warner Brothers... |
| Producers | Tom Cruise Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards.... Paul Hitchcock Paul Hitchcock Paul Anthony Hitchcock is a New Zealand cricketer. In 2008 he was recalled into the Black Caps team. The recall only lasted a game and he did not return for the 2008/09 season. He currently plays cricket for the Auckland Aces.-External links:... Elias Badra Paula Wagner Paula Wagner Paula Wagner is an American film producer and film executive.-Early career:Wagner began her career at Creative Artists Agency. In 1993 she launched Cruise/Wagner Productions with her former CAA client Tom Cruise. C/W's first film, Mission: Impossible, was an international hit that brought the... |
Tom Cruise Paula Wagner Michael Doven |
Tom Cruise Paula Wagner |
Tom Cruise J. J. Abrams Bryan Burk Bryan Burk Bryan Burk is an American film and television producer, as well as an occasional screenwriter.A graduate of USC's School of Cinema-Television, Bryan Burk began his career working with producers Brad Weston at Columbia Pictures, Ned Tanen at Sony Pictures and John Davis at FOX... |
| Writers | David Koepp David Koepp -Career:As a writer, Koepp has worked on such blockbuster Hollywood films as Jurassic Park, Mission Impossible, and Spider-Man. Koepp had a cameo as the "Unlucky Bastard" in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, in which he was serving as Writer and Second Unit Director.His work as a director has not had... Robert Towne Robert Towne Robert Towne is an American screenwriter and director. His most notable work may be his Academy Award-winning original screenplay for Roman Polanski's Chinatown .-Film:... Steven Zaillian Steven Zaillian Steven Ernest Bernard Zaillian is an American screenwriter, film director, film editor, producer, and founder of Film Rites, a film production company. He won an Academy Award for his screenplay for Schindler's List and he has been nominated two times for Awakenings and Gangs of New York... |
Robert Towne Ronald D. Moore Ronald D. Moore Ronald Dowl Moore is an American screenwriter and television producer best known for his work on Star Trek and the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica miniseries and television series, for which he won a Peabody Award for creative excellence in 2005 and an Emmy Award in 2008.-Early life and... Brannon Braga Brannon Braga Brannon Braga is an American television producer and screenwriter, currently working as showrunner and executive producer on Terra Nova... |
Alex Kurtzman Alex Kurtzman Alex Kurtzman is an American film and television screenwriter and producer.Kurtzman was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, where he met his high school friend and long time collaborator Roberto Orci... Roberto Orci Roberto Orci Roberto Gaston Orci is a Mexican-American film producer, television producer, and screenwriter.-Biography:Orci was born in Mexico City to a Mexican father and a Cuban mother. His mother had left Cuba for Mexico after Fidel Castro came to power. He is the older brother of screenwriter-producer J.... J. J. Abrams |
André Nemec André Nemec André Nemec is the writer and producer on hit television show Alias. Past credits for writing include episodes of Alias, Fastlane, She Spies, and Profiler. Nemec is the creator, writer and producer of October Road... Josh Appelbaum Josh Appelbaum Josh Appelbaum is a television writer and producer. He has written for shows such as Life on Mars, October Road, and most recently, the series Happy Town.- Works :This is a partial listing of Appelbaum's work.*Profiler... |
| Music | Danny Elfman Danny Elfman Daniel Robert "Danny" Elfman is an American composer, best known for scoring music for television and film. Up until 1995, he was the lead singer and songwriter in the rock band Oingo Boingo, a group he formed in 1976... Lalo Schifrin Lalo Schifrin Lalo Schifrin is an Argentine composer, pianist and conductor. He is best known for his film and TV scores, such as the "Theme from Mission: Impossible". He has received four Grammy Awards and six Oscar nominations... |
Hans Zimmer Hans Zimmer Hans Florian Zimmer is a German film composer and music producer. He has composed music for over 100 films, including critically acclaimed film scores for The Lion King , Crimson Tide , The Thin Red Line , Gladiator , The Dark Knight and Inception .Zimmer spent the early part of his career in the... Klaus Badelt Klaus Badelt Klaus Badelt is an award-winning German composer, best known for composing film scores.-Life and career:Badelt was born in Frankfurt, Germany. He started his musical career composing for many successful movies and commercials in his homeland... Lalo Schifrin |
Michael Giacchino Michael Giacchino Michael Giacchino is an American composer who has composed scores for movies, television series and video games. Some of his most notable works include the scores to television series such as Lost, Alias and Fringe, games such as the Medal of Honor and Call of Duty series, and films such as... Lalo Schifrin |
|
| Cinematographer | Stephen H. Burum Stephen H. Burum Stephen Henry Burum, A.S.C. is an American cinematographer.-Biography:Burum was born in 1939 in Dinuba, California, a small Central Valley town near Visalia. He graduated from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in the 1960s, and became an instructor at the same school... |
Jeffrey L. Kimball | Dan Mindel | Robert Elswit Robert Elswit Robert Christopher Elswit, ASC is an American cinematographer. He has had multiple Oscar, BAFTA, and Independent Spirit nominations for several films, including There Will Be Blood. Elswit frequently works with director Paul Thomas Anderson.Elswit is a fierce defender of shooting with film, and... |
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 | |
| Mission: Impossible II | May 24, 2000 | $215,409,889 | $330,978,216 | $546,388,105 | #81 #149(A) |
#56 | $125,000,000 | |
| Mission: Impossible III | May 5, 2006 | $134,029,801 | $263,820,211 | $397,850,012 | #241 | #115 | $150,000,000 | |
| Total | $530,421,546 | 871,512,930 | $1,401,934,476 | $355,000,000 | ||||
List indicator(s)
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Critical reaction
| Title | Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance... |
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance... Cream of the Crop |
Metacritic Metacritic Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,... |
Yahoo Movies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission: Impossible | 60% (47 reviews) | 50% (18 reviews) | 60 (17 reviews) | B- (7 reviews) |
| Mission: Impossible II | 57% (141 reviews) | 63% (30 reviews) | 60 (33 reviews) | |
| Mission: Impossible III | 70% (218 reviews) | 63% (43 reviews) | 66 (38 reviews) | B (16 reviews) |
| Trilogy average | 62% | 59% | 62 |
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 MorrisGreg Morris
Francis Gregory Alan "Greg" Morris was an American television and movie actor.Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Morris began his acting career in the 1960s making guest appearances on many TV shows such as The Twilight Zone and Ben Casey...
, who portrayed Barney Collier in the original television series
Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible is an American television series which was created and initially produced by Bruce Geller. It chronicled the missions of a team of secret American government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force . The leader of the team was Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, except in...
, was so disgusted with the first film's treatment of the Phelps character that he walked out of the theater before the film ended. Martin Landau
Martin Landau
Martin Landau is an American film and television actor. Landau began his career in the 1950s. His early films include a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest . He played continuing roles in the television series Mission: Impossible and Space:1999...
, 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."
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 BandstandAmerican Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
in which teenage dancers were caught off-guard by Dick Clark's playing of the Lalo Schifrin
Lalo Schifrin
Lalo Schifrin is an Argentine composer, pianist and conductor. He is best known for his film and TV scores, such as the "Theme from Mission: Impossible". He has received four Grammy Awards and six Oscar nominations...
single release.
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
Danny Elfman
Daniel Robert "Danny" Elfman is an American composer, best known for scoring music for television and film. Up until 1995, he was the lead singer and songwriter in the rock band Oingo Boingo, a group he formed in 1976...
, Hans Zimmer
Hans Zimmer
Hans Florian Zimmer is a German film composer and music producer. He has composed music for over 100 films, including critically acclaimed film scores for The Lion King , Crimson Tide , The Thin Red Line , Gladiator , The Dark Knight and Inception .Zimmer spent the early part of his career in the...
, and Michael Giacchino
Michael Giacchino
Michael Giacchino is an American composer who has composed scores for movies, television series and video games. Some of his most notable works include the scores to television series such as Lost, Alias and Fringe, games such as the Medal of Honor and Call of Duty series, and films such as...
respectively by the films' chronology. Most of the versions included in the score also retained the 5/4 time signature.
However, for Adam Clayton
Adam Clayton
Adam Charles Clayton is a musician, best known as the bassist of the Irish rock band U2. Clayton has resided in County Dublin since the time his family moved to Malahide when he was five years old in 1965...
& Larry Mullen Jr.
Larry Mullen Jr.
Lawrence Joseph "Larry" Mullen, Jr. is an Irish musician best known as the drummer for the Irish rock band U2. He is the founder of U2, which he later described as "'The Larry Mullen Band' for about ten minutes, then Bono walked in and blew any chance I had of being in charge." He has worked on...
'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
Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 1995, the group's lineup consists of Fred Durst , Wes Borland , Sam Rivers , John Otto and DJ Lethal . The band achieved mainstream success with their second studio album Significant Other, released in 1999...
song Take a Look Around
Take A Look Around (song)
Take a Look Around is the third single by the American nü metal band Limp Bizkit from their third album Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water...
from the soundtrack to the second film was set to a similar 4/4 modification of the theme, with an interlude in 5/4.