In the build-up to DEAD RECKONING (Part 1, just wrapped/scored/in the edit, pre release), it’s worth a look back at the missions that might have been..
I have no idea what the next MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE is about. CinemaCon footage did not give away much, either, btw. Just in case you thought I was holding back. I do know ONE massive plot spoiler about the baddie’s motivations. But that could be bollox.
Point is? One does not simply walk into a Mission movie and expect to know what the plot is. Indeed, to some extent, albeit by very narrow margin, if the action/atmospherics/acting (the three As of good thriller/ adventure films) ‘work’? Then one can overlook script gaps, any derivative lines and so on.
That said? Oh what could have been! Imagine a Mission:Impossible that took real advantage of its flexible format, self contained stories and shifting directors. And what if yes, they decided to jump a sci-fi shark, but only at the end of an otherwise tense and relevant espionage caper about corporate and geopolitics. THAT.
So, look no further than Oliver Stone’s Mission:Impossible 2. Mad, yes. But distinctive and far more daring, bold and fun than the derivative GoldenEye rip off via Face/Off and The Matrix clone that became the eventual second film from 2000.
Think rogue AI gone deadly. A great cold open, too. Multiple twists and mysteries. Innovation! Product placement! No forced romance? Perfect! 🙂
For details? Listen to this podcast here. Light the Fuse!
