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Mission: Impossible
Feb. 25th, 2019 11:40 amI've done a slow watch of the entire Mission: Impossible movie series and I'm so fond of it. Aside from M:I 2, which is cheesy and ridiculous in a fun-bad movie kind of way, the whole franchise is remarkably consistent in serving up teamwork, competence porn, goofy science fictional spycraft (why, yes, we have customized latex masks with little plastic strips that let you impersonate voices, and also electronic lockpicks you can use on your cellphone), high-quality practical effects stuntwork, and a nice streak of hurt/comfort.
It's very fandom-friendly in its structure: episodic enough that you can slot in all kinds of background adventures, continuity-friendly enough that relationships build up naturally, open to both extreme situations and domestic fluff and everything in between. It scratches a particular kind of comfort food itch for me. Most of my absolute favorite media is full of tragedy and transcendence and hard choices and asshole murderers, but there's also always a particular place in my heart for basically good people working together as a team and selflessly risking their lives for each other. And dramatically ripping off masks. There are so many dramatic mask-rips. (Every time, I'm like Lucille Bluth reacting to Gene Parmesan.)
It's also interesting in contrast to the Bond franchise, which I also like. Bond has something of a support system, but he's basically a loner; Ethan Hunt can and does go off on his own, but he's also always part of a team, and he forms lasting connections and tries to keep them around. He's got friends. Over the course of six movies, he's with exactly two women, one of whom he marries. The series deliberately tries to minimize the amount of gunplay the good guys do, and the movies are specific about Ethan's team always looking for clever, nonviolent infiltration schemes. People who are suspicious or unfriendly usually come around in the end. It's exactly the kind of thing that could annoy me if done poorly, because it makes everything too easy on the characters, but for some reason this series manages the exact charm balance that makes it pleasant instead.
Also, because I'm going to request it for Hurt/Comfort Exchange, I'm going to again emphasize the lovely amount of h/c. People temporarily drowning because they have to do an underwater job with failing oxygen! (Ethan having the mobility of a floppy newborn kitten after this and trying and spectacularly failing to slide across the hood of his car will never not make me laugh.) People getting bombs strapped to them to manipulate their coworkers! Exhaustion! Betrayal! Dramatic professions of loyalty! People getting beaten to hell and having to just keep going!
It definitely makes for a quality popcorn movie series, or at least one tailor-made for my taste in comfort viewing.
It's very fandom-friendly in its structure: episodic enough that you can slot in all kinds of background adventures, continuity-friendly enough that relationships build up naturally, open to both extreme situations and domestic fluff and everything in between. It scratches a particular kind of comfort food itch for me. Most of my absolute favorite media is full of tragedy and transcendence and hard choices and asshole murderers, but there's also always a particular place in my heart for basically good people working together as a team and selflessly risking their lives for each other. And dramatically ripping off masks. There are so many dramatic mask-rips. (Every time, I'm like Lucille Bluth reacting to Gene Parmesan.)
It's also interesting in contrast to the Bond franchise, which I also like. Bond has something of a support system, but he's basically a loner; Ethan Hunt can and does go off on his own, but he's also always part of a team, and he forms lasting connections and tries to keep them around. He's got friends. Over the course of six movies, he's with exactly two women, one of whom he marries. The series deliberately tries to minimize the amount of gunplay the good guys do, and the movies are specific about Ethan's team always looking for clever, nonviolent infiltration schemes. People who are suspicious or unfriendly usually come around in the end. It's exactly the kind of thing that could annoy me if done poorly, because it makes everything too easy on the characters, but for some reason this series manages the exact charm balance that makes it pleasant instead.
Also, because I'm going to request it for Hurt/Comfort Exchange, I'm going to again emphasize the lovely amount of h/c. People temporarily drowning because they have to do an underwater job with failing oxygen! (Ethan having the mobility of a floppy newborn kitten after this and trying and spectacularly failing to slide across the hood of his car will never not make me laugh.) People getting bombs strapped to them to manipulate their coworkers! Exhaustion! Betrayal! Dramatic professions of loyalty! People getting beaten to hell and having to just keep going!
It definitely makes for a quality popcorn movie series, or at least one tailor-made for my taste in comfort viewing.