Quirkbag Collection #7 – 20.06.25
If you’re craving intense, authentic and thrilling storytelling with immersive experiences, Tom Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible” franchise meets your expectations.
The latest installment of the franchise, “Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning”, was released not long ago and yes, there may be spoilers ahead.
My relationship with Ethan Hunt and his merry band of undercover, super-skilled (and often charming) partners goes back quite a long way, though not as long as his time in the IMF.
It was many years ago when I first learned of Ethan Hunt. I have since watched every film in the franchise, some more than once, without a gnawing sense of boredom. As I grew older and more of his films came out, it resonated with me differently.
That’s one of the beauties of films: they grow with you and reflect different things at various points in life.
Mission: Impossible (1996)
The beginning of a legacy. I remember the first time I saw the original “Mission: Impossible” from 1996 – how young Ethan Hunt hung off a helicopter chasing a train in a tunnel. It was in 2018, at the back of an old classroom in school. I had a laptop and a friend beside me.
Scrappy, but we made do (kind of like Ethan Hunt) and enjoyed the show for itself anyway. It was, and it still is, a heartening and exciting work of film.
Back then, I only appreciated the story, the plot and the action. I knew Ethan wanted to set things right and solve the mystery of who the buyer and seller are of the coveted list of covert operatives. I knew Ethan was not compromised; the whole audience did.
What I didn’t know was just how charming this story of Ethan and the IMF would become. Watching Ethan hang from that cable, suddenly plunging to just inches above the floor with drops of sweat sliding down his glasses – a thrill born again.
Undoubtedly, a classic scene. I know no others that symbolise “Mission: Impossible” like it does.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025)
Jump forward 29 years, I recently watched the latest instalment in the cinema. Guess what does not have wings but can fly? (No, not Tom Cruise) Those 160 minutes of airtime. That’s compelling storytelling.
Some films give me that gut feeling where I can feel the time passing as the plot creeps along and the characters simply talk. Oh, but not Ethan Hunt’s story.
Even without dialogue, “Mission: Impossible” never failed to convey meaning and style. You simply cannot miss the fact that you are watching “Mission: Impossible”.
Just think of the scene where he does literal aerial acrobatics around an airplane in South Africa to get back the Podkova from Gabriel.
It epitomised action and adventure.
What of the Nature of Ethan’s Missions?
I once read someone describing the missions as “clearly possible” to the audience from the outset. It was not a criticism. It was humorously yet fundamentally logical and true that the mission is indeed possible.
We know he saves the world, notwithstanding the price. And it is precisely that which makes Ethan’s journey and story so compelling in its development.
The films have never been about whether it can be done, although Ethan does make us question it in the show when he explains his elaborate plans (getting off “at the turn” from a submarine to get into another abandoned submarine with a rescue plan hinging on hope…that’s pretty impossible timing).
Rather, it has always been about the “how”.
How will Ethan stop a missile coming in from outer space?
How will Ethan trap the nefarious Solomon Lane?
Watching Ethan face the tremendous and practically “impossible” (more so now than ever) odds of achieving mission success gives me a dose of hope. There is something to be said about his grit, the undying spirit to choose to make things right.
What Makes “Mission: Impossible” so “Mission: Impossible”?
Many films come close in their portrayal of adventure and grit, often injected with elements of grandeur, but none quite compares to the heart and familiarity that Ethan brings.
The way Tom Cruise shoots and produces the films shows audiences his priority – an adventure aimed at an immersive experience for the audience through storytelling.
Any interview about their filming methods would hint at the spontaneity and relentless pursuit of capturing an ephemeral and epic moment to enhance the storytelling experience.
Whether that be re-shooting scenes, casting for characters and then modifying the script, or picking the most absurdly mesmerising but freezing locations to film, all the stops are pulled.
In some way, Tom’s drive to constantly improve and polish the film mirrors his alter ego, Ethan’s perseverance to make things right. Their characters converge in their unfaltering will to walk down the difficult path for the greater good – our greater enjoyment in the cinema.
I could go on about Luther, and Ilsa, and Benji and even Julia, but I doubt I have the right words to describe the importance of their fellowship in the show.
To do so nonetheless seems to me a disservice to them. I’d rather you fall in love with the show for its merits.
A legacy to behold, Luther said it best:
“Like it or not, we are masters of our fate. Nothing is written. And our cause, however righteous, pales in comparison to the impact of our effect. Any hope for a better future comes from willing that future into being. A future reflecting the measure of good within ourselves…One such future is built on kindness, trust, and mutual understanding, should we choose to accept it. Driving without question towards a light we cannot see. Not just for those we hold close but for those we’ll never meet.”
The legacy shall live on.
What’s Your Mission: Impossible?
All this to say, my life, like many, has been inspired and touched by Cruise’s vision and mission (pun intended) to create a cinematic adventure so immersive and authentic that it convinces you of your presence in his reality. Over the 29 years of its production, the franchise has seen Ethan become more human than an IMF member.
It’d be remiss not to consider the value the show brings to audiences beyond the everlasting thrill and adventure – the spirit of loyalty, grit, obstinate faith and choice, the most important of them all.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find that which makes you feel alive with purpose and pursue it with a burning passion. Our lives are the sum of our choices. You had better hurry now. This message will not self-destruct in five seconds.
Good luck, adventurer.
Accept your mission below to see more from me.