Over the years, the thrilling stunts performed by their star, Tom Cruise.
Cruise’s stunts are arguably the biggest talking points in most Mission: Impossible movies. With every film, the action star has at least one death-defying stunt that makes slews of headlines. When a new installment is around the corner, discussions begin about what Cruise and the stunt crew will pull off next. The latest movie in the franchise, Mission: Impossible 7 is currently receiving, the franchise is poised to stay on the same path. Some big stunts are already being teased for Cruise’s next adventure as Ethan Hunt.
It's worth noting that the franchise didn’t always have this reputation. There was a time when the Mission: Impossible movies were more like spy stories, rather than the stunt-driven action thrillers that they are now. Of course, that’s not to say that stunts weren’t always a part of the movies. They definitely were; it’s just that they became more important as the franchise grew. In fact, it reached a point where they took over the Mission: Impossible series. How that happened can largely be attributed to the popularity of Cruise’s stunts and his dedication to making his scenes feel as real as possible. Cruise’s approach and style put on a brand on the Mission: Impossible movies that the franchise capitalized on.
Directed by Brad Bird, 2011’s Cruise climbing the Burj Khalifa in Ghost Protocol wowed audiences and even after Fallout, is still considered by many to be the most dangerous stunt he’s ever done in his entire acting career. The decision to have the fourth movie go bigger and better with the stunts was reflected by several other action scenes as well.
Embracing this aspect of the Mission: Impossible movies worked for Ghost Protocol, so it was no surprise that Rogue Nation and Fallout expanded on this formula. And with Fallout breaking box office records for both Tom Cruise and the Mission: Impossible franchise, there’s very little reason for this trend to end with the sixth movie. And judging by the direction being taken in Mission: Impossible 7, high-octane action sequences and insane stunts will continue to be focal points of the franchise until Cruise finally decides to slow down.
