The first exciting trailer for Mission Impossible 8: The Final Reckoning has finally dropped, and Ethan Hunt might be about to do the one thing James Bond never could: stop.
These days, it’s not just tomorrow that never dies – it’s also movie franchises. Indeed, a common criticism about modern cinema is that no one’s got a license to kill a series, and as a result, they’re a bit like diamonds: forever.
Thankfully, Mission Impossible 8, the latest action movie from beloved acrophile Tom Cruise, seems like – based on Ethan asking his team to trust him one “final” time – it’s going to buck that trend and bring Hunt’s story to a natural close.
It’s a shocking move that’ll scare the living daylights out of some, but it might be for the best, and nothing proves that more than a franchise that has no time to die. I’m talking, of course, about the one and only James Bond.
The name’s Bond…
On paper, Bond and Mission Impossible have a lot in common. They are both about maverick spies doing dangerous things to keep the world safe from megalomaniacs and ne’er-do-wells intent on making the sky fall or other such catastrophic events.
Yet, and this is for your eyes only, I think Mission Impossible is the better series. Why? Well, because Bond is an international icon and, in many ways, he’s bigger than the movies he appears in. As a result, the tabloid buzz around Bond often looms over the film like some malignant spectre, overshadowing the excitement of a new 007 movie.
It’s why when I first saw the final Daniel Craig movie, I wasn’t particularly moved by his death. I knew at the back of my mind that he hadn’t been killed, and this wouldn’t even be the last time I’d see 007.
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Basically, I was convinced he’d die another day because he’s too big a character ever to have his story end. It felt like no sooner had the credits rolled than the press turned its (golden) eye on who would be the next actor to serve on Her Majesty’s secret service.
…James Bond
Honestly, it’s exhausting, and it does take me out of the movie, robbing the film of any stakes or emotional impact. The Mission Impossible movies are different, though – they’re not a cultural monolith in the same way the Bond movies are. They don’t have to go on forever. They have the freedom to stop, and that’s a weapon more powerful than anything Dr. No has.
It gives this new film genuine stakes, a feeling that anything can happen. Maybe Ethan will survive, maybe we’ll get a view to a kill, and he’ll die? I don’t know, but the fact I’m not reading columns about who the next Ethan Hunt will be 12 months out from the next film means I don’t even have to think about it until the Mission Impossible 8 credits have started to roll.
That’s the difference between these films. With Mission Impossible, I can see the end of the fuse, and it’s exciting, whereas with Bond, well, you know that character’s going to be battling Goldfinger and the Man with the Golden Gun from now until the end of cinema itself.
Now, there’s a chance this is just clever marketing, and the Mission Impossible movies will continue on, but I’m hoping Tom Cruise realizes the special opportunity he has here. Maybe I’m being naive but never say never…. again.
If you’re after something new to watch, check out the movies coming to streaming this month and the new films to watch in cinemas.
