Logo of the Mission Impossible series.
Mission: Impossible Cinematic Universe is a series of action spy thriller films based on the television series of the same name by Bruce Geller and Paramount Pictures
The film series chronicles the exploits of the Impossible Missions Force (IMF), a small team of secret agents under the command of Jim Phelps and later Ethan Hunt, who was forced to take over after the team is betrayed from within in the first film, used for covert missions against dictators, arms dealers, terrorists and crime lords while facing an international conspiracy involving the mysterious organization called "The Syndicate".
The Mission: Impossible series is notable for having real stuntwork and action and intricate and complex storylines which explore the nature of politics, espionage, terrorism and betrayal. Real political events are frequently referenced and intertwined with the series' storylines.
Films
Main entries
| Mission: Impossible story chronology |
|---|
| Main Series: Mission: Impossible: The Beginning (1966) Mission: Impossible (1996) Mission: Impossible II (1999) Mission: Impossible III (2002/2006) Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2010) Reboot Series: Spin-off Series:' |
The main series, considered an integral part of the canon, consists of the following films (in release order):
Ethan Hunt, the protagonist of the film.
Mission: Impossible
In 1996, IMF Team Leader Jim Phelps and his team are charged with stopping a traitor from stealing and selling classified material. Everything was going well until the man they are following and all of the team are inexplicably killed except for Ethan Hunt. Ethan then calls the Director and goes to meet him when he discovers that the whole mission was to ferret a mole that they have been suspicious of for some time. The Director shows evidence that hints that Ethan's the one they have been looking for but Ethan knows that he is not, so he escapes. Ethan then arranges to meet the buyer and whom he warns against using the material he has and when they meet he offers to get what he paid for in exchange for telling whom the mole is. Ethan, along with Phelps' wife Claire recruits two disavowed agents to help him which won't be easy.
Themes
The Mission: Impossible series is a tale of global espionage and spy vs spy action that spans half a century.
One of the themes founded in the series is the father and relationship. It is displayed in the relationship between Ethan Hunt and Jim Phelps and the relationship between Attlee and Solomon Lane, before Lane went rogue.
The series' story explores themes of loyalty, double-crossing, betrayal, love, revenge, trust, responsibility and the call of the mission.
Unlike the TV show, the term "Cold War" is used throughout the series. Also, it also displays political and historical themes that exist in real life.
Plot Elements
One of the most used elements in series is the timeline, as it shows the order of events and conflicts.
Also, the tapes are used as one of the most elements of the series to show the leader of the IMF getting the assignment from a hidden tape recorder and an envelope of photos and information that explains the mission.
One of the recuring elements of the film series is the Syndicate, as they had been a key figure of most of the events that happen throughout the series.
One of the most recurring quotes in the series is "Desperate Times, Desperate Measures". This quote is originated from the line "Desperate Time call for Desperate Measures", which means extreme and undesirable circumstances or situations can only be resolved by resorting to equally extreme actions.
Inspirations
For the most part, Aboodash56's version to the series is mostly based on the original Mission: Impossible TV show and the 5 Tom Cruise Mission: Impossible films by Paramount Pictures.
It was also inspired by other spy films, like the James Bond films, mostly the Sean Connery and Daniel Craig films, the Bourne series and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. It was also inspired by Sherlock Holmes.
The series combines the elements of humor, suspense, action, drama and thriller. The goal of the series is to combine story and character development with stunning action and stuntwork.
It also borrows elements from the original TV show, like the tape scene, the dossier sequence, teamwork and disguises. Some characters are faithfully portrayed like their TV counterpart, for example, Aboodash56's take of Jon Voight's Jim Phelps will honor Peter Graves' potrayal from the original show, due to the negative response of the show's fans of his potrayal in the first film.
Characters
Introduced in Mission: Impossible
- Ethan Hunt
- Jim Phelps
- Claire Phelps
- Eugene Kittridge
- Franz Krieger
- Luther Stickell
- Sarah Davies
- Jack Harmon
- Hannah Williams
- Max
- Senator John Waltzer
- Gennady Zoismov
Locations
- United States of America
- United Kingdom
- London
- Czech Republic
- Ukraine
- Kiev
Trivia
- The series is Aboodash56's version of Mission: Impossible film series, starring Tom Cruise, in order to show a different continuity between the TV show and film series.
- Some characters from the film series are given much bigger roles in the series, like Jim Phelps, Thoedore Brassel, Alan Hunley, Franz Krieger, Atlee and Dr. Vladimir Nekhorvich.
- Some characters from the original Mission: Impossible TV show and its 1988-1990 revival, appear in the series, like Barney Collier, Dan Briggs, Cinammon Carter, Lisa Casey, Rollin Hand and Grant Collier.
- Unlike the actual 5 Tom Cruise films, Aboodash56's version of the Mission: Impossible film series mostly focues on story, showing a narrative that spans half a decade, from the Cold War to the 21st century.
- It also connects all the films with each other, creating a series continuity.
- The series connects its events with real life events, to make the series more realistic as a spy series.