Why ‘Mission: Impossible’ Proves Tom Cruise Is The Best

By Meghan O'Keefe @megsokay
Published July 31, 2015, 9:30 a.m. ET

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Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation star Tom Cruise is kind of in a weird place, right? Like, we don’t know how we feel about him, do we? On the one hand, he’s an iconic movie star who has been in some of the most beloved films of all time. On the other hand, people kind of (rightly) hate him for that weird Scientology slave labor stuff.

We can mock Cruise for his couch-jumping antics or loathe him for his connection to the Church of Scientology. However, we can’t take away how good he is at his job. This guy knows how to entertain the hell out of people and the Mission: Impossible franchise is a testament to that. Since 1996, Cruise has starred in and produced five Mission: Impossible films. Each has a different director, different feel, and different cast and that’s important for understanding why Cruise is still in the game.
Let’s take a look at what was going on in each one:

  • Mission: Impossible (1996) – Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is framed for the murder of his IMF team and has to exonerate himself. Ving Rhames, Emmanuelle Beart, Jon Voight, Jean Reno, and Kristin Scott Thomas all appear in the film. Sydney Pollack was involved in the early days of the script, but Brian de Palma directed the film — which has a gritty look to it. U2’s Larry Mullen, Jr. and Adam Clayton made an electro version of the theme song. Basically, this film is mid-‘90s cool as f*ck.
  • Mission: Impossible II (2000) – Cruise upped the ante with the Mission: Impossible sequel. He let John Woo do a stylized riff on Hitchcock’s Notorious and brought in celebrated international actors like Thandie Newton and Dougray Scott. This film also is a cool time capsule of early ‘00s interest in Asian action films. Remember this came out the same year as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
  • Mission: Impossible III (2006) – In the third installment, Hunt is coaxed out of retirement to try to save a former protege. J.J. Abrams — at the height of his Alias/Lost buzz — is at the helm. Abrams gives his Felicity muse, Keri Russell, the Alias treatment and she appears as a spy. Cruise brings Simon Pegg (who is in the midst of the meta-action-comedy movement) into the team and Philip Seymour Hoffman, Billy Crudup, Michelle Monaghan, Maggie Q, and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers all appear in the film. This is the first Mission: Impossible that addresses Hunt’s personal life and plays with humor.
  • Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol (2011) — Ethan Hunt is back in the game and dead set on saving IMF from yet another convoluted plot that threatens its security. Cruise brought back Ving Rhames (again) and scene-stealer Simon Pegg for this installment, and he ropes Avengers star Jeremy Renner in for the fun. Paula Patton and Lea Seydoux co-star and director Brad Bird, coming off of the success of The Incredibles, is at the helm. It’s definitely fun and incorporates yet more humor in with the action.
  • Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation (2015) – Early reviews are comparing this latest outing in the series to a smarter version of a Fast & Furious movie.  Cruise has brought back Rhames, Pegg, and Renner, and enlisted The White Queen’s Rebecca Ferguson to be the film’s femme fatal. Usual Suspects scribe Christopher McQuarrie directs. Note: McQuarrie worked with Cruise on Jack Reacher.

What this all boils down to is that Tom Cruise understands his strengths and weaknesses. He’s not a chameleon like Christian Bale. He’s not the flavor of the month like Chris Pratt. He is and always will be intrinsically “Tom Cruise.” He also understands that while audiences will always want a good show, the tone, themes, and feel of those films must always reflect the zeitgeist at the moment. That’s why Cruise consistently cherry-picks the most buzz worthy actors and the most trendy directors. All this fresh blood continues to transform the franchise into something that appeals to contemporary film trends.

It’s Cruise’s ability to read trends and adjust the tone of the Mission: Impossible series that makes it possible for him to stay relevant without changing his own image. While other actors fret about reinventing themselves, Cruise has stayed staunchly Cruise. His stardom is a brand that you can rely upon and the Mission: Impossible series now has a bulletproof reputation. You know that when you watch one of these films that you’re going to get a cool spy story, tons of jaw-dropping stunts, a hip supporting cast, and that Tom Cruise will eventually save the day. More importantly, you know you’re going to get your money’s worth. Why do you know that? Because Tom Cruise, the guy who has produced all five Mission: Impossible films, has made it his own personal mission to make sure that you’re always entertained.

Tom Cruise might not be the best actor in the world, and he might not have the best ideas about religion, but he is the best at knowing what we want from an action movie.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOW_azQbOjw]

Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation is in theaters today, but you can stream the first four at home.

[Watch Mission: Impossible on Netflix]
[Watch Mission: Impossible II on Netflix]
[Watch Mission: Impossible III on Showtime on Hulu]
[Where to Stream Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol]

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