Mission: Impossible is the 111th episode of Screen Junkies comedy series Honest Trailers. It was written by Spencer Gilbert, Dan Murrell, Erica Russell and Andy Signore. It was narrated by Jon Bailey as Epic Voice Guy. It parodies the the Mission: Impossible film series - from Mission: Impossible (1996) to Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011). The video was published on July 28, 2015, to coincide with the theatrical release of the sequel Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015). It is 4 minutes and 39 seconds long. It has been viewed over 4.1 million times. With an approval rating of 99.0%, it is one of the highest-rated Honest Trailers of all time.
Watch Honest Trailers - Mission: Impossible on YouTube
"In a world of shifting alliances where nothing is as it seems, one thing never changes: Tom Cruise is gonna run, he's gonna hang, and then he's gonna run... some more." ~ Honest Trailers - Mission: Impossible
Script[]
In a time where Hollywood was rebooting all of your dad's favorite TV shows as movies (shows the title cards for Lost in Space (1998), The Beverly Hillbillies (1993), The Brady Bunch Movie (1995), and The Mod Squad (1999)), get ready for the only one that actually worked.
Mission: Impossible
When the world is endangered by a vague plot device...
Jim Phelps: --the NOC list...
Dr. Vladimir Nekhorvich: Chimera.
Owen Davian: --the Rabbit's Foot?
...an agency with a silly name...
Ethan Hunt: Impossible Mission Force.
Julia Meade: Shut up.
...will deliver assignments in a ridiculous way, to agents who can choose whether or not to accept them. (montage of handlers saying "Your mission, should you choose to accept it...") Um... what happens if they say no? Do we all just die?
Sit back as a revolving door of directors bring their signature style to each installment, as long as Tom Cruise approves, featuring... the psychodrama of Brian De Palma, the shaky-cam of J. J. Abrams, the cartoon sensibilities of Brad Bird, and the "diving sideways with two pistols at the same time in the middle of a flock of birds in slow-motion" of John Woo. Come on, man; never go full Woo.
In a world of shifting alliances where nothing is as it seems, one thing never changes: Tom Cruise is gonna run, he's gonna hang (montage of Ethan hanging from ropes), and then he's gonna run... some more. (montage of Ethan sprinting in slow-motion) Like, a lot more. (shows a long take of Ethan sprinting through a crowded street) Wow, that is a long shot of running. (continues showing Ethan sprinting) ...And cut. (shows Ethan sprinting some more) Man, he did not skip leg day.
Follow along as Tom Cruise plays international super-spy Tom Cruise (Ethan Hunt). But Tom Cruise isn't doing it alone; he'll be backed up by a whole team of replaceable castmates, like... "Guy at a Laptop" (Jack Harmon, Benji Dunn), "Guy with a Foreign Accent" (Franz Krieger, Billy Baird, Declan Gormley), "Sexual Object Girl" (Claire Phelps, Nyah Nordoff-Hall, Zhen Li, Jane Carter), and Ving Rhames.
Luther Stickell: --I get to keep the equipment when we're done.
So whether you prefer the first one, where Tom Cruise must apprehend a rogue IMF agent and an arms dealer; the second one, where Tom Cruise must apprehend an ex-IMF agent gone rogue trying to become an arms dealer; the third one, where Tom Cruise is framed as a rogue IMF agent to take down an arms dealer who's working with the actual rogue IMF agent; or the fourth one, where Tom Cruise's entire team becomes rogue IMF agents only to be betrayed by an arms dealer, one thing is for sure: everyone is wearing a Scooby-Doo mask. (montage of IMF operatives removing masks) (in a Scooby-Doo impression) "Ruh-roh. Ruuuh? Reah! Hehehehehe!" (in an elderly lady voice) "And I would've gotten away with it, too, if it wasn't for that meddling Tom Cruise!"
Starring: Cardio; Wrist Talking; MacGuffins; Double Crosses; File Transfers; Planning; Fancy Baaaaalls; Exotic Locations; Less Exotic Locations; Tom Cruise with Short Hair (Mission: Impossible); Tom Cruise with Long Hair (Mission: Impossible 2); Tom Cruise with Short Hair (Mission: Impossible III); Tom Cruise with Long Hair (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol); Lockpicking; Silly Moustaches; Countdowns; The Word 'Disavowed'; and Limp Bizkit? Ugh, I forgot about that... (shows Limp Bizkit's credit for "Take a Look Around (Theme from 'M:I-2')", followed by a snippet of the music video)
Franchise: Unkillable
Honest title for Mission: Impossible - Franchise: Unkillable. Title design by Robert Holtby.
(shows Ethan disguising himself as Owen Davian) Okay, so they explain the mask and the voice chip, but how does Tom Cruise change his height and weight? I mean, really? He looks nothing like Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Trivia[]
- Screen Junkies have produced Honest Trailers for several other action thrillers like Mission: Impossible - Fallout, The Bourne Trilogy, Taken, Kingsman: The Secret Service, the James Bond film Spectre, and John Wick, among many others. See list of Honest Trailers for more.
- An Honest Trailer Commentary for this episode was recorded and was available on the Screen Junkies Plus until the website/app was discontinued. Screen Junkies don't currently have any way of releasing the video.
Reception []
Honest Trailers - Mission: Impossible has an 99.0% approval rating from YouTube viewers, making it one of the highest-rated Honest Trailers of all time. CinemaBlend commented on the Honest Trailer's positive tone, writing that "even the cynical sods over at Honest Trailers" couldn't argue with the fact that the Mission: Impossible series is great. In the same article, CInemaBlend highlighted the Honest Trailer's points about the impressive age of the franchise and Tom Cruise's skill in picking directors.
Geeks of Doom remarked that the Honest Trailer "has fun blending all 4 previous films, as they all share equally vague plots, filled with all the same generic spy cliches like: double agents, fancy gadgets, double crosses, and Scooby Doo masks." The site also wrote "the best part of this is the description of each film’s cast of revolving characters like 'Lap-top Guy,' 'Guy with a foreign accent,' and 'Sexual Object Girl.'"
The Nerdist observed that the Honest Trailer points out "various plot holes, nebulous MacGuffins, and the weird Scooby-Doo-style masks seen throughout the franchise." However, the Nerdist also wrote, "amazingly, this Honest Trailer actually missed a few easy targets. It doesn’t even mention that the first movie tarnished the reputation of Jim Phelps, the lead character of both of the Mission: Impossible TV series. Nor did it mention that the first Mission: Impossible spoiled the ending of the film’s major action sequence in its trailer."
Production credits[]
Video thumbnail for Honest Trailers - Mission: Impossible
Voiceover Narration by Jon Bailey
Title design by Robert Holtby
Series Created by Andy Signore & Brett Weiner
Episode Written by Spencer Gilbert, Dan Murrell, Erica Russell and Andy Signore
Edited by Anthony Falleroni and Dan Murrell
External links []
- The Mission: Impossible Honest Trailer Has To Admit The Franchise Is Cool - CinemaBlend article
- MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE IS ASSIGNED AN HONEST TRAILER - Nerdist article
- Honest Trailer – ‘Mission(s): Impossible’ - Geeks of Doom article
- ‘MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE’ HONEST TRAILER: TOM CRUISE IS A REALLY GOOD RUNNER - Celebuzz! article