In what should have been a forgotten series, Brad Bird and J.J. Abrams breathe new life and maybe too many laughs in the languishing franchise. To be fair the current trend in action films is lean more towards the comic relief, but there are series that are entrenched in a legacy that transcends current fads. Consider for a moment, if you remember a lot of knee-slappers in the Bourne legacy or if indeed James Bond left you in stitches with his drink order. The Mission Impossible franchise, the films at least, were following this very paradigm; but to a detriment. By the time the third film came out the word of mouth informed many a casual fan that if you barely followed the plot of the sequel don’t bother to finish out the third installment. In a rare feat of cinematic resuscitation the brains behind the latest iteration of the Mission Impossible franchise has moved the series in the right direction.

To say the film moves at a break-neck speed is a disservice to the thought and careful plotting behind all of the action and exposition. Basically it looks great with smart gadgets and a plot that is within the viewers grasp. The first twenty minutes of the film are tightly plotted and paced to really reach in and grab the viewer. The best part of the opening of the film is that it has struck the correct balance of showcasing the beloved parts of the series as well as showcasing the stylistic and comedic flares that Bird and Abrams bring to the series.

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You might ask why a geek news site is interested in such a mainstream action movie that doesn’t come out for another 5 months. Well, I will give you THREE reasons:
#1 – Produced by JJ Abrams, who along with Mission Impossible 3 is also responsible for LOST, Alias, Star Trek 2009, and this summer’s Super 8.
#2 – Tom Cruise co-stars with a slew of geek favorites: Simon Pegg (Shaun Of The Dead), Jeremy Renner (The Avengers‘ Hawkeye) and Josh Holloway (Sawyer from LOST).
#3 – This is a big one: Its the first live action movie directed by Brad Bird. He’s the screenwriter for the cult classic *batteries not included and a veteran animation writer and director with credits on The Simpsons, but he’s also responsible for 3 of the best animated movies of the past decade: The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille.
Bird took the gig directing Mission Impossible because Disney/Pixar delayed production of his intended next film, 1906, which would be Pixar’s first live action movie, about the 1906 earthquake the nearly destroyed San Fransisco. If Mission Impossible exceeds expectations, that movie will likely shuffle into production quicker.

Powet Robots looks at the flying pie plate robots from * (asterisk) batteries not included. This movie about old people and Hispanic stereotypes also has a bit of sci-fi thrown in for fun.

Check out the forum for behind the scenes images of making the robots I used for this video.