Mission: Impossible, Tom Cruise & the Fall of Franchise Filmmaking

Is Mission: Impossible still the gold standard of action films—or has the franchise lost its way?

In this episode of BTS with Joe, I’m joined by returning guest and fellow movie nerd Connor Hernan to unpack the latest Mission: Impossible installment (Dead Reckoning? Final Reckoning? They changed the name, we talk about it).

We dive deep into:

• Why the newest Mission: Impossible feels like a studio Frankenstein
• How Tom Cruise became the savior of cinema
• The problem with two-part blockbusters
• The state of the modern box office
• Our full ranking of all Mission: Impossible movies (yes, even the second one)
• And what’s next for action filmmaking

Whether you're a cinephile, a filmmaker, or just here for Cruise content, this episode is packed with laughs, hot takes, and way too much trivia.

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