8 Reasons Mission Impossible Is Better Than James Bond
2. Mission Impossible Has Better Action Sequences
Each M:I film has an iconic set piece that stands out in the mind in M:I 3 its the assault on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, in Ghost Protocol its the Burj Khalifa scaling sequence, and in Rogue Nation its the plane taking off with Ethan flopping around outside. (Or is it the water-cooled computer storage dive? Or the opera house assassination attempt?) Each of these sequences is fine-tuned to inspire sustained joy and suspense, with the stakes always rising. These crazy diamonds of spectacle alone could carry an action movie. What makes the M:I films great, Ghost Protocol and Rogue Nation in particular, is that the other standard fistfights and car chases are also engineered to wring every possible ounce of sweet cathartic tension from the viewer. Certainly, there have been distinct moments of action through the Craig Bond films. I think of the record-breaking car flip (seven complete rolls!) in Casino Royale, or when Bond just slaps a motorcycle out from under a guy in Quantum, or the tussle with the Shanghai sniper lit by LED billboards in Skyfall. But when it comes to major set pieces, theres an overreliance on drawn out struggles to murder one henchman.
