The Impossible Shift: How Tom Cruise Turned a TV Show into a Blockbuster Franchise
Back in 1996, Hollywood took a big risk by dusting off a popular 1960s spy show and betting that audiences would go for a flashy, big-budget reboot. That gamble paid off in a way few could have imagined. Director Brian De Palma handed the reins to Tom Cruise, then best known for dramas and thrillers, and watched him step into the role of Ethan Hunt—a role that would define Cruise for decades.
The first Mission: Impossible wasn’t just another action flick. It kickstarted a new kind of blockbuster, sparking life into a franchise that now stretches across nearly three decades. Cruise played Hunt, an IMF agent set up as the ultimate fall guy after a mission goes painfully wrong. That plot twist alone was enough to pull people in, but De Palma dialed adrenaline up to maximum with a vault sequence that’s still one of the most recognizable moments in movies. When Cruise is lowered by wires into a room bristling with sensors, every bead of sweat felt like life or death. There were no overblown digital effects—just real tension and practical stunts that made audiences hold their breath.
Star Power, Stunts, and a Smidge of Backlash
Cruise’s willingness to hang from helicopters, dangle off trains, and eventually cling to the outside of airplanes changed expectations for action heroes. Instead of guns and gadgets doing all the work, the actor himself became the spectacle. The first film’s $457 million box office haul proved that audiences wanted more than just nostalgia—they wanted speed, risk, and stars risking it all.
But not everyone cheered. Fans and some cast members from the original TV show couldn’t stomach the overhaul. Greg Morris, a standout from the series, called the film “an abomination” and walked out early—a pretty clear sign the film’s darker, more ruthless tone wasn’t for everyone. Some missed the ensemble feel of the old show, which the movie swapped for a laser focus on Cruise’s Ethan Hunt. For TV purists, this was less homage, more hijack.
The criticism, though, was drowned out by the film’s success.
- Globetrotting set pieces became the new normal for spy movies.
- Practical stunts—done by stars, not doubles—became the franchise’s signature.
- The model of building a series around a single charismatic figure caught on fast, shifting the way franchises are built in Hollywood.
Seven sequels later—with “Dead Reckoning Part One” out in 2023 and Part Two on deck for 2025—Mission: Impossible is synonymous with high-octane adventure. Even as other franchises fade or reboot, this series proves a mix of inventive stunts, ruthless pacing, and star-power can still blow up the box office.