In the Mission Impossible series of films, Tom Cruise stars as secret agent Ethan Hunt, who along with an elite support team chases down a variety of bad guys with lots of action, firepower, and kicksplosions in the mix. Now out for the first time on 4K Ultra HD are all five films in the franchise, released just in time for the theatrical premiere of Mission: Impossible – Fallout. This is mostly a re-release as all of the bonus features outlined below have appeared on previous Blu-ray sets, but it’s important to note that the 4K Ultra HD, while just a bonus for some other films, may make a huge difference in your at-home viewing experience due to the extremely visual nature of the Mission: Impossible cinematic world.
Mission: Impossible includes featurettes covering the history of the franchise (including the television series), Tom Cruise’s dedication to doing his own stunt work, the roles of real-life spies, and the creation of the film’s final action sequence. It also features a special look at the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. (hosted by the museum’s Executive Director Peter Earnest), award ceremony tributes to Tom Cruise, “dossiers” on the film’s characters, promotional trailers and TV spots, and a photo gallery. The 4K set is available on Amazon for $25.79.
Mission: Impossible 2 offers a commentary by Director John Woo, a making-of special with comments from cast and crew discussing different aspects of the production process and some of the challenges of making the film, examinations of the action sequences and stunts as well as eleven of the most important scenes, Metallica’s “I Disappear” music video, an alternate title sequence for the film, and a repetition of the two award ceremony tributes to Tom Cruise from the Mission: Impossible extras list (“Excellence in Film” and “Generation: Cruise”). You can grab it on Amazon for $24.98
Mission: Impossible 3 boasts a shared commentary between Tom Cruise and director J.J. Abrams, a 30-minute making-of piece that discusses the talent, action sequences, locations, sets, and more from the film, a collection of interviews with the actors highlighting the cast’s camaraderie, a behind-the-scenes look at putting together the most intense action sequences, a look at the iconic masks used in the films, a featurette on the film’s score, a Q&A with Tom Cruise and J.J. Abrams, a summary of the film’s premiere in Manhattan, Rome, Paris, London, and Japan, some deleted scenes, TV spots and trailers, a photo gallery, and (another) repetition of the “Excellence in Film” tribute to Tom Cruise featured on Mission: Impossible and Mission: Impossible 2. The set is currently on Amazon for $24.99.
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is slimmer on extras, with no audio commentary and just a look at the ins and outs of shooting in Dubai and Vancouver, an examination of what went into creating the sandstorm scene and building some of the more intricate props, and deleted scenes. It does not, refreshingly, have another repetition of the Tom Cruise tribute feature. This one is a little different in that the full range of bonus features on previous releases were only available if you purchased a Best Buy exclusive, so it’s a good idea to check out what exactly you may already have if bonus features are really important for you. The smaller collection of extras is reflected in the price, however, with its listing on Amazon coming it at only $19.96.
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation brings back the audio commentary (with insights from Tom Cruise and Director Christopher McQuarrie) in addition to some featurettes covering the production process from concept to the finalized film, Cruise’s involvement in the filmmaking process, and the four primary IMF characters plus Ilsa. It also includes examinations of the iconic aerial, underwater, and automotive action sequences and a discussion with the cast and crew about the staying power of the franchise in general. Like Ghost Protocol, this one is also under $20 on Amazon, where you can snag it for $19.96.
