Movie Analysis: “Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation” — Takeaways
Another in our bi-weekly series in which we analyze movies currently in release. Why? To quote the writing mantra I coined over 5 years ago: Watch movies. Read scripts. Write pages. You will note which one comes first. Here are my reflections from that post about the importance of watching movies:
To be a good screenwriter, you need to have a broad exposure to the world of film. Every movie you see is a potential reference point for your writing, everything from story concepts you generate to characters you develop to scenes you construct. Moreover people who work in the movie business constantly reference existing movies when discussing stories you write; it’s a shorthand way of getting across what they mean or envision.
But most importantly, you need to watch movies in order to ‘get’ how movie stories work. If you immerse yourself in the world of film, it’s like a Gestalt experience where you begin to grasp intuitively scene composition, story structure, character functions, dialogue and subtext, transitions and pacing, and so on.
Let me add this: It’s important to see movies as they get released so that you stay on top of the business. Decisions get made in Hollywood in large part depending upon how movies perform, so watching movies as they come out puts you in the same head space as reps, producers, execs, and buyers.
This week’s movie: Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation, screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie, story by Christopher McQuarrie and Drew Pearce, television series by Bruce Geller.
Our schedule for discussion this week:
Monday: General Comments
Tuesday: Plot
Wednesday: Characters
Thursday: Themes
Friday: Takeaways
For those of you who have not seen the movie, do not click MORE as we will be trafficking in major spoilers. If you have seen Trainwreck, I invite you to join me in breaking down and analyzing the movie.
I’d like to point out two main takeaways to kick off this part of our week-long discussion.
First, sequences. By my count, there are 8 sequences in MIRN and each tells its own mini-story with a Beginning, Middle, and End, each dovetailing into the next, so there is a seamless narrative drive.
Via MotionPicturePlayground.com
Second, the movie’s embrace of complications. No one does this better than Pixar, but MIRN is right up there, putting one obstacle… after another… after another… after another in the way of the IMF team. It’s a great way to create more conflict, increase the odds against the Good Guys, and make their ultimate victory that much more meaningful.
How about you? What takeaways do you have from Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation?