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Nothing quite beats settling down to a movie franchise you know you’ll love, and Mission: Impossible provides the perfect weekend binge for many film lovers. While not every installment has been worthy of high praise, these films deliver all of the things that fans love most – death-defying stunts, sleek car races, and gadgets galore.
Yet, as it stands, Paramount seems pretty set that the franchise will end with the 8th film, Mission: Impossible – Fallout. So where does that leave fans? Luckily, there are some high-grossing franchises out there that could help to fill the Mission: Impossible hole, and we’re going to consider them here.
The ‘Bond’ Franchise
While both franchises have their differences, the Bond films are another classic spy go-to that can provide those car chases and gadgets that you love so much. What’s more, with an impressive 25 films to keep you going, Bond is sure to keep you busy for a long time.
Admittedly, a lot of the older Bond films might not keep you on the edge of your seat quite like Mission: Impossible, but newer launches like Skyrim (2012) seem to have taken inspiration from Mission: Impossible in terms of stunt choreography. Out of the older Bond films, Golden Eye (1995) is a fantastic choice. This film came out just a few months before the first Mission: Impossible, and is famed for stunts that include helicopter theft and even a car chase with a tank!
The ‘Bourne’ Franchise
The Bourne franchise sits more closely to the Bond films than Mission: Impossible ever attempted to do, but these are still well worth watching in their own right. All five movies are especially comparable to Mission: Impossible thanks to their use of real stunts and the shaky cam style that Mission: Impossible fans will recognize.
The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) is generally considered to be the best film in this franchise and is loved for a detailed, fast-paced plot that’s sure to make your spy movie-loving heart happy.
The Alien Films
Now that we’ve covered the most obvious Mission: Impossible comparable franchises, it’s time to think outside of the box, and the Alien films are the perfect place to start. Sure, you’ll need to suspend your love for car chases in place of alien appearances, but these films will inevitably get your heart racing just the same.
Forget Cruise’s death-defying race around Paris in Mission: Impossible – Fallout, the Alien films are all about subtle tension. In fact, you don’t actually see the alien all that much in the first film, Alien (1979). Yet, in a stroke of genius, these films are every bit as tension-filled as a spy thriller ever could be.
Harry Potter
If you thought the Alien films were a little left-field, then the Harry Potter franchise could feel like a leap for your next film pick. However, there are some surprising crossovers for these films, not least pretty similar themes across their plot lines. More incidentally, both franchises also feature a total of 8 films, the last of which are feature-length two-parters. Both films also used Norwegian filming locations, if that happens to be a selling point for you.
In terms of the watching experience, Harry Potter is a great next option purely because it’s incredibly bingeable – just like Mission: Impossible. You’ll certainly want to make sure you have access to all 8 films when you get down to choosing where to watch Harry Potter as, just like with the Mission: Impossible films, you’ll be on the edge of your seat and desperate to know what happens next.
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The Hunger Games
We’ve covered Harry Potter, so why not The Hunger Games? This franchise was huge when it launched back in 2012, and the launch of the prequel last year went down equally well. But, we know what you’re thinking – what does a dystopian young adult series have to do with Mission: Impossible?
In reality, not much, but you’re sure to find a similar thrill in these films as you do when watching a quality Mission: Impossible movie. This is especially true of the first two films in the franchise – The Hunger Games and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, as they see us entering an arena where kids are literally playing to the death. Katniss and Peeta can only survive by pulling out espionage and cunning that would surely make Tom Cruise proud.
There might not be another franchise quite like Mission: Impossible, but all of these options will do a pretty good job of filling that Cruise-shaped hole in your life.
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