‘Mission: Impossible 8’ Director Christopher McQuarrie: “Fan Service Is Poison”

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Filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie expresses firm opinions regarding the practice of incorporating fan service in franchise films, and explains why this approach often proves detrimental rather than beneficial for the narrative.

In a 2023 interview with The Filmmakers Podcast while promoting his previous film in the Mission: Impossible series, Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning, the director criticized the widespread movie-making trend of including unnecessary elements to please audiences. He referred to this practice as “fan service,” which often involves adding a familiar element, reference, or joke that may not be crucial to the plot. This filmmaking technique is commonly used in modern movies. The latest Tom Cruise adventure, Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, opens this weekend.

McQuarrie expressed that fan service and fandom can be “dangerous,” stating, “It’s fantastic when used sparingly like a powerful seasoning, but not if overused. If you’ve watched the other films, that’s wonderful. However, I don’t rely on it because when I include callbacks, there’s a risk: I’m asking you to step away from this story, recall another tale, and then return.

The director explained, “There are two scenarios: One, if you’ve watched the previous films, I must divert valuable resources to bring you up-to-speed while simultaneously trying to immerse you in a new story, making it apparent that you’re not part of the ongoing plot. Alternatively, you haven’t seen those movies and you might feel out of the loop when everyone else seems to understand something you don’t. In both instances, your lack of knowledge disrupts the storyline and ruins the continuity.

McQuarrie discussed the highly anticipated sequel to the hit film Top Gun, titled Top Gun: Maverick. This movie was co-written by McQuarrie, Eric Singer, and Ehren Kruger. Although Maverick is a continuation of the original storyline, the script was carefully crafted to make each scene self-explanatory, so viewers don’t need prior knowledge to follow along. “We don’t expect you to be a fan,” McQuarrie stated. Maverick became as popular as it did because the interruptions in the storyline are minimal and viewers quickly get drawn back into the narrative. When watching this movie, you won’t have to worry about figuring out what’s happening; instead, your focus will be on enjoying the film itself. This doesn’t mean McQuarrie doesn’t want you thinking, but rather he wants you to reflect upon the movie after it has ended.

McQuarrie’s remarks are somewhat ironic this week, as some of the more critical reviews for “The Final Reckoning” suggest that the nearly three-hour film is overly focused on plot because it aims to serve as a conclusion to the eight-film franchise. Up until “Dead Reckoning” (originally titled “Dead Reckoning Part One“) and “The Final Reckoning“, each film in the series seemed like its own standalone story. The new movie includes numerous references to earlier films, and even a few scenes that some might call fan service.

It’s likely that McQuarrie’s rule, which discourages creating stories reliant on prior knowledge, is most blatantly disregarded by the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a franchise whose movies frequently include elements that audiences must already be familiar with from other films and series. The creators of this universe appear to have recently acknowledged that there might be a limit to asking viewers to absorb such demands. An article in The Wall Street Journal last month suggested that Marvel’s head, Kevin Feige, has partly attributed the feeling of superhero burnout to their TV shows and films being perceived as more like schoolwork than enjoyable entertainment.

Last week, the movie “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” made its debut at the Cannes Film Festival and was met with a prolonged five-minute standing ovation. The film is reported to have an impressive budget of over $400 million. In anticipation of its release, some of Tom Cruise’s breathtaking stunts were showcased, such as him hanging onto the side of a helicopter and a underwater sequence. Alongside Cruise in this action-packed film are Esai Morales, Simon Pegg, Angela Bassett, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Henry Czerny, and Pom Klementi.

Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning opens Thursday.

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2025-05-19 20:25