“Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” Spoiler References Guide
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I wanted to make this post last weekend, but I decided to postpone it until the film had been released nationwide before spoiling it. And now that MI4 is out for the whole world, it’s time to make a few spoiler references!
Many of America’s top movie critics are giving the film universal praise and also giving away a few spoilers regarding MI4 and it’s continuity. Click the link below to learn about all the references from the film. But, be warned, only click it only IF you’ve already seen the movie!
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There’s an assload of references to the first Mission Impossible film but only a few for MI2 and MI3. You probably won’t notice them at first, but I’ll point them out just to get you up-to-speed.
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-REFERENCES TO MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 1
#1 – THE LUTHER STICKELL SCENE
At the end of Ghost Protocol, Ethan is in a Seattle bar with Luther (Ving Rhames in a brief MI4 appearance) having a few beers. This is a reference to the ending scene in MI1 when Ethan and Luther are at a bar in Prague drinking beers.
#2 – THE OPENING CREDITS
The opening credits to MI1 showed various scenes from the film while the theme song would play (a sequence that would not be used in MI2 or MI3). In reference to MI1, Ghost Protocol also uses the same opening credits with spoiler scenes in the opening sequence.
#3 – THE “FALL FROM THE CEILING” SCENE
It’s official, MI4 rips off itself! Ever since the iconic CIA break-in sequence in MI1 (with Ethan dangling inches from the floor), Tom has replicated it in in MI2 and MI3. This time, it’s Jeremy Renner that does this move in MI4.
#4 – THE USE OF APPLE PRODUCTS
You probably didn’t notice it, but MI1 was one of the few movies in the 90′s to utilize Apple product placement WAY before it became the billion-dollar company it is now. In MI4, Ethan and his crew use the IPHONE 4 in a ton of scenes (including the ending), something not seen in MI2 or MI3.
#5 – THE MAN WITH LONG, FLOWING HAIR/THE DUNHILL LIGHTER
In MI4, there is a scene where Ethan is told to look for someone with a “Dunhill lighter”. Ethan then confronts a long-haired man who gives him a black mask to put over his head. This is a reference to the “Max” character from MI1, who tells Ethan to “buy a pack of Dunhills” and then is confronted by a long-haired man who places a black mask over his head (and, yes, it’s the same exact mask and same exact man seen in MI4).
#6 – THE MESSENGER
In MI1, Ethan lures Kittridge and his IMF crew to London to expose Jim Phelps as the villain. In MI4, Ethan does the same thing and lures the pursuing Russian agents looking for him to Mumbai, where Ethan exposes Cobalt as the real villain.
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-REFERENCES TO MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2
#1 – ETHAN THE CLIMBER
At the opening scene of MI2, Ethan is seen scaling a mountain in Australia using only his bare hands. In MI4, Ethan uses his climbing skills to ascend the Burj Khalifa building (including all the same slips and slides).
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-REFERENCES TO MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 3
#1 – ETHAN’S WIFE
During MI4, there’s a couple of times that Benji, Jane, and Brandt make reference to Julia, Ethan’s wife in MI3. At first, Benji makes it seem as if Ethan and Jane had divorced. Then Brandt explains (during his backstory segment) that he was assigned to protect Julia during a mission in Prague a few years prior but failed, resulting in Julia being found dead a few days later and Brandt being reassigned. Ethan then reveals to Brandt that Julia is NOT dead and that he purposely faked her death in order to keep her safe.
#2 – THE MASK MACHINE
In MI3, we were introduced to the mask-making machine that was used to make Ethan’s signature latex masks. The mask machine gets seen briefly in MI4, only to have it malfunction.
#3 – ETHAN’S ABILITY TO READ MOUTHS/THE PAPER CLIP
MI3 introduced two new abilities for Ethan: the ability to read and interpret people’s mouths as they talk from a distance and the ability to pick locks. For MI4, these abilities are only seen briefly in the Russian hospital after the bombing of the Kremlin (with Ethan cuffed to the hospital bed).
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If you saw the Ghost Protocol and had questions about it, I hope some of the references above give you a better understanding about the movie. Other than that, go see it in IMAX!
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