Back in 2015, whilst out promoting “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation,” filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie cited Sony’s “Uncharted” video games as one inspiration for the modern “Mission: Impossible” films.
Specifically, he told Eurogamer when asked what inspired the opening scene of that film with Tom Cruise hanging off a plane, he responded: “group effort/Uncharted”.
He’s referring to the third game’s scene involving treasure hunter Nathan Drake hanging out a plane, a sequence loosely recreated in the (very) loosely adapted “Uncharted” film Sony released last year. “Uncharted 3” game co-director Justin Richmond responded to the news at the time with: “you just made my month”.
Well it turns out it has happened again. The just released “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1” boasts a major action set piece set within a collapsing train dangling of a cliff that harkens back to the unforgettable opening sequence of the most acclaimed game of the series – 2009’s “Uncharted 2: Among Thieves” (a title which sits at a very rare 96/100 on Metacritic).
Though the setting and nature of the sequences are quite different (Uncharted 2’s train climb is mostly external compared to MI7’s which is internal), there’s the odd moment where it almost feels shot-for-shot. After numerous people have pointed it out, the game’s co-director Bruce Stanley responded to the reports by posting a few photos comparing scenes.
He then captions it with an amused: “the sincerest form of flattery” with a wink and a nod, referring to the film’s apparent imitation of the game’s scenes.
The “Uncharted” franchise itself took inspiration from other big and small screen franchises ranging from Indiana Jones to “Tomb Raider” in its creation. Similarly, the sequence itself is similar to one in Spielberg’s “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” back in 1997.
“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1” is currently in cinemas, whilst “Uncharted 2” is part of the “Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection”, which is playable on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
…the sincerest form of flattery! pic.twitter.com/qwVrLWqj2A
— Bruce Straley (@bruce_straley) July 15, 2023
Source: Kotaku