See, this right here is the problem.

Mission Impossible Final Reckoning’s opening scenes break the #1 rule of screenwriting, and #2, and #3. Here’s why its first 10 minutes are an example of what NOT to do when starting a movie. But - whose fault is that, really? And what exactly is the REAL problem?

In this episode, I dive deep into the structural misstep of Mission Impossible Final Reckoning’s opening act, and how the real issue may have started long before the script. I talk about the balance between exposition and intrigue, why beginnings are actually about endings, and how modern films are losing something essential in the race to become a franchise.

💬 Share your thoughts: Have you seen Final Reckoning? Did the opening work for you? What movie opening scenes still live in your head rent-free?

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ABOUT PILLARBOXER:
pillarboxer explores life in front of and behind and beyond the screen — writing for it, watching it, obsessing about it, learning from it and sharing it — hosted by writer-producer-old-man-of-the-writing-sea Bede Blake.