Simon and Jim discuss Christopher McQuarrie's third Mission: Impossible film, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD RECKONING PART ONE, the first of a two-parter that will cap off this franchise (for now). They discuss the film's troublesome title (again), the reconfiguration of the IMF from an intelligence agency to a weird cult with echoes of Tom Cruise's own religion, how the film is in dialogue with more traditional political thrillers like those of Tom Clancy and Brian de Palma, the nebulousness of the AI antagonist and what it misses about human-computer interaction, the issues created by the film's flabby and repetitive script, and then their minds are broken upon discovering which derided English film director has an inexplicable knighthood.
Content warnings: the COVID-19 pandemic; verbal abuse and workplace harassment; cult leadership and the Church of Scientology; violent deaths including murder and assassination; nuclear weaponry; public transport disasters including a train crash.
Our theme song is Star - X - Impossible Mission (Mission Impossible Theme PsyTrance Remix) by EDM Non-Stop (https://soundcloud.com/edm-non-stop/star-x-impossible-mission) licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 license.
Full references for this episode available in Zotero at https://www.zotero.org/groups/5642177/take_one/collections/4UGZV7LG
Simon and Jim return to The Xenopod for a special episode discussing the new Alien franchise TV series, ALIEN: EARTH created by Noah Hawley. They discuss how well the worldbuilding works, the production design, the creature design before ultimately descending into discussion of why the series as a whole doesn't work: pacing issues including the pacing issues with US prestige TV in general, themes that don't fit the Alien franchise, narrative threads that taper off unresolved, and the never-ending Peter Pan references.
The Impossipod will return later this month for an episode discussing MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD RECKONING PART ONE.
Content warnings: body horror; mutilation and violent death; biological experimentation; child slavery; transhumanism and biological augmentation; pregnancy; eyeball stuff.
Our theme song is Alien Remix by Leslie Wai available on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/lesliewai/alien-remix
Simon and Jim discuss Christopher McQuarrie's second Mission: Impossible film, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT, a very highly-regarded entry in the franchise that frankly Simon and Jim are a bit meh about. They discuss how Henry Cavill (and his $3 million moustache) is a great addition to the film, the shift in Ethan's character towards mythologising messianic tropes, McQuarrie's obsession with continuity in the franchise, the franchise's continuing approach to femininity in action films, and the script's lazy misunderstanding of political anarchism.
Content warnings: nuclear explosions and mass death; violent deaths including murder and assassination; destruction of religious sites; cult leadership and the Church of Scientology; flying including parachuting and helicopter crashes.
Our theme song is Star - X - Impossible Mission (Mission Impossible Theme PsyTrance Remix) by EDM Non-Stop (https://soundcloud.com/edm-non-stop/star-x-impossible-mission) licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 license.
Full references for this episode available in Zotero at https://www.zotero.org/groups/5642177/take_one/collections/RQWZD7BU
Simon and Jim discuss Christopher McQuarrie's first Mission: Impossible film of many, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - ROGUE NATION. They discuss how this film both subverts the tropes of this franchise and simultaneously develops the 'house style' for the rest of the franchise, the continuing themes around government accountability and 'Deep State' conspiracy theories, how the character of Ilsa Faust represents a new expression of femininity for this franchise and action films in general, the expression of neuroqueerness through Mission: Impossible and Ethan Hunt, and Zhang Jingchu's extremely small but top-billed part pandering to the Chinese market.
Content warnings: violent death including murder and assassination; US-backed violent coups in Latin America; cult leadership and the Church of Scientology; "terrorist" actions against arms manufacturers and major financial institutions; drowning and suffocation.
Our theme song is Star - X - Impossible Mission (Mission Impossible Theme PsyTrance Remix) by EDM Non-Stop (https://soundcloud.com/edm-non-stop/star-x-impossible-mission) licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 license.
Full references for this episode available in Zotero at https://www.zotero.org/groups/5642177/take_one/collections/I3SDJBUL
Simon and Jim are back for a Dinopod bonus episode on the recently released JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH. They discuss how this film fits in with a recurring theme of 2025 blockbuster films going 'back to basics', the elements that distinguish this film from the other Jurassic World films and make it more of a Jurassic Park film, how the impeccable pacing, competent structure, and intelligent writing distinguish this from the previous Jurassic World trilogy, what the film gets right about treating dinosaurs as animals, open source technology, and the nature of ecology in the Anthropocene, and how sick they are of mutated hybrid monster dinosaurs.
The Impossipod will return later in the month for an episode discussing MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - ROGUE NATION.
Content warnings: domestic violence and child abuse, genetic experimentation and mutation, violent death, capitalist exploitation of pharmaceuticals.
Our theme song is Jurassic Park Remix by Gabriel Filósofo available on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/gfilosofo/jurassic-park-remix
Full references for this episode available in Zotero at https://www.zotero.org/groups/5642177/take_one/collections/XQ6WLBM6
Simon and Jim discuss Brad Bird's live-action feature directorial debut, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL, a zenith of the Mission: Impossible franchise. They get into how this film finally strikes the right tone for the franchise and how that tone will be carried forward from this point, the clear intent to replace Tom Cruise in the franchise that doesn't get carried forward, how this franchise addresses Tom Cruise's aging body in an interesting way for an action franchise, and how this film is part of Hollywood desperately trying to make Jeremy Renner happen.
Content warnings: nuclear war and nuclear extremism; terrorist attacks on buildings including 9/11; Russian military invasions including the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea, the 2008 Russian invasion of Georgia; climbing at dangerous heights and vertigo; sexual coercion and exploitation.
Our theme song is Star - X - Impossible Mission (Mission Impossible Theme PsyTrance Remix) by EDM Non-Stop (https://soundcloud.com/edm-non-stop/star-x-impossible-mission) licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 license.
Full references for this episode available in Zotero at https://www.zotero.org/groups/5642177/take_one/collections/PPYF3E2I
Simon and Jim get into J. J. Abrams' feature directorial debut, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III, a nadir of the Mission: Impossible franchise. They discuss the ways in which this film is a time capsule of the mid-2000s complete with an ugly digital camera aesthetic and an unpleasantly jingoistic neoconservative worldview, the film's distribution issues related to Scientology, how J. J. Abrams-y and Alex Kurtzman-y the whole film is including a dive into Abrams' patented Mystery Box via the Rabbit's Foot, and how this film, even if largely unsuccessful, sows a lot of seeds for the later shape of the franchise.
Content warnings: cult leadership and specific Church of Scientology beliefs; sexual coercion; interrogation and torture; the September 11th terrorist attacks; violent death including murder and assassination; US military interventions and illegal wars; US American slavery.
Our theme song is Star - X - Impossible Mission (Mission Impossible Theme PsyTrance Remix) by EDM Non-Stop (https://soundcloud.com/edm-non-stop/star-x-impossible-mission) licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 license.
Full references for this episode available in Zotero at https://www.zotero.org/groups/5642177/take_one/collections/IPJMNCX2
Simon and Jim discuss John Woo's hi-octane early-2000s take on the Mission: Impossible franchise, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2. They discuss the many issues with this film's script, the John Wooiness of it all, the strong current of misogyny running through the entire film and how Thandiwe Newton is literally the only woman that speaks in it, how we're starting to see the early seeds of Tom Cruise's controversial on-set and off-set behaviour including his insistence on performing his own stunts, and the very strange top ten grossing films at the worldwide box office in the year 2000.
Content warnings: airplane travel and disaster; misogyny and sexual coercion; statutory rape; violent death including murder and suicide; chemical and biological weapons; viruses and pandemic; cult leadership.
Our theme song is Star - X - Impossible Mission (Mission Impossible Theme PsyTrance Remix) by EDM Non-Stop (https://soundcloud.com/edm-non-stop/star-x-impossible-mission) licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 license.
Full references for this episode available in Zotero at https://www.zotero.org/groups/5642177/take_one/collections/PJLRKSI9
Simon and Jim launch a new TAKE ONE Presents... limited series on the Mission: Impossible franchise starting with the 1990s spy thriller, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE directed by Brian De Palma. They discuss the cultural context of the 1990s when this film came out, how this film leans into spycraft and espionage compared to the blockbuster action of later films in the franchise, and Tom Cruise's non-traditional approach to the exhibitionism of the action hero.
Content warnings: nausea and vomiting; torture and interrogation; violent death including murder and assassination; public transport disaster.
Our theme song is Star - X - Impossible Mission (Mission Impossible Theme PsyTrance Remix) by EDM Non-Stop (https://soundcloud.com/edm-non-stop/star-x-impossible-mission) licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 license.
Full references for this episode available in Zotero at https://www.zotero.org/groups/5642177/take_one/collections/NIFQIZ9P
Simon and Jim meet to wrap up the Jurassic Park franchise (for now) with a discussion about what they learned overall, the various themes that emerged as they analysed every film, and some discussion of what's coming next for the franchise including some thoughts on JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH (2025).
Content warnings: sexual abuse, climate change and environmental disaster.
Our theme song is Jurassic Park Remix by Gabriel Filósofo available on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/gfilosofo/jurassic-park-remix
Simon and Jim take on the last (for now) film in the Jurassic Park franchise, JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION. They get into the problems with the script, editing, and cinematography, the film's clear desire to be a film in any other franchise except Jurassic Park, and how the complete defusing of the paradigm shift at the end of the last film is indicative of the franchise's sense of capitalist realism.
Content warnings: death and mutilation, animal abuse and speciesism, climate change and ecological destruction.
Our theme song is Jurassic Park Remix by Gabriel Filósofo available on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/gfilosofo/jurassic-park-remix
Full references for this episode available in Zotero at https://www.zotero.org/groups/5642177/take_one/collections/Z9C34WKS
Simon and Jim return to Isla Nublar one last time before its destruction to discuss JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM and the lofty ambitions of a film that doesn't quite work. They discuss how the film approaches ecological management issues in the Anthropocene and humans' relationship with non-humans, the characters' inconsistent approach to conservationism, the film's Gothic horror / B-movie influences in a second half which feels like a separate film grafted on to the first half, and how this film is attempting to be the THE LAST JEDI of the Jurassic Park franchise.
Apologies for the choppy audio: Simon had a problem with his recording and pieced his audio back together from backup.
Content warnings: death and mutilation, animal abuse and speciesism, climate change and ecological destruction.
Our theme song is Jurassic Park Remix by Gabriel Filósofo available on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/gfilosofo/jurassic-park-remix
Full references for this episode available in Zotero at https://www.zotero.org/groups/5642177/take_one/collections/4VGAP65H
Simon and Jim travel back to Isla Nublar to explore their complex and contradictory feelings about Colin Trevorrow's requel, JURASSIC WORLD. They discuss the unmade Jurassic Park IV, the film's simultaneous embrace of capitalism, consumer excess, and product placement while attempting to satirise those things, the film's abhorrent attitude towards women, how horrible Owen Grady is as a character, and how the film is really entertaining despite all those things.
Content warnings: death and mutilation, animal abuse, misogyny and sexism, white supremacy and racism, genetic engineering.
Our theme song is Jurassic Park Remix by Gabriel Filósofo available on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/gfilosofo/jurassic-park-remix
Full references for this episode available in Zotero at https://www.zotero.org/groups/5642177/take_one/collections/XLDIB8UD
Simon and Jim return to Isla Sorna for Joe Johnston's JURASSIC PARK III, the neglected third child of the original Jurassic Park trilogy. They get into the film's troubled production history, the continual retreading of the first film, the film's dull regression to the mean, and how this film surprisingly establishes a lot of the preoccupations of the JURASSIC WORLD films including extreme Velociraptor intelligence and a backgrounding of feminist issues.
Content warnings: death and mutilation, animal abuse, misogyny, sexual abuse and statutory rape.
Our theme song is Jurassic Park Remix by Gabriel Filósofo available on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/gfilosofo/jurassic-park-remix
Full references for this episode available in Zotero at https://www.zotero.org/groups/5642177/take_one/collections/VTMH66UP
Simon and Jim arrive at the mysterious Site B to discuss Steven Spielberg's sequel to his blockbuster hit analysing the interesting things that this film does as a sequel, the themes around animal rights and exploitation that the film could have explored better, how the film sets up ecological management questions that subsequent films are never interested in discussing, and some of the film's more baffling decisions around casting and the epilogue.
Content warnings: death and mutilation, animal abuse and hunting, brownface, colonialism.
Our theme song is Jurassic Park Remix by Gabriel Filósofo available on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/gfilosofo/jurassic-park-remix
Full references for this episode available in Zotero at https://www.zotero.org/groups/5642177/take_one/collections/RX7TFTS4
Welcome to TAKE ONE Presents... The Dinopod. Simon Bowie and Jim Ross are watching all the Jurassic Park (/World) franchise films in order starting with this episode analysing JURASSIC PARK. Simon and Jim get into the anti-capitalist and animal rights themes of the film, the underlying conservatism and anti-feminism of Michael Crichton's source material, and how Spielberg's flair for visual language elevates this formative blockbuster.
Content warning: death and mutilation, birth, colonialism, misogyny, animal abuse, eye stuff.
Our theme song is Jurassic Park Remix by Gabriel Filósofo available on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/gfilosofo/jurassic-park-remix
Full references for this episode available in Zotero at https://www.zotero.org/groups/5642177/take_one/collections/I3ADHYX6
You wake in a bleak new mining colony and what they're mining is the remnants of the Alien franchise. We discuss the new Alien franchise film, ALIEN: ROMULUS, getting into what we enjoyed, what we didn't enjoy, and how the film struggles to situate itself within the franchise's recurrent Scott-Cameron dichotomy.
Content warning: body horror, death, sexual violence and rape, biological experimentation, colonialism, slavery, pregnancy.
Our theme song is Alien Remix by Leslie Wai available on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/lesliewai/alien-remix
Full references for this episode available in Zotero at https://www.zotero.org/groups/5642177/take_one/collections/94FHVXNC
Final report of the podcast, The Xenopod. We've watched all the Alien franchise films and offer this final report on our findings, the various themes that have emerged as we went through, and some thoughts on the future of the franchise. With a little luck, the network will pick this up. This is The Xenopod, signing off.
Our theme song is Alien Remix by Leslie Wai available on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/lesliewai/alien-remix
This podcast was recorded during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labour of the actors currently on strike, the film being covered here wouldn’t exist.
You've reached the end of your journey at last. As you touch down on the planet that you'll colonise as your new home, you feel calm. Until you're suddenly ambused from the field of cultivated wheat by critical appraisal of ALIEN: COVENANT offering insight into what elements of this best-of of the Alien franchise don't work, what the film has to say about colonialism and genocide, and what we learn about the Xenomorph.
Content warning: body horror, death, chemical warfare, space travel, genocide, colonialism and imperialism, biological experimentation, serial killing, antisemitism, Nazism and fascism.
Our theme song is Alien Remix by Leslie Wai available on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/lesliewai/alien-remix
Full references for this episode available in Zotero at https://www.zotero.org/groups/5642177/take_one/collections/JKLEGAS4
This podcast was recorded during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labour of the actors currently on strike, the film being covered here wouldn’t exist.
You descend to the surface of an alien planet and immediately remove your space helmet only to be attacked by a parasitic worm that pumps you full of critical appraisal of 2012's PROMETHEUS. Against your will, you learn about the extended development history of this quasi-prequel, the issues with the script that bog down the visual spectacle, and the film's dense thicket of thematic preoccupations.
Content warning: body horror, death, chemical warfare, pregnancy, abortion, space travel, religion, nihilism.
Our theme song is Alien Remix by Leslie Wai available on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/lesliewai/alien-remix
Full references for this episode available in Zotero at https://www.zotero.org/groups/5642177/take_one/collections/BHEW63NH
This podcast was recorded during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labour of the writers and actors currently on strike, the film being covered here wouldn’t exist.