With the newest movie released on Friday July 14th, the Mission Impossible theme has been a popular one. According to Trail Naturally, the “theme has become a cultural touchstone for the public, and more than likely this generation’s most famous tune in the unusual 5/4 meter.” Composed by Scottish composer Lorne Balfe, the new movie’s soundtrack really hits home. Especially in the trailer where viewers can here the theme played at full force. When composing the last Mission Impossible movie, Balfe stuck to the pulsing bass and low strings while adding higher strings. As the theme is not originally his, it stays the same while having Balfe’s own spin to it.
Balfe, known for his scores of “13 Hour: The Soldiers of Benghazi,” “Terminator Genisis,” “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Churchill,” the “Mission Impossible” franchise has been his most popular movie thus far, as he received critical acclaim for it. This includes nominations for Grammys, Emmy’s, BAFTAs and even an Oscar Nomination. He won a Grammy for composing “The Dark Knight.” He has also had his share of video game soundtracks, his most popular including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. For TV, Balfe has composed the music for HBO’s “His Dark Materials,” the “Wheel of Time” and the second season of “Pennyworth.” He has also done a few animated movies as well as documentaries.
As the original theme was written by Lalo Schifrin, the music for the movie franchise has seen many different composers. Those like Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer, Michael Giacchino and Joe Kramer. In the words of today’s movie critics, Balfe has done the best job thus far. As he is set to compose the last movie in the series, hopefully he can make the series go out with a bang, Making Ethan Hunt’s last mission memorable.
