Christopher McQuarrie once called fan service “poison”

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning director Christopher McQuarrie said that fan service is a major disservice. The post Christopher McQuarrie once called fan service “poison” appeared first on JoBlo.

May 21, 2025 - 19:15

Christopher McQuarrie once called fan service “poison”

There’s only so happy you can make fans. Yet we see the attempt via fan service all the time — primarily in already-established IP and franchises. And while you could say that Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning had its share, director Christopher McQuarrie says it’s “poison.”

A recently resurfaced interview from just two years ago with McQuarrie has made its way around following the release of The Final Reckoning. And it’s there that the director points out just how dangerous and imperative fan service can be. As he put it, “Fan service, and fandom, is poison. It’s deadly. It’s great when applied like a very, very strong spice, and judiciously. If you happen to have seen the other movies, great. I don’t count on it. Because what happens [when you add callbacks] — the danger of that — is I’m asking you to leave this narrative, and remember another narrative, and then come back.”

McQuarrie — who has helmed four of the M:I movies — elaborated on his thoughts by outline just what will go wrong when you try to cater to the fans. “Two things are certain to happen: One, if you know the [previous] movies, you’ve left the narrative and I have to spend precious energy bringing you back [while] I’m trying to immerse you in a story so that you’re not aware the story is happening. Or you haven’t seen that other movie and you’re suddenly aware that everybody around you [in the theater] knows something you don’t. In either case, you’ve disrupted the narrative and broken the chain.” He would cite Top Gun: Maverick as an example of how it can be done correctly, where fans of the original can get a special wink without fully pulling newcomers out.

So does The Final Reckoning have its own share of fan service? Undoubtedly, but I don’t think it’s to the point of disruption like it is in, say, the MCU or any other major franchise. But it definitely does get some kicks from its callbacks and nods.

How distracting or damaging is fan service? Do you find it lazy or harmless? Give us your take in the comments section below.

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