With Brad Bird helming this instalment of the Mission: Impossible film franchise, his flair for comedy can easily be seen.
- The prison guard's subtitled reaction to the riot: *%@$#!
- Ethan and Benji having a short argument during the escape about opening a door in the prison, with both of them not able to hear each other and only Benji being able to see Ethan. Ethan refuses to go to the exit and casually leans against the door to annoy Benji; a guard looks over at Ethan out of his cell, and Ethan shrugs as if to say "Can you believe this?" It culminates when Ethan clenches his fist and raises it as if saying "Do it, or I'll kick your ass!" after that Benji complies and Ethan finishes by blowing him a kiss and pointing his finger to his eyes and to his chest in a "I owe you" way.
- They managed to sneak in a Tom Cruise is short joke in the beginning. During the prison riot, Ethan rushes into Bogdan's cell, only to back down slowly as a huge guy advances towards him. A cornered Ethan has an expression that all but screams Oh, Crap!. He glances over to the side as if to say, "Hey, the fun stuff's over there!" The guy then heads over in that direction, leaving Ethan alone.
- More obviously, Ethan has a problem trying to reach the retinal scanner when he and Brandt are trying to board the moving train to enter the secure car. He has to jump and hang onto the handles either side of it.
- "We're going into the Kremlin." – "Hahaha, I though you said "The Kremlin". I thought you said "The Kremlin"! (Beat) ...okay.
- Benji inexplicably trying to comfort Ethan about the loss of his wife — in the middle of a high-stakes, time-limited op, impersonating Russian officers, deep in the bowels of the Kremlin. 'Why now??' is written all over Ethan's face.
- Benji then almost blows setting up a screen to simulate an empty hallway by standing directly in front of the camera before it locks onto the image. The guard is very fortunately looking away while his giant face is projected across the whole space.
- Ethan climbs out the window of the hospital and cling on to the side of the building while trying to escape Sidorov's custody, but finds out he can't jump down to the trash container below. And so he's stuck there half-naked, clinging the side of the building for dear life, all the while Sidorov humorously observes him from the window and makes a gesture that screams "Go on then, this oughta be interesting."Sidorov: [casually lights a smoke while observing Ethan] Not a good idea.
Ethan: It seemed like one a minute ago. - At the Burj Khalifa, Benji returns to the room and sighs with relief: Changing all those room numbers was really hard! Meanwhile, the rest of the team is collapsed on the floor after Ethan almost plunged to his death, and Brandt and Jane almost died saving him. They are decidedly unsympathetic.Benji: What did I miss?
- The reason he has to pull this death-defying stunt is because the rope he was using to climb down wasn't long enough. When he realizes this, he's about ten feet above the open window he needs to get through, and this conversation occurs:
- From Ethan's not-briefing.IMF Secretary: I've been ordered to take you back to Washington, where the DOD will label you as a rogue extremist and hang the Kremlin bombing on you and your team. Unless, you were to escape somewhere between here and the airport, having assaulted Mr. Brandt and me.
Brandt: [looks at the Secretary] Sir? - The glove Ethan had to take off because it was malfunctioning ends up being blown to a glass panel above him, sticks long enough for him to see it, then malfunctions again and flies away.Benji: Easy to remember: Blue is glue.
Ethan: And when it's red?
Benji: Dead.- Blink-and-you-miss-it: the look Ethan gives after Benji says "dead" is priceless, It's a mix of "oh, crap" and "okay".
- In Mumbai, the team is using planets as code names; Ethan is Jupiter, Jane is Venus, Brandt is Saturn, and Benji is Pluto. Benji doesn't like his code name, though:Benji: Why am I Pluto? It's not even a planet anymore!
Brandt: [sarcastically] I think Uranus is still available.
Benji: [more sarcastically] Heheheh, it's funny 'cause you said anus! - The scenes involving Brij the playboy in Mumbai are hilarious. Especially, when Jane's attempt at seducing him fails because of the presence of a servant. Brij then thinks that she's into "Slap-Slap-Kiss" and seems very pleased with that.
- "He's not your type, he's completely cold. I'm hot."
- And an irked Ethan, listening to the whole exchange.
- "He's not your type, he's completely cold. I'm hot."
- "And I catch you!"
- Brandt's understandable hesitation to drop down the server fan shaft, with everyone practically screaming "JUMP!"Brandt: Should I not have jumped? 'Cause I jumped!
- Right after Brandt jumps he barely stops before impaling himself on a giant exhaust fan... And Jane clenches her hand so hard you can hear Brij's hand cracking.
- The fact that although shocked, he seems overall turned on by this.
- When he finally (barely) gets out of the computer:Brandt: Next time, I get to seduce the rich guy.
- Right after Brandt jumps he barely stops before impaling himself on a giant exhaust fan... And Jane clenches her hand so hard you can hear Brij's hand cracking.
- Ethan's One-Liner of "Mission accomplished!" before hitting the button to stop the nuke. Ethan's bewildered when the countdown continues ticking.
- The Mickey Mousing the soundtrack does when Ethan repeatedly slams the button, as if even Michael Giacchino musically said "Mission accomplished!" and is desperately repeating it in the hopes that the countdown stopped.
- Luther says he wishes he had seen the Big Bad's face when Ethan said that. And it was something to behold.
- Also, Sidorov and the Russians showing up late to the party as usual, and finding a dead Hendricks and a battered, bone-weary Ethan Hunt.Sidorov: [takes in the situation; penny finally drops] We are on the same side, then?
Hunt: [basically down to one hit point; nods wearily]
Sidorov: That call from the arms dealer... you wanted me to find you.
Hunt: [nods wearily]
Sidorov: [beat] Hospital?
Hunt: [nods wearily]
- Luther joins Ethan and his new team for a drink in Seattle as he was tasked with assisting the recovery of the nuke from the San Francisco Bay, to Luther's irritation. So when Luther gets up to leave and reaches for his pocket, Ethan says "I got this" in refer to the tab, to which Luther says "I know" and pulls his hand out to reveal not a wallet, but a friendly middle finger.
