For me, it's his interest in character that sets him apart. From the
Usual Suspects onward (and I'm only referring to the projects that were his babies, not the stuff he was just brought in as a script doctor on, like, say,
The Mummy), he shows a distinct interest and ability to get inside his characters' heads and see what makes them tick. It makes even his more plot-driven screenplays like
Edge of Tomorrow still feel somewhat like character studies, and I've always dug that about him.
When he came aboard the
Mission: Impossible franchise, he took a character like Ethan Hunt - who could be described as the "Superman" of the franchise spy world for all that he gets accused of being a Gary Stu, boy scout or a cipher - and in the 5th installment of a well-established franchise, got into Ethan's head for arguably the first time since first film and examined his quirks and his very nature as both a spy and a friend and just what makes Ethan Hunt who he is. The 3rd movie tried to humanize him as well, but in a much more trite way (imo) by giving him a wife and making him fight for love or whatever, but with
Rogue Nation, McQuarrie went back and examined Ethan's behavior throughout the franchise and built a character profile out of it, and asked the questions about who this guy is that were frankly overdue to be explored - is he really just a reckless gambler with people's lives? Is he capable of actual personal relationships? Does he even know the difference between that and a professional one? And he didn't just present these as questions for the audience to ask, he forced Ethan to ask them of himself as well. It wasn't even just the big stuff, either: You can tell McQuarrie went back and studied all the little details throughout all the films, and brought cool stuff back to the surface that had gone by the wayside - like Ethan's near-photographic memory, for example. A genuine interest in the character on the filmmaker's part shone through in the film, and by the end of it, I feel like we came out with a much better grasp on who this guy is than we'd had in over a decade.
On top of that, as someone who's very invested in getting strong female leads in my action blockbusters, his writing of Rita Vrataski and Ilsa Faust turned characters that, in most other male writers' hands would've been extremely generic "badass fighter chicks," into living, breathing human beings who ended up being the highlights of their respective films, imo. So I feel like Lois would be in good hands with him.
I just think his films have a ton of heart because his characters feel like multi-dimensional people, which I know sounds basic, but I find it extremely rare for a writer in the blockbuster arena to be so consistent about this. On top of that, I like his tonal balance. His scripts are full of wit and humor, but never go overboard with it, he sells gravitas just as well when he needs to, and his blockbusters always have an optimistic undercurrent that I think would suit Superman wonderfully, without going too saccharine with it (like I fear anyone trying to recapture Donner would do).
Plus he directs action like a boss.
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