It is what it is: Hollywood thrilling action

Rating: 7/10 (6 April 2012)

Having seen all four of the "Mission Impossible" movies, I see no rhyme or reason to the ratings of each, when compared to one another. Each has something different as well as much of the same. That's why we go to see them, certainly why I did. None of the sequels had the depth of the first, plot wise. The second had a musical theme revamped and all around great soundtrack (best), which the following two failed to reuse; the effect of the soundtrack was never so well tailored. The second also started a trend that was unmistakable in all three sequels, the acrophobes know it all too well; Cruise hanging from an overhanging escarpment in The Grand Canyon(just to relax-oh yeah) and jumping from a helicopter into the air shaft of a high rise (II), pendulum swinging from one high-rise to another in Shanghai (III), face climbing the world's tallest building with a sand storm coming towards the building (IV).
The fourth mission, the one which garnered the highest ratings (IMDb + Rotten Tomatoes) was as good as the ones before but, in my opinion, lacked the depth of the original, plot wise, lacked the impact of the best soundtrack, but did capture all the thrill the action in the previous ones had; being mildly acrophobic, I found myself trying to catch my breath and closing my eyes for a few seconds, just long enough to muster the strength to resume watching the action.
I may not agree with the critics and other reviewers as to how well this sequel matches up with the others, but I can say with some certitude that if you liked any of the previous ones, you should like this one.