All-around fun and puts the team back in Mission: Impossible

Rating: 7/10 (17 December 2011)

A fun movie with some compassion, that gets the team work 'back into the action'.
Brad Bird and the writers make a number of correct decisions that recall the uniqueness, character and excitement of the original series. Bird relies on larger-than-life live action stunts (particularly thrilling on the IMAX) rather than rely on CGI fakery or shaky camera work. This more traditional but more realistic direction adds to the fun. Tom Cruise has (and does) the best stunts, of course, but the rest of team also contribute much more than in the previous films. This shift in emphasis by the writers also contributes to the fun by allowing all the characters to actually play an important or critical role (best shown in the last sequence in India) rather than just 'be helpers' to Tom Cruise. This too was a compelling characteristic of the original series.
The cast is enjoyable, and the bits of comic dialog add to the fun. The occasional failures of some of the gadgetry also provide lighthearted moments, keeping the film light enough so that it is balanced and proportional, with the correct mix of action, suspense, and relief. It never takes itself too seriously, which is appropriate to the genre.
Best seen while eating popcorn.