Picks up where Bond lost the trail

Rating: 7/10 (28 December 2011)

I'm not a fan of mindless action flicks, which this is. Characters portrayed as though they were made of steel and rubber make me cringe. Art-major-physics I find annoying. I went to see this movie because of Simon Pegg, and he delivers 100%.
I also had a good time.
The movie is not going to become a classic, but it's well made. All boxes are ticked: 4 exotic locations, including ample opportunity for some pretty high drops. One immediately-recognizable landmark destroyed graphically. Cruise to star, Patton as eye candy, Pegg for the British humor. Nods to previous installments in the series. High-tech gadgets that seem ultra-futuristic but still plausible. etc..
The simple fact is that the old-guard of action-movie makers has gotten tired over the years, and these are the people who stepped up to replace them and are currently holding the fort: Brad Bird directed this movie as though The Incredibles was a dress-rehearsal for it; J.J. Abrams gave it that Star Trek feel and brought in the writers of "Alias" and "Life on Mars" for the extra shine.
It's not going to be a favorite of mine. I will likely forget all about it a week from now. But during the movie's 2 1/4 hours, it felt like watching a James Bond movie for the first time. And I don't mean a new Daniel Craig movie. I mean, that feeling I got when Connery was Connery, Moore was Moore and Bond was Bond.
Oh, and super-cool gadgets were super-cool gadgets.
If you're keen on checking your brains out at the door and having an escapist 2+ hours of good time, this one is a good choice for you.
If, on the other hand, you like an original story, believable three-dimensional characters with some development arc, a back-story, emotional integrity, or anything that remotely resembles any of the above: do yourself a favor and choose curtain #2, instead.