Take it for what it is

Rating: 7/10 (1 January 2010)

I haven't watched much at all of the original show; I do know that this screws over the fans, and ruins stuff that they loved. Beyond that, it takes a different approach than the series. I guess it had to; the silver screen, you know. You can't do the same thing as on TV, it has to be bigger. Thus, this focuses on one person(not an entire team), and from early on in this, he's without the support of the IMF(were they *actually* called that before these? When did it start, anyway? Is there literally like, a supervisor sitting somewhere, deciding if a mission is quite impossible enough for them to handle?). All of that is really to be expected; if it turns you off to this, then so be it. I urge you to stick with your season sets, and not go for these. This has a complicated plot(with that said, you can follow it), perhaps to outdo the earlier stories. For a spy-thriller, this is quite good. It holds up pretty nicely, there are unpredictable twists, and the suspense is *excellent*. The famous "suspended from the ceiling" sequence *is* as great as you've heard. There is not an awful lot of shootouts or chases, but it is exciting, and the action is cool and well-done. This is a bit of a vehicle for Cruise, and he uses his charm in at least one scene that was probably written once he was cast. With that said, he does well. The characters are credible. Acting is masterful, with few exceptions. Elfman does marvelously, scoring this save for the classic theme. There is occasional moderate to strong language, and some bloody violence in this. The DVD holds a theatrical trailer. I recommend this to anyone into tense films that require you to pay attention. 7/10