Slick, Entertaining Summer Fluff

Rating: Null/10 (30 April 1999)

Many have remarked that the plot was difficult to follow. I cannot agree; I found this to be a straightforward, formulaic Hollywood style action/thriller movie, and quite easy to follow if one pays the slightest attention.
That said, though, it was an extremely well done formulaic Hollywood style action/thriller. If you're not expecting deep sub-texts, moral dilemmas, characters deeper than the average puddle, or anything at all very thought-provoking, this can be a very enjoyable flick. Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) turns out to be more wily and resourceful than the average action hero. The computer-oriented mumbo jumbo is marginally less awful than in typical Hollywood fare. Many of the individual bits are derivative of other movies, but they are each done well and put together well.
The much hyped "breaking into the ultra secure computer room through the ceiling" scene, in particular, was a pretty obvious rip-off of the climatic theft scene in "Topkapi". (I see "Gislef" has commented on "Topkapi," indicating that Mission Impossible was actually BASED on "Topkapi." Well, I guess I learn something new every day.)
Bring popcorn. It's that sort of movie.