Departs significantly from its inspiration but still provides some thrills

Rating: 7/10 (7 October 2015)

Brian de Palma's adaptation of "Mission: Impossible" marked the beginning of a hugely successful franchise that's still going strong almost twenty years later. More of a Tom Cruise vehicle than a faithful adaptation of the highly regarded ensemble TV show, this 'Mission' was brought up to date with the latest (now, somewhat quaint) technology.
The connection to the TV show is tenuous, since only one character features in both and, even then, the characterization is completely different. One could argue that this was an ingenious way of defying expectations but others (myself included) might counter that the movie may as well not have been an adaptation to begin with. That being said, despite initially veering off into a completely different direction, we do eventually get a legitimate 'impossible' mission in the spirit of the TV show.
Tom Cruise is the undisputed star of the picture and he does a decent job, though this is definitely more of a showcase for Tom Cruise, movie star, rather than Tom Cruise, actor. Meanwhile, Jon Voight is always a welcome presence in any film and Vanessa Redgrave proved to be an astute casting choice. The various team members are generally well chosen; however, the least interesting character (played by Emmanuelle Beart) gets the most screen time.
Brian de Palma's direction is as expertly handled as always and he produced at least one iconic scene (ie. the heist at CIA headquarters). The action set-pieces are well done, though the climax is wildly over the top. The music wisely re-uses (and revitalizes) the TV show's memorable theme.
All in all, "Mission: Impossible" is fairly enjoyable but, for large chunks of the movie, there's a nagging feeling that the filmmakers have strayed too far from their inspiration. I've only seen one of the sequels, so I can't really compare them but this first outing is an adequately entertaining popcorn movie, if nothing else.