Completely throws the first film out of the window

Rating: 5/10 (12 August 2015)

I really wanted to love this film. The original Mission: Impossible was a great action flick that actually made me think. This movie unfortunately took everything I loved about the first one and tossed it out the window. Gone is the semi-cohesive plot that gets your brain working. It's replaced with one of the most by the numbers, boring, script I've ever seen put to the screen. Woo's direction is typical of him, with a lot of slo-mo shots and ridiculous shootouts. There are some decent looking action scenes, including a well done motorcycle chase scene, although it is completely ruined by the scenes end. My biggest problem with this film is the complete shift in tone. Ethan Hunt is made to look more like a James Bond character and less like himself. It is very clear that this film was the only one that was this way because by the time Abrams took over for M:I3, we were back to the same old Ethan. All in all, this film is a failed attempt to make the Mission: Impossible series "cool", when in fact, it was "cool" all along.