Great Cast, Good Action, Poor Script/Story

Rating: 5/10 (3 May 2006)

Went to the pre-screening yesterday. Everyone was on the edge of his seat even before the movie begins. To me, a mission impossible movie should be all about how the IMF team plan and execute an unthinkable heist. The team in this movie was GREAT, JJ Abrams pulled some of his TV star friends in different roles, Keri Russell was a good choice for the role she played. The old returning Ving Rhames is the team coordinator is great as always, two people uniquely shines are Jonathan Rhys Myers and Maggie Q, they had the funny jokes and pulled off their roles perfectly.
Philip Seymour Hoffman was great but seemed to be having fun doing that part, I think his dialogue could have been more powerful, his character is unfortunately forgettable because of the poor writing.
The action sequences were great, the first one in the Windmill field was some what chaotic, but the one in the freeway and bridge was far better. The Vatican scene may be the best part of the movie because it is the only scene relatable to the original series.
I don't want to talk about Tom cruise because I think he had more than his share of publicity lately, his character is still the same but now with a love interest.
Overall, it is a nice fun movie to watch, but very very forgettable because there was no exciting thing about the story nor the missions. I still consider the first MI movie to be the best because of the classic moments that De Palma created, like the "String" hanger scene of Tom in the white room and the Copter scene in the tunnel. This is where you can detect age difference between the experienced Brian De Palma and the very talented but still amateur JJ. De Palma understands that what lasts in the mind of the viewer is not the big explosions or the plane crashes, it is the thrilling chill of a joyride that keeps you hanging (like Tom) throughout the movie.