Product: Mission: Impossible (1996)
Rating: 4.0
Mission: Not Exactly Accomplished
"Mission: Impossible" was (I thought) supposed to be the movie sequel to the classic TV series. If not, why call it "Mission: Impossible"? But something happened on the way to the theater, because this is nothing like the old TV show. In fact, any similarity appears to be purely coincidental. And that's the major problem with this film. The title raises expectations, but the film doesn't deliver on those expectations.Taken purely as a spy thriller, this flick is fine. It has some great action sequences. In particular, the CIA break-in is clever and tense. The end piece in the tunnel is also entertaining, but it stretches credibility a long way. The plot is almost too complicated -- sometimes it's hard to keep up with who is doing what to whom. But, hey, that's good. Better a bit complex than so simple a two-year-old could keep up. The acting is generally acceptable, too. Yeah, Tom Cruise is a little hard to accept as a master spy, but he gets by.As a spy thriller, "Mission: Impossible" is a strong four star effort (maybe even a soft five stars). That it's linked with the "Mission: Impossible" TV series is a negative. I'd still like to see an "M:I" movie. You know: top agent gets extremely difficult assignments, formulates plans, picks teams of operatives with suitable skills and abilities, and, using a combination of sleight-of-hand, high tech trickery, and sheer daring, achieves the objective. Those were great fun. This film is also fun, but "M:I" it isn't. I'm giving it four stars strictly on its own merits. Rated as a "Mission: Impossible" sequel it would get only two stars.