Product: Mission: Impossible (1996)
Rating: 4.0
An impressive HD-DVD outing from Paramount for a decent movie
The Mission: Impossible television series was very much over my head when I was a kid. I wasn't even born yet when the first run (1966-73) ended, and I was 13 when the revival (1988-1990) began. Nevertheless, I knew the format and liked the teamwork concept enough that I was somewhat disappointed in the focus on just one agent, Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt, in the film series, especially when thinking about how much cooler things would have been if the whole of the movies expanded on the teamwork shown in the opening scene of the first movie.Having said that, the first movie is still a blast to watch if you can get past the somewhat convoluted storyline and the whole "Tom Cruise and his merry men" feel. With all the high-tech gadgetry and the explosive action sequences, it feels a lot more "James Bond" than "Jim Phelps" which in the end probably was the reason why the film and its sequels were such a hit with action-addicted moviegoers of modern times.In any case, this is a review of the HD-DVD edition of the movie, so I should probably say something about the quality of said edition. The movie looks pretty good considering the print is from the mid-90s. There's a good amount of detail to be seen in most scenes of the movie but the color tone looks a bit warm (i.e. flesh looks like there's a bit too much red hue). It's not a reference disc by any means but the picture is quite good in general.I'm not a big audio person so I can't really say much about that aspect of the movie.Overall, the movie is not a bad one to have in your high-definition library, especially if you enjoyed the film or are just a fan of Tom Cruise in general. It fits the "popcorn summer blockbuster" bill perfectly and is enjoyable for anyone but the most picky viewer.