Product: Mission: Impossible (1996)
Rating: 2.0
This Tape Should be Allowed to Self-Destruct
Mission Impossible the movie has nothing in common with the classic series from the 1960's. As noted in many of the reviews, the film is impossible to understand in that there doesn't seem to be a coherent plot line. The element of suspense is forced here. Granted, the TV series depended on a sudden twist (as well as the obligatory commercial break) to maintain suspense. A one-hour series is invariablly difficult to transfer to the big screen, but at least the TV series had some sense of coherency that was lacking in the movie. Also, Mr. Phelps' transformation from good guy in the series to villian in the film is too hard to believe (and for fans of MI, a major disappointment). Now are the CIA the bad guys and are the good guys really good here? And I find it hard to believe that Jim Phelps could knock off all the members of his team single-handedly.Great special effects and sound do not a good movie make and Tom Cruise is back to his 'Top Gun' days here when nobody took him as a serious actor (I still don't consider him a serious actor-and that includes 'Jerry MacGuire"). So there's going to be a sequel and John Woo's directing? Hopefully he can do a better job similar to his Hong Kong movies, which show a grittiness and realism that is so lacking in this film, but I'm not holding out much hope given the quality of this film. What if Tom Cruise bites the dust in the new movie? Now that would be the perfect plot twist.One question though, who's going to be the leader of the IMF? Are they going to haul out Dan Briggs out of retirement? And if MI2 is as big a bomb as the first movie, are the people involved going to disavow it? And is the only reason a sequel is being made because somebody 'showed the money' to the principals?