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It's hard to
believe that is has been 10 years since
the release of Tom Cruise's big screen remakes
of the television series "Mission Impossible."
I can still remember all of the hubbub (bub)
when the movie came out. Fans of the original
series, including me, thought there was
no way it could capture the spirit of the
show and for the most part, we were right.
Of course, I don’t mean to give you
the impression that it wasn't a good movie,
as that comment would be a more accurate
description of the train wreck that was
"Mission Impossible II." In fact,
the big screen "Mission Impossible"
was actually a borderline great movie. It
had all the elements required of such: big
splashy action sequences, decent acting,
and a coherent plot.
Tom Cruise, whom in the past I considered
to be only a passable actor who got by with
a lot of charisma, had proven his mettle
by the time "Mission Impossible."
With this film, he was able to further prove
himself as an actor capable of taking on
formidable action start roles.
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Yet he was smart and chose not to continue in
that direction and take on roles as varied in
style as he could get, with the exception of making
the inevitable sequel (which as I mentioned before
was terrible). He did not head into the Johnny
Depp range of characters acting, which would be
beyond his capabilities, but the parts he chose
were just meaty enough for him to win over more
fans.
Despite my initial reservations, I enjoyed "Mission
Impossible" immensely. I got caught up in
the action almost immediately from the opening
sequence, in which an IMF (Impossible Missions
Force) operation goes horribly, horribly awry.
The elements of these first few scenes delivered
some extremely unexpected twists and succeeded
in getting the ball rolling in what was to be
a story of betrayal of the worst kind.
Yet herein also lies my biggest problem with the
film. I don’t want to give away any spoilers,
so I'll try and explain while dancing around any
specifics. Cruise's character, Ethan Hunt, finds
himself accused of killing several IMF agents
and is on the run from his own agency. Of course,
he is the hero so audiences already know that
he isn't responsible and watch as he attempts
to prove his innocence, al the while dodging bullets,
knives and bombs from both sides of the 'spy'
world. As it turns out, the betrayal comes from
within and a major character is actually behind
the killings. To put it simply…. I HATED
THIS IDEA. Why, you might ask? Because they chose
a character that was important to the original
TV series and made him the bad guy. I'm here to
tell you… that character would NEVER have
done that. (Hmmmm, I guess that might have given
too much away. If you watch the movie, disavow
any knowledge of having ever read this last paragraph…)
What is sad is that besides that huge plot point,
"Mission Impossible" is actually a great
movie. It's entertaining from start to finish,
yet the writers (David Koepp and Robert Towne)
opted to tear down a character considered to be
an icon and turn him 'evil.' (Bad….BAD…..writers…
shame on you.) But I digress…
So anyhow, to get to the point on this review,
Paramount is releasing a 10th Anniversary Edition
of "Mission Impossible" this week. Oddly
enough, they're timing it to coincide with the
release of a third sequel, imaginatively titled
"Mission Impossible III." (Though I'm
make jokes about it, I actually expect it to be
quite a bit better that "MI:II" because
it has J.J. Abrams at the helm. I'm keeping my
fingers crossed.) This new DVD boasts a better
transfer than its original DVD release a while
back, though it is still not perfect. There a
few blemishes here and there that I did not expect
to see. The sound however, takes on a whole new
dimension on this release as the Dolby Digital
5.1 audio track really seems like it has been
beefed up.
As for extra features, Paramount pulled out all
the stops, but admittedly they somehow seem a
little like a Tom Cruise love-fest. There are
several featurettes, including one that focuses
mainly on the popularity of the movies (while
barely touching on the TV show at all), another
that takes viewers inside the International Spy
Museum in Washington D.C., and yet another that
features interviews with real-life former spies.
Then there is a look at the great train scene
towards the end of the film and at how 'cool'
it is that Cruise does all his own stunts. The
aforementioned love-fest begins on the 2nd part
of the special features and offers Cruise up in
a number of awards acceptance speeches and focuses
on his illustrious career. Interesting stuff,
but… Of course, you will also find a trailer
for the new "Mission Impossible III"
movie.
Again, I hope "Mission Impossible III"
is better than "Mission Impossible II",
or at least as good as "Mission Impossible
I" (or the eventual "Mission Impossible
XVX"). But in the meantime, this first movie
is as good as they get and I recommend it for
a fun Saturday night popcorn movie. But purist
fans of the original TV show beware, you will
hate the ending!!!
Directed by: Brian DePalma
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Beart,
Henry Czerny, Jean Reno, Ving Rhames, Kristen
Scott-Thomas, Vanessa Redgrave
Extras: Mission Remarkable - 40 Years of Creating
the Impossible, Mission - Explosive Exploits,
Mission - Spies Among Us, Mission - Catching the
Train, Mission - International Spy Museum, Mission
- Agent Dossiers, Tribute Montages - Excellence
in Film: Cruise / Generation: Cruise, Theatrical
Trailers, Teaser, Mission Impossible III Trailer,
TV Spots, Photo Gallery
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1
Surround Sound, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Sound
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 4/11/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (For Some Intense Acton Violence)
Website
We'll give Mission Impossible a B-.
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