Is this the best Mission yet? A lot of people don’t think so, but I’d have to say that it far outdoes any of the previous movies by a pretty wide margin.
The classic Mission formula is there, sure: the gadgets, disguises, rogue agents, and split-second decisions that really put you on the edge of your seat are all intact. But they’re all elevated, literally and figuratively.
If you have any interest in this movie, well, you’ve already seen it and made a judgment for yourself, and/or you know about the massive action sequence at the top of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Tom Cruise did his own stunts for that one, including running along the side of the building, jumping out from it, and swinging through the window a half dozen floors below him. Don’t believe me? YouTube it – it’s really him. But all that aside, was the sequence worth it? I’ll tell you that I have actually never been on the edge of my seat in any movie theatre from a jumping sequence. The movie does such an incredible job of really getting across the feeling of height, danger, and improvisation, which in real life, would all add up to one really long fall. However, this is Mission: Impossible, so of course, it’ll all work out in the end. It’s an incredibly gripping sequence, entirely unnecessary, but at the same time necessary.
The girls are not your typical James Bond hotties, but in the Mission series, they never have been. Don’t get me wrong – they’re all gorgeous – but they aren’t supermodels or perfectly-built maidens. They’re just real, hot women. And seriously, that makes them hotter.
The storyline wasn’t contrived the way I felt Mission: Impossible 2 was, nor was it too simple. There were some moments that the technology simply wouldn’t be possible – a magnet so powerful for example, that could keep a person suspended about eight feet in the air without damaging the computers and circuitry all around him. But if you let yourself believe that stuff, you’ll be in for a really great thrill ride.
Overall, it’s a great movie, with an incredible action sequence smack dab in the middle of it all, bookended by a historical explosion – the Kremlin, of all things – and a great finale in a simple way that is classic to the series. I won’t give anything away, but let’s just say that even though he isn’t credited officially, Luther Stickell makes a great appearance in true Mission fashion.
It’s a must-see movie, and this is in fact the best Mission: Impossible yet, even with classics like the first and third in the series. This isn’t a mission for you to choose to accept. Just accept it.