Review of Mission Impossible (1971) by Kevin P — 23 Jan 2019

Strengths: This movie seems to fully understand what it needs to be. Itâ(TM)s kind of a goofy action flick and it makes sure most of the action works. The effects are strong for the era, even if they donâ(TM)t hold up two decades later. Tom Cruise (Ethan Hunt) is mostly solid as the lead, but Iâ(TM)d say Jon Voight (Jim Phelps) kind of steals the show. I also got a kick out of Ving Rhames (Luther Stickell) and his character. Brian De Palma also makes sure there are plenty of moments that keep you engaged as a viewer. He wants us to get wrapped up in the mystery and itâ(TM)s easy enough to do that.

Weaknesses: The script is kind of a mess. You can tell they had big plans for the mystery and all the plot twists, but it came across as very convoluted. They seemed to try way too much and things get lost in the shuffle. It can be difficult to follow. A fair amount of the actors didnâ(TM)t work for me. Emmanuelle Beart (Claire Phelps), Vanessa Redgrave (Max), and Henry Czerny (Eugene Kittridge) were all kind of just there. The biggest issue was probably the pacing. The movie never manages to keep up the momentum. It seems like we go from one strong scene to a dull one. It drags things down way more than youâ(TM)d hope.

Overall: The first Mission: Impossible is a solid film. Itâ(TM)s a good time and I donâ(TM)t regret watching it, but I donâ(TM)t think I can see myself watching it again.