'Mission: Impossible' - High-Def Digest Review

[jed]

Just posted Peter's review of the upcoming stand-alone release of 'Mission: Impossible' on HD DVD. While it offers nothing new over the version of the film previously included in the 'M:I' box set Paramount released to HD DVD late last year, the video, audio and supplements are still pretty solid.

Full review here:
http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/missionimpossible.html

[brechtsky]

Giving this movie two stars is preposterous. This movie was great, and depalma's heavily hitchockian direction was at its best.

I don't have the energy to go into some long-winded argument supporting my views, but I think the movie itself deserves a better rating, and would get it from most reviewers.

[bembol]

It may not be Reference HD DVD like M:i-III but IMO it's the Best of the Trilogy.

I do agree with the A/V review.

[brechtsky]

bembol,

Yeah I think the A/V evaluations were spot on, I was referring specifically to the narrative/story, and overall film.

To be honest, I can't even watch part two, I think its so bad. But part one was a real centerpiece among my top ten for a few years of high school, and I dug the newest one too ( I'm a bit of a whore for anything j.j. abrahms... but Phillip Seymour Hoffman's presence never hurts).

Anyway, I definitely intend on picking up parts one and three seperately.

[VC-1]

Originally Posted by brechtsky

I can't even watch part two, I think its so bad

MI:2 was terrible because the studio made John Woo cut about an hour out of the film. It was a 3 hour film and the studio wanted it under 2 hours.

That's why there's a ton of plotholes, cause those scenes were cut out for time.

[brechtsky]

yeah, I don't think theres much of anything on the cutting room floor that could save that movie... Unless well its an entirely abandoned film with its own story lines and action scenes.

Because, well despite the story, all the action was beyond ridiculous, too.

At least in MI I you could blame the bad physics of the train finale on the explosion, and other errors similarly (not that referencing bad special effects in a 15 year old old movie makes sense anyway... cough,cough, peter the reviewer, cough).

However, in MI II, somehow, Tom cruise becomes better than stuntmen and professionals trained in their specific fields. The most ridiculous motorcycle fight ever, not to mention hundreds of awful choices like having ethan hunt be able to climb an upside down rock-face without any supports.

Its just stupid things, and its over the top in nearly every respect.

Oh yeah, and as always, his direction of american actors is stilted at best, his use of doves is prototypically laughable, and also as usual, does more to take one out of the story than achieve anything worthwhile, cinematic, or even artistic.

I'm sorry, but save the appearance of hopkins, I think MI 2 was a total and complete waste.... Not that I think anything woo's done since has been good, either.

[Rich86]

I bought all 3 of these titles at bargain prices after Toshiba threw in the towel, but have never watched them on HD-DVD. We dragged the first Mission Impossible title off the shelf this evening for a watch. The movie is non-stop and fun, the video is OK for high def - nothing to write home about, but nice. The audio is fine, although like so many movies of this type, action sequences cause you to reach for the remote to turn it down a bit - and dialog has you grasping for it to turn it up some.
Next up - MI2 on HD-DVD . . . some other evening this week.