Review for Mission Impossible 1-5

Introduction

Mission Impossible
Mission Impossible 2
Mission Impossible III
Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol
Mission Impossible Rogue Nation

The Packaging

You get 5 discs in a fatpack Blu-ray Amaray, two discs on each inner face, and three on two centrally hinged panels. Some of the films were multi-disc releases when released singly with extra features on the second disc. This release collects only the feature discs, and consequently some films, such as Mission Impossible III are rather barebones.

Conclusion

John Woo’s turgid Mission Impossible 2 was just a blip thankfully, and what we have here are four, solid, entertaining action movies with just the right level of gadgetry, secrecy, and suspense to qualify as spy movies, to rival the Bournes and the Bonds of this world. In fact, when it comes to the sense of glee, the wholehearted fun that can be had watching these films, Mission Impossible has truly taken up the mantle of the pre-Daniel Craig Bond movies, back when spy-craft on film demanded that tongues remain firmly in cheek. It’s also fascinating to watch the evolution of these films, the effects and stunts, the realism and nonsense. The end of the original Mission Impossible was often derided as the worst bit of the film, a special effects deluge where Ethan Hunt was strapped to the top of a channel tunnel train travelling at a speed no train in the UK has ever achieved. Fast forward 20 years, and Ethan Hunt is strapped to an Airbus A400 during take-off... for real!

If you’re in the mood for action movies that are still fun, that don’t take themselves seriously, and aren’t adapted from a comic book, then you can’t go wrong with the Mission Impossible franchise (except MI-2).