Mission: Impossible 25th Anniversary

“Tom Cruise ignites the screen I the hi big-screen blockbuster that launched on of today’s biggest, and still-growing action movie franchises. Ethan Hunt (Cruise), is a top secret agent, framed for the deaths of his espionage team. Fleeing from government assassins, breaking into the CIA’s most impenetrable vault, clinging to the roof of a speeding bullet train, Hunt races like a burning fuse to stay one step ahead of his pursuers… and draw one step closer to discovering the shocking truth. Directed by Brian De Palma (The Untouchables), this limited-edition, newly remastered Blu-ray celebrates the 25^th Anniversary and includes an exclusive collectible IMF car decal.”

The first Mission: Impossible film remains completely different than all the subsequent films in the franchise. More of a film truly about espionage, we embark on a journey where Ethan Hunt has to clear his name being chased by his own government. While this story certainly has been re-used a number of times, it’s the tone of the film that ends up standing out the most.

As we approach the seventh and eighth films in the franchise, there’s one thing that has never changed: the non-stop action that has Tom Cruise performing some of the most impressive and death-defying stunts in his career. What is most impressive about the span of the franchise is certainly the evolution of the character of Ethan Hunt. In the first film, he’s young, overconfident, with still a lot to learn. Facing the death of his entire team as he watched helplessly and now accused of the crime, Ethan uses his training and his intelligence to overcome the obstacles he faces in the film. Although the action may be better in some of the sequels, with bigger budgets, bigger names, better locations, I have always preferred the first film because of the fact it feels more like a spy-film than some action-blockbuster. The mystery, the intrigue, these traits all begin to dwindle as the franchise progresses. We rely less on interesting gadgets and more on grandiose action spectacles throughout the world; impressive as they may be, less attention is given to the story and to the characters as it’s given here.

Brian De Palma’s direction gives the film a very unique style at times. The flashback sequences, for example, definitely have an interesting look that helps build the tension between two the two characters in the sequence. The most substantially tense sequence has to be the suspension sequence in CIA headquarters, as the impossible heist is carried out without hardly any sound whatsoever, all leading to the helicopter in the tunnel at the end of the film. As with the Ethan Hunt character, the evolution of the filmmaking itself is interesting as the styles of the directors change drastically, especially from the first three films. While John Woo certainly takes the action a different direction in the second installment, Brian De Palma really does some subtle but great things with the first that continues to set itself apart from the rest of the franchise.

Tom Cruise’s dedication to filmmaking is clearly second to none, especially if you’ve watched interviews with him or listened to commentary. He genuinely loves what he does, and I’m not sure if I’ve seen that as clearly as I do with any other actor besides him. He does tend to stick with the action genre these days, but despite being Ethan Hunt, or Jack Reacher, Tom Cruise makes you believe every bit of what he does on screen. Jon Voight does an excellent job here as well, playing one of the only characters to be carried over from the television series, taking a different direction that many of the die-hard fans would have liked. Still, for those of us not attached to the television show, it’s a turn that provides quite a bit more range for Voight than audiences were accustomed to at that point. With a superb supporting cast, it’s the story and characters that make the first go-around so much fun, not just mindless action and explosions.

Video

Mission: Impossible is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 2.39:1 featuring a new remaster for the 25^th Anniversary Blu-ray. The original Blu-ray release was infamous for a subpar transfer, so despite this edition seeming to be fairly redundant, especially considering there is was a 4k release of this film only a few short years ago, this is a welcomed release for those who haven’t upgraded to 4k. Colors are very vibrant, with flesh tones especially looking very natural. The transfer is very clear and detailed, with the major upgrade in this from the previous release being those brighter colors and deeper darks that other transfer just wasn’t able to provide.

Audio

The audio is presented in Dolby TrueHD 5.1, a lossless track that was remastered for the 4k edition several years prior. This is a major upgrade from the previous Blu-ray’s Dolby Digital 5.1 track, with fuller sounds and greater range. Levels are excellent, well balanced from the surrounds to the center channel. Action sequences especially have a richer experience, heavily utilizing the surrounds for swift action swirling around the room, immersing you in the film.

Special Features

There isn’t really anything new on this set but extras taken from previous releases. It does come with a ‘collectible’ IMF Car Decal, however, as well as a nicely re-designed slipcover and Digital Code.

Extras include:

• 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
• Excellence in Film: Cruise
• Generation: Cruise
• Photo Gallery
• Theatrical Trailers
  • Mission: Impossible Teaser
  • Mission: Impossible Trailer
• TV Spots

While die-hard fans of the film may have already picked up Mission: Impossible in 4k, those without those UHD capabilities can finally have access to the film with a transfer it deserves. Paramount has given this a good treatment, and with a nice price point on initial release, this is one worthy of an upgrade if you don’t already have the 4k.