There’s a moment near the beginning of writer-director Christopher McQuarrie’s stunt-reel in search of a movie when the attention is caught and the interest roused in altogether unexpected fashion. Can-do American agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is receiving the recorded details of his impossible mission: Rogue agent…terror for hire…evil network…nuclear bomb…mad scientist…extreme anti-religious views…wait, what? Is Mission: Impossible going to serve up a bad guy on a crusade against religion? A truly militant atheist, dedicated to the belief that belief is what’s poisoning the world, that faith is what must be expunged if civilization is to be saved? How…invigorating. Original, even — given the rather anodyne context. But alas. The anti-religious aspect is done away with before the opening credits, and everything proceeds exactly as expected — the switcheroos, the goofy tech, the acrobatic punch-ups, the motorized mayhem, the subdued romantic longing, and oh yes, the bloated indulgence within nearly every set piece. But what of it? Odds are, you’ll swoon as Cruise plummets through the sky toward the lights of Paris. You’ll grin like an idiot when he starts running, running, running across the rooftops, face rigid with determination as he simultaneously pursues his quarry and eludes the ravages of time. And you’ll gasp in awe at the deadly splendor of his climactic cliffside struggle with the big baddie. In short, you’ll have a pretty good time, wincing only when loyal friend Ving Rhames is forced to manipulate heartstrings instead of bomb wires, and when various higher ups are forced to comment on the tricky ethics of choosing one life over a million. Hrm — maybe it’s a good thing they steered clear of religion. (2018) — Matthew Lickona
This movie is not currently in theaters.