(This review may contain spoilers).
Despite not enjoying the first movies in this franchise, by the time this movie came out, I was very much looking forward to it.
I did find this movie very engaging, even though I felt the trailer was a little misleading. I did like the elements of humour and there were a few good moments of foreshadowing scattered throughout. At the same time, however, I did find it difficult to suspend my disbelief occasionally, as the technology especially seemed far too fantastical.
I did feel that this movie was more focused on the action than the relationships between and depth of the characters. While I did really like Benji and Luther, there wasn’t nearly enough interaction between Ethan and Ilsa to make me think they had much of a relationship between the previous movie and this one; and the hints that Ethan’s love life was cursed just felt really over the top.
I was disappointed not to see anything of Jeremy Renner’s character from the previous two movies. After he’d seemed to become part of the group, it was like his character just fizzled out.
I did also feel like there was a lot of predictability in this. August wasn’t a very likable character and it felt like there wasn’t a lot of depth to him. There was a lot of tension throughout the movie, but the villains were just bad guys without coming across as people whose motivation I could understand.
If you’re familiar with the Mission: Impossible franchise, then I would say this movie is worth watching. But I personally didn’t feel like it had much to make it stand out from the crowd. And while the storyline could stand alone, I think you need to have at least a passing knowledge of the franchise for this movie.
I wouldn’t mind watching the movie again, but I wouldn’t rush to buy it on DVD.
