For almost half of the movie I kept hope alive that it might not cross our approval level for violence. I knew that would be one area of concern. To that mid-way point there were a few violent moments but little or no blood and the violence was not continual. But then, it picked up in intensity and when I saw a man shot in the head and a spray of blood hit the ceiling of the car and the windshield, I knew it was not going to be eligible to receive our Dove Seal.
And that’s too bad. The story itself is interesting and kept my attention for over two hours. The movie contains everything one would expect from this series of films based on the old TV series. You have messages self-destructing, a character who removes a mask to reveal he’s not who we thought he was (I admit that I didn’t see it coming), fast chases by foot (I didn’t realize Tom Cruise was still in such great shape), a threat of a fatal launching of a missile by a Russian degenerate, the killing of an agent and its effects on the friends he left behind, and so forth. It even contains a surprise ending. The plot is centered on Ethan Hunt (Cruise) finding the launch codes and preventing the missile from being launched. However, when he can’t prevent the launch his only hope is to abort the missile’s mission, which is not only tricky but he has mere minutes to do it. He will need the help of his fellow agenst to accomplish the miracle.
As mentioned, the violence level is strong in spots with bloody moments and the strong use of language combine to hinder this movie from receiving our Dove Seal. We believe the mission is NOT impossible and we hope the next one in this series, if there is one, will be more family friendly and will be awarded our Seal.
