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| Even Tom knows when it's time to run... |
After the disaster that was MI:2 and John Woo's pigeons, filmmaker JJ Abrams helming MI:3, realised the only thing that was capable of competing with Tom Cruise's ego, was a heavyweight antagonist in the form of Philip Seymour Hoffman, who stomped all over it as was needed. For MI:4 they notched the threat up by actually including one, after the ambiguous 'rabbits foot' in MI:3 turned out to be, well nothing at all. It didn't really need to be with Hoffman in his pomp in my opinion, but it was a criticism made, noted, and catered for in this with the answer being the threat of nuclear war. Give the people what they want, yes indeed. The other thing that's likable about the Mission Impossible films is that as perfect as Tom is, he still requires the help of his team and is most gracious when they open a door, or throw him a spanner whilst he's trying to save the planet. It's acknowledging the little people, that Bond has no time for.
Specifically, it does everything a good action blockbuster should. It's big on spectacle, throws in some laughs, and has a top notch set-piece sequence featuring the Burj Khalifa (tallest building in the world), followed by a chase scene in a sandstorm. It's really hard to ask for more, which it doesn't really try to deliver, but then again we weren't asking anyway.
