Perhaps what I'm missing with _Mission: Impossible_ is the big screen experience. Because I'm just not really feeling the love with this franchise. 15 years down the road since the first film and it still all feels a little unfocussed and silly to me, despite how beloved I know it is.

That all said, and though the villain here is certainly no Phillip Seymour-Hoffman of _M:I:III_, I still felt this was the strongest entry of the franchise so far. They even finally figured out that women can be used for more than just a damsel-in-distress, throwaway-set-piece or eye-candy. They haven't moved terribly far past that point, but at least they're changing it up a little. This fourth entry also adds a little levity, something a series that has always been a little dumb, is well served by.

_Final rating:★★½ - Had a lot that appealed to me, didn’t quite work as a whole._