--- title: "Mission: Impossible: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/mission-impossible/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/mission-impossible" critics_score: 75 critics_reviews: 20 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Mission: Impossible (1996): what the critics said Critics' score 75 from 20 reviews: 18 positive, 0 mixed, 2 negative. ## Los Angeles Times — Kevin Thomas Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 21 May 1996. The film has lots going for it including Cruise's charisma, De Palma's sleek direction, a first-rate cast and superb suspense sequences capped by a breathtaking climax stunt. The script is mercifully simple at heart despite its spy plot complexities. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-05-21-ca-6462-story.html) ## The New Yorker — Terrence Rafferty Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 27 May 1996. De Palma makes action-movie magic with ingenious craftsmanship that elevates the big-budget film beyond crude entertainment. The director's strengths turn the script's commercial strategies into a dense, formally complex visual experience. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1996/06/03/1996-06-03-085-tny-cards-000151745) ## The New York Times — Stephen Holden Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 22 May 1996. The film is a sleek, entertaining update of the TV series with Tom Cruise as the ideal superhero spy racing to protect a list of secret agents. De Palma directs with chilly suavity, balancing gadgetry and twists in an exhilarating way. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/22/movies/film-review-mission-accepted-tom-cruise-as-superhero.html) ## Little White Lies — Victoria Luxford Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 22 May 2016. The critic praises how Brian De Palma and Tom Cruise's film fundamentally changed action cinema by blending Hitchcockian tension and intricate plotting with breathless stunts. It highlights the movie's success in rebooting the franchise and elevating Tom Cruise's image as a committed action star who performed his own stunts. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/in-praise-of/mission-impossible-20-year-anniversary-tom-cruise) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 27 May 2021. The piece argues the original remains the best entry, crediting De Palma for infusing the star vehicle with perverse suspense, artifice, and humiliation of the hero that still feels fresh and distinctive. It singles out the hybrid quality of classic thriller mechanics and Cruise's star power for praise. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2021/05/tom-cruises-first-mission-impossible-is-still-the-best.html) ## Empire — Mark Salisbury Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic calls it a summer blockbuster that delivers with gadgets, disguises, and De Palma's masterful set-pieces like the wire-suspended vault sequence. The convoluted plot is forgiven because the film is enormous fun overall. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/mission-impossible-review/) ## Radio Times — Alan Jones Rating 4/5. Cruise and De Palma deliver a thrilling extravaganza of jaw-dropping effects and stunts; forget the complicated plot and enjoy the epic rollercoaster, especially the vault burglary and helicopter pursuit sequences. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-rkjce1/mission-impossible/) ## The Telegraph Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 July 2023. The critic praises the 1996 film as a smart, intricate spy thriller true to the original TV series, highlighting Brian De Palma's masterful suspense craftsmanship and complex plotting that distinguished it from later entries and Bond films. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/mission-impossible-tom-cruise-brian-de-palma-original/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 3/4. 31 May 1996. The critic finds the plot nearly impenetrable and overly reliant on double-crosses but praises Brian De Palma's focus on style, suspenseful set pieces like the computer heist and train chase, and Tom Cruise's cool presence in the action. The film succeeds as slick, entertaining spectacle despite its logical flaws. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/mission-impossible-1996) ## Slant Magazine — Zach Campbell Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 1 September 2006. The film's appeal lies more in improbability than suspense, with De Palma and screenwriters crafting a meta-action piece full of defiant spectacles and narrative gaps that reward analytical viewing. It sustains interest through self-aware chutzpah despite not being a full postmodern masterpiece. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/mission-impossible/) ## The AV Club Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 27 February 2014. The retrospective views the film as unmistakably De Palma's work, a paranoid surveillance thriller that turns the spy premise into stylish suspense rather than anonymous action. It praises the director's signature set pieces and willingness to subvert expectations from the source material. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/our-mission-which-we-accepted-was-to-watch-the-missio-1798266534) ## Sight and Sound — José Arroyo Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 July 1996. The critic finds the film glamorous, exciting, sexy and sometimes witty with indelible visual moments, but gleefully superficial and lacking depth or coherence. It belongs to a history of cinema of attractions, offering spectacle and set-pieces that assault the senses. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/features/mission-impossible-popcorn-movie-take-seriously) ## Time Out — TCh Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 26 September 2014. The film is a bewildering, ludicrous but mostly fun postscript to the spy genre, with more and less than meets the eye; De Palma crafts elaborate conceits and a nail-biting robbery sequence with Hitchcockian panache, though the result is ultimately superficial. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/mission-impossible) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Hunter Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 21 May 1996. The critic finds the film dour and only fitfully entertaining, with a dreary script and half-baked characters that take themselves too seriously despite some strong actors being underutilized. The climactic train sequence provides crowd-pleasing fireworks, and performances like Vanessa Redgrave's stand out. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/mission-impossible-movie-1996-review-tom-cruise-1235536387/) ## Variety — Greg Evans Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 20 May 1996. The film is dour and sexless escapism with a letdown from its top creative team, though De Palma generates tension in set pieces like the vault heist and train climax. It succeeds as a star vehicle for Cruise but lacks heart or identifiable villains. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/mission-impossible-2-1200445784/) ## The Ringer — Shea Serrano Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 25 July 2018. The first Mission: Impossible remains the closest to perfect in the franchise and a perfect action movie with a perfect Tom Cruise. The critic singles out the tense, expertly choreographed Langley vault heist sequence for its sustained suspense, silence, and small human details like a bead of sweat. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2018/07/25/movies/mission-impossible-1996-tom-cruise-jon-voight-brian-de-palma) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 20 May 2021. De Palma's original remains a marvel for its restraint and tension-building, especially the iconic CIA vault sequence that showcases masterful suspense craft over CGI excess. The film excels as a sleek, knotty thriller highlighting the director's Hitchcockian skills and Cruise's stunt work. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/first-mission-impossible-one-of-greatest-action-set-pieces/) ## The Playlist — Jason Bailey Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 20 May 2021. The critic highlights how the film is thoroughly a Brian De Palma movie with stylish camerawork and memorable set pieces like the Langley heist, appreciating its auteurist approach over later standardized entries. They praise the director's playful style and the suspenseful sequences. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/mission-impossible-25-anniversary-essay-20210520/) ## Eye for Film — Gator MacReady Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 8 May 2006. The review notes the film's complex plot but praises its strong set pieces and tension, particularly the train sequence, crediting De Palma for not underestimating the audience. It complains about some dated elements. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/mission-impossible-film-review-by-gator-macready) ## Film Stories — A J Black Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 3 July 2023. The critic praises De Palma's 1996 film for its deconstruction of the TV series concept and standout set pieces like the Langley heist, noting how it launched the franchise with a nihilistic twist. They single out the film's tension and iconic sequences for praise while highlighting its post-Cold War relevance. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/features/mission-impossible-revisited-brian-de-palmas-mission-impossible/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/mission-impossible.md