Mission: Impossible began as a reboot of a 1966–1973 TV series and marked a 30th anniversary. The film introduced Ethan Hunt as a cocky young operative with investigative smarts emphasized as much as action, unlike his later superhuman portrayal. Hunt also remained unusually subservient to Jim Phelps, a world-weary mentor carried over from the TV show. Their opening mission ends with Phelps and multiple agents dead, a mole inside the Impossible Mission Force, and an invaluable list of undercover operatives still at risk. The film blends the show’s talky, gadget-forward tone with more explosive action, directed with confident flair by Brian De Palma.
"Introduced as a cocky young operative, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) bears almost no resemblance to the superhuman he would soon become. He never even shoots a firearm, for a start, and while he's certainly not afraid to leap into action, this is the only film in the franchise where his investigative smarts receive equal emphasis. This is a Cruise experimenting with action, not defined by it."
"Hunt is also, unusually, subservient to Jim Phelps (Jon Voight), the only character brought over from the TV show and its late '80s revival (played, in both instances, by Peter Graves). Phelps is the world-weary mentor to Hunt's eager young go-getter, so perhaps it's no surprise that their opening mission ends with Phelps and several other agents dead, a mole running rampant through the Impossible Mission Force, and an invaluable list of undercover operatives still up for grabs."
"The Mission: Impossible franchise underwent both changes, leaving behind a debut film almost completely unlike everything that followed it. Based on a 1966-1973 TV show now largely unknown to younger fans, and celebrating its 30th anniversary today, Mission: Impossible is a lesson in both how to reboot a franchise, and how far a franchise can veer off into the unexpected."
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