OK, I finally saw Mission: Impossible tonight, alone. Essentially, I was the only person I know who had yet to see it, and they were getting ready to enter me in a program of some kind for the minority of us who haven't seen it.

So, OK, I saw the movie. This is what I'd heard going in. "It's OK." "It's little hard to follow." "It's stupid, you don't care about anybody and they raped the TV show." "Mission: Incomprehensible." etc...

Two things. First, I've never seen the television series. Just never seen it. So I have no preconceived ideas. Second, Back to the Future 2 is my favorite Back to the Future movie.

I say these things so that you, my audience, can better understand where I'm coming from. Here's the review in a nutshell.

I loved it. This movie ROCKED!!!!

Now, as I said, I have never seen the TV show, so these characters which were acting unlike they would on the show, didn't bother me. As far as I was concerned, everyone acted as they were supposed to as set up IN THE MOVIE.

Was it hard to follow? Not if you pay attention. Brian DePalma's biggest mistake commercially (as if a movie that opened with $75 Million in six days could have made a mistake commercially) was that he didn't dumb it down for average, dimwitted Mr. America. This movie dares you to think, to figure things out. It says, I'm going for a ride, hold on if you can. I held on, I was given enough clues to work my way through, and when I got there, I was given some absolutely incredible effects. (bullet train + helicopter + tunnel = WOW!)

Were there people killed? Yes, a few. Were there good guys and bad guys? Yes, although you could never be sure who. Was there a token love interest? Sort of, but this movie doesn't really have time to waste on that stuff. Besides, what there was moved the plot along nicely. Was there a ridiculous abuse of the internet? Of course. The internet, one of the most intriguing inventions of our age, is the one thing Hollywood can't seem to fathom. They are obsessed with making it showy and complicated, when in reality, it's power and appeal are it's simplicity and efficiency.

Did I care about the characters? Sure. A few were murky, but they were supposed to be, that way loyalty could remain a question, and you would be kept guessing.

In all, this movie, which I highly recommend, is swift, intelligent, and fun. It also impressively sets up a new franchise which will keep Paramount humming for years.

In reality, that's probably one reason to do what they did to the characters. If these movies start spinning out, it'll get harder and harder to keep the characters true to their original intent, and everyone will be harping on them that this isn't how they really should be. So they cut that thread right at the start.

Go ahead and climb aboard Mission: Impossible, which I grant a score of 4 1/2 Babylons. More fun than you can shake a stick at.

Editor's Note: I simply want to thank The Self-Made Critic for not ending his review with the obvious "This Review Will Self-Destruct in Ten Seconds." Schtick. While this was an early review, one of the first, one can already see the quality, the care to detail, and the vibrant wit that has made The Self-Made Critic what he is today.

We Just Love Him.