The second big-budget summer blockbuster to make its way to laser disc, 'Mission: Impossible', has been released by Paramount. The first, 'Twister', set a technical standard that promised to be difficult to match, becoming the demo disc of choice. Well, move over storm-chasers. 'Mission: Impossible' sets the new standard.
Though released to decidedly mixed reviews, the film, non the less, did land office business based, no doubt, on positive word-of-mouth and Tom Cruise's considerable star power. I found the film to be a slick, fast-paced action/thriller with enough double-crosses and triple-crosses to keep one guessing. Better still, I found the film more fun at home than it was in the theatre. No doubt the technical quality of this disc has something to do with that.
The THX approved laser disc transfer of 'Mission: Impossible' is fabulous. Quite nearly perfect, in fact. Colors are accurate and perfectly saturated. Not a trace of smearing or chroma noise to be found. Sharpness and detail are excellent as are contrast and brightness. The almost total lack of video artifacts gives this disc unsurpassed clarity and smoothness. Shot in widescreen Panavision by director, Brian DePalma and DP, Stephen R. Burum, the letterboxed edition is essential to preserve the striking visuals. The framing of the widescreen transfer is spot-on 2.35:1. Paramount did release a cropped transfer as well, but that is most definitely not recommended.
The soundtrack of this film is a high-energy mix of power and precision. Deep bass and crystal clear highs, with everything in between, combine with unrestrained directionality and liberal use of the surround channel to create one of the most powerful and effective soundtracks I have heard. As good as the matrixed Dolby track is, the discrete Dolby Digital soundtrack is nothing short of phenomenal. Brute force and feathery delicacy are so perfectly balanced that even the most subtle foley effects are clearly and plainly audible, yet there is low bass here that will plumb the depths of even the finest subwoofer.
'Mission: Impossible' runs 110 minutes, yet Paramount spread the film to 3 sides with side 3, including the helicopter/train sequence, in CAV. Chapter encoding is, at best, skimpy with only 13 markers. The side and platter breaks are very well placed. No trailer or other extras are included. List price is $44.95. A bit pricey, but the better your system is, the more you will enjoy this disc.
Your mission, should you decide to accept it: buy this disc, play it loud and enjoy. This review will self-destruct in 5 seconds.....
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