Reaction

The movie was the third highest grosser at the box-office for the year. Despite the large revenues, the film was criticised for being unfaithful to the original television series Mission: Impossible by focusing more on the star (and also producer) Tom Cruise's character Ethan Hunt rather than emphasizing teamwork. At the same time the film made the central character of the television series, Jim Phelps, a traitor in the CIA. The script was also criticized for being too complicated, a twist on the usual complaints that summer blockbusters are too lowbrow and simple. However some fans regard it as much more faithful than its immediate sequel Mission: Impossible II. The second sequel, Mission: Impossible III however, was praised for its use of teamwork in various missions; a trait very much in line with the original series.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission:_Impossible_%28film%29