Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Directed by Brad Bird
Starring Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Michael Nyquist, Samuli Edelemen, and Anil Kooper.
Backstory
So…the Mission: Impossible film franchise. I remember being very disappointed that I missed the first one in theatres way back in 1996, but enjoying it on video…I remember really, really liking the second one when I saw it in theatres…and I have yet to see the third one. I’ve grown completely indifferent towards the franchise at this point. So why did I drag myself off the couch to go see #4? Because Brad Bird was directing. Bird made my all-time favourite film, The Iron Giant, and then won Best Animated Film Oscars for The Incredibles and Ratatouille. This was his first foray into live-action, and with one of my favourite directors behind the camera, I just had to see this.
Plot
Everyone’s favourite IMF agent, Ethan Hunt, is sprung from a Russian prison. His latest mission is to infiltrate the Kremlin and make off with some nuclear launch codes before a terrorist code named Cobalt steals them. However, Cobalt makes off the codes and bombs the Kremlin, framing Hunt and his IMF team for this act of terrorism. In the wake of this terrorist act, the US Government invokes “ghost protocol,” in which the entire IMF is disavowed. Without any resources available to him, due to the agency being shut down, Hunt’s mission — should he choose to accept it — is to hunt down Cobalt, recover the nuclear launch codes, and clear his name. Is he and his new team up to the task?
What I Liked
The action sequences. Oh my God. Everyone’s raving about the Dubai sequence, and with good reason. The scenes and stunts with Tom Cruise hanging off the Burj Dubai are just spellbinding. Once the action gets going, it just never lets up. It’s funny, too. And not in your typical action hero one-liner way. The humor just kind of stems naturally from the situations. Also really good is Renner, as an IMF analyst who’s thrust into the field along side Hunt and his team when things go south. This is just a great action film.
What I Didn’t Like
Sometimes, it is tough to remember who’s chasing who and for what reason, but at this stage in the game, that’s more a problem with the franchise as a whole. And we never really get to know the villains, instead spending all of our time with the heroes.
Final Assessment
This is just one spectacular action film. It is just so much fun. I highly recommend it.