Bird and Cruise paired with the IMAX experience really makes this movie explode!
I will admit that I have not been a huge fan of this franchise and even though the third one sort of made up for the disaster that was Mission: Impossible 2, I really had no desire whatsoever to see another one of these films. When I originally heard that Paramount green lit another film, I was really disappointed to say the least. I, then read, that they weren’t even going to make Tom Cruise be the lead in the film, but rather use him as a secondary character as a way to create new lead role for the next couple of films. It turns out that Paramount decided to not go that route and just continue with Ethan Hunt played by Tom Cruise as the lead for the fourth impossible mission.
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol picks up a few years after the third film leaves off. Ethan (Tom Cruise) is now captured in a prison but it isn’t long before he is rescued by Benji (Simon Pegg) and Jane (Paula Patton). The three agents find out that their next mission involves a crazy Russian professor named Hendricks, who wants to launch a nuclear warhead at the United States with the hopes of restoring world peace. It is their mission, if they chose to accept it, which as you know they do otherwise there wouldn’t be a film.
When walking into the special IMAX presentation of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, I went into it with very little expectations. While watching the film, I must admit the combination of non-stop action, pretty solid performances, and the entire overall IMAX image and sound made this film an absolute blast to watch. While it still is an action film on the surface, the movie does hint at some really good points that I appreciated such as a more realistic take on the mindset of an actual terrorist as well as a really amusing, but honest line of dialogue focusing around how the media lies.
While the movie is still as mindless as the other films in this franchise are, and action films as a whole, there is something about the way the film flows that makes it a winner. The movie never seems to get dull and isn’t filled with any unnecessary Hollywood filler that you see in a lot of big budget films. This movie grabs the audience from the get go and continues that pattern all the way into the end. There is even some character development along the way and a backstory that is fully answered without Hollywood taking the cheap way out. I don’t want to spoil it but it involves Ethan’s wife from the third film.
I personally never had an issue with Tom Cruise and I know a lot of people tend to either love him or hate him. I am the rare person who is in the middle on him. Cruise is terrific in this film and has been solid in all these films even though the previous scripts have been less than stellar. What I like about Cruise is that he doesn’t really have the normal action star muscle physique of say the Rock, Arnold, or even Stallone. He is more of the regular guy being an action hero and I like that. Simon Pegg is fun in the film and I am glad that this time around the script gave him more of an active role. He brings a nice mix of humor to the non-action scenes. Also, Paula Patton is great as female lead Jane. I like that they didn’t just use her character as a way to showcase her as a sex symbol. She actually added things to the story and served a purpose, which is rare in an action film.
As for Jeremy Renner who is a new addition to the team, I admit that while he did a great job in this film, and has continuously proven that he is destined to become a big star something about his character Brandt seemed a bit rushed and undeveloped. It seemed like he was just written into the script without much thought and as a way to expose the Ethan Hunt backstory. While it wasn’t extremely noticeable, it just felt that with Brandt becoming a critical and important addition to the sequels that the writers would have given him more backstory and a better introduction. Oh and if you caught that last line, they did leave the film open for another sequel, but are you really surprised by that?
It was interesting to see that the man behind the camera directing was Brad Bird, whose name might ring a bell since he directed two huge Pixar films which you of heard of. Those films are The Incredibles and Ratatouille. Bird does a great job with getting the most out of the actors in their performances. They all really work well together and there aren’t any laughable awkward moments like there were in the third film. Bird also makes the action film really pop on the big screen. Some scenes of the film were shot exclusively with IMAX cameras which made it even more enjoyable for both the eyes and the ears. There are scenes in this film where you literally feel that you are in part of the action. I don’t know why studios are worrying about 3D so much; I would rather see a lot more films being made for IMAX rather than 3D. I feel the IMAX experience really impacts the entire movie going experience.
All in all, for an action flick, you can’t really get much better than Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. While, I wish Hollywood writers would craft an action movie that allowed you to think while watching the film, I know my hopes and dreams of this happening aren’t going to become a reality anytime soon since most audiences do not like to think when they watch action movies. It was nice to see Tom Cruise back on the screen in a film that really makes him stand out and it was also nice to see Brad Bird take on a project outside of animation. This film is a fun popcorn flick and I highly recommend that you see this film on the IMAX if you can. It really helps make this film a more enjoyable experience.
MovieManMenzel’s final rating for Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is 7 out of 10.
