In real life, Tom Cruise inspires more eye rolls than excitement these days, but in the movies, he can still do the opposite. No matter how crazy the stunts or gadgets get in his Mission: Impossible movies, they still remain wild thrill rides. The sub-titled Ghost Protocol, fourth in the series, is just as good as the previous ones, even if the missions are beginning to seem a little less impossible.
This time, IMF agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team are after a crazed terrorist named Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist) who has decided the only way to save the world from humanity is by reducing the population through nuclear war. Hendricks steals a Russian missile launch device and then blows up the Kremlin, implicating the IMF and putting Russian agents on Hunt’s trail. The entire IMF is disavowed by the US President, leaving Hunt to continue the mission without resources or protection.
As a producer, Cruise gets to cherry-pick who to collaborate with, and he’s made an excellent choice in director Brad Bird. Known previously for his animated films like The Incredibles and The Iron Giant, Bird brings that sensibility to live action, delivering some jaw-dropping images and camera work. The moment when Hunt swings out a window to scale the Burj Khalifa building in Dubai is shot from over the shoulder, looking down, and the camera follows him outside. It’s just one example of many fantastic visuals that immerse us in the action (and fully justify seeing the film in IMAX, which is highly recommended).
Ghost Protocol also seems lighter in tone than the previous films. Gadget guy Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) returns, newly promoted to field agent status, and his larger role brings a lot more comedy into the mix. This provides some much-needed balance with Hunt’s usual dourness and the grim determination of IMF Agent Carter (Paula Patton), who has her own score to settle with one of Hendricks’ hired assassins. Jeremy Renner, as a mysterious analyst who joins the team, manages to find a halfway-point in between.
In fact, the film becomes almost silly at times, as it plays a bit with the formula. Much of the gear breaks down at critical points, which seems calculated more to cause the characters to thrash around than to create suspense. It’s mostly entertaining, but it also dulls the credibility of these agents a bit. Then again, credibility is probably the last thing we should expect from a spy actioner.
All the other requisite Bond-type elements are here: exotic locales, fancy cars, beautiful and dangerous women, chases and fistfights. It’s all stuff we’ve seen before countless times, but it’s like comfort food – we consume it because we love it. And there’s a lot about Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol to love.
[NOTE: There's one more reason to see Ghost Protocol in IMAX: a six-minute preview of a scene from The Dark Knight Rises, coming Summer 2012. It looks good!]
Tags: movie review
About the author: David Raitt
David Raitt is a writer and lover of pop culture. He lives in Oakville. He has also worked as an actor for The Second City, and has written, produced and performed his own sketch comedy, including the Canadian Comedy Award-nominated ALL THE RAGE. Semi-retired from performing, he still teaches improv and communications skills to students and corporate groups through his association with The Second City. Check out Dave's website at http://davidraitt.com
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