Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Five years after the events of the last film; Ethan Hunt is now imprisoned in a Russian jail for killing the men who killed his wife. He is broken out of prison by IMF to retrieve nuclear launch codes from an extremist who plans to use them to start war.
When part of their mission has a devastating terrorist attack on the Kremlin, they discover they have been disavowed – and now must work in secret to bring the extremist down, and get the IMF back.
Direction
Brad Bird, famed animated producer/writer and director takes over the helm in this one – and it is his first live action film. He brings across a brighter, more modern approach to the franchise that is fresh and works well. I liked his work as it felt at times a bit more practical, however some of the scenes do feel a little dated with the CGI.
Some absolutely stunning choreography, as well as the start of the batsh!t crazy stunts Tom Cruise puts himself through, here climbing the Burj Khalifah, and later zip lining down it to jump through an open window..
Cast/Characters
Tom Cruise is of course back as Ethan Hunt, and this is really where the character really starts to take shape for a modern era.
He is joined by MI3 star Simon Pegg, now a full agent himself, and it is the start of their ongoing friendship.
New cast include Paula Patton as Agent Carter a seasoned IMF agent Carter, and Jeremy Renner as Brandt, an analyst who is thrown into the chaos with them.
The bad guy here is a little forgettable too, and has one of the sillyest character deaths for a big bad.
A few cameos by past cast members Ving Rhames and Michelle Monaghan and then Lost cast member Josh Holloway.
Screenplay/Setting/Themes
It wouldn’t be a Tom Cruise film, or a Mission Impossible film without action a plenty, and that’s what it has, as well as worldwide settings of countries like UAE, Russia and India.
As mentioned earlier, some of the computer imagery is a little dated, such as the Kremlin explosion. But the endless action makes up for it.
Patton’s Carter is solid as the primary female hero, and has okay chemistry with Cruise. I enjoyed Renner as the secretive ‘analyst’ who is quite gifted in hand to hand combat in the field – and his secret history with Hunt.
Overall
A fun fourth entry, and my favorite in the series so far.
4/5