Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol Review

Tweet The first Mission: Impossible was an excellent film. It had good action, a well put together cast and was an entertaining flick. I haven’t seen the second Mission: Impossible in a long time, but I do remember it not being able to match up to its predecessor. Thankfully, the third installment revived the franchise, with a great performance from Philip Seymour Hoffman as the film’s villain, and great action throughout. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol builds on the action of the third film, has a stronger plot and adds Jeremy Renner to the cast. In the end, it comes out as the best Mission: Impossible film to date.

Tom Cruise returns as the film’s protagonist, but the movie is not as centered on his role and character as the past Mission: Impossible films have been. Ghost Protocol is about the Impossible Missions Force (IMF) team and with the addition of Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton and a greater role from Simon Pegg, the team performs admirably both in their individual roles and together, demonstrating great chemistry, especially between Cruise and Renner. Renner has typically played a bad-ass in all of his flims, making his shift to the action genre fairly simple. His performances in The Hurt Locker and The Town were both fantastic and were rewarded with Oscar nominations, and his impact is felt no less in Ghost Protocol than it was in either of those films. As he continues to develop and evolve as an actor, I am hoping Renner will continue getting deserving roles and offering his fans terrific performances. He will no doubt be able to successfully adapt to the Bourne franchise in next year’s The Bourne Legacy.

Tom Cruise is back to his usual self in this installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise, as the action star we all know him to be. His performance is entertaining and Ethan Hunt is his most beloved character (although I really enjoyed him as Roy Miller in Knight and Day, in which he delivered a comedic action-packed performance – he’s the guy). Cruise and Renner have great chemistry and are a joy to watch together on the big screen. As for the other two IMF team members, Paula Patton plays her role very well as an ass-kicking agent and Simon Pegg is excellent as the film’s comic relief. Unlike the jokes in Transformers, the ones in Ghost Protocol don’t go too far and are well balanced.

Brad Bird has done a spectacular job with the film. His only other three directed films are all animated (The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille), and he makes the switch to live action commendably with Ghost Protocol. The action sequences are filmed perfectly (by the way, Tom Cruise performed the stunt sequence outside the Burj Khalifa himself) and I hope he stays on as the next film’s director.

Ghost Protocol is also scored very well, and the music is fantastic. From Dean Martin to Michael Giacchino’s orchestrated pieces (Giacchino has been pretty spectacular in recent years), the music and sound in the film adds depth and allows for a greater experience and enjoyment of the film.

You know what you’re going to get when you go watch a Mission: Impossible film. Some scenes are difficult to believe (in the first film, Ethan Hunt gets chased by a helicopter in a tunnel while outside on a moving train), but you shouldn’t be expecting 100% realism with these films. Go and enjoy the ride. It’s an exciting and thrilling film, with excellent action scenes that will leave you on the edge of your seat. I look forward to a continuation in the franchise, with more unbelievably ridiculous stunt sequences from Tom Cruise. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is one of the best films of the year (and it is the best action film of the year), and I urge you to go see it. It’s also a bonus if you’ve been able to catch it in IMAX and witness the opening scene from The Dark Knight Rises.

Score: 8.5/10