Monday, January 02, 2012

Mission Impossible:Ghost Protocol


Your mission, Mr. Cruise, is to make the 4th installment in a series that's jumped the shark and somehow make it fresh. With the help of director Brad Bird, mission accomplished. This is the best Mission Impossible since the first film and while you can argue, it's bloated and could have been shorter, it's still a lot of fun.

Tom Cruise does everything he can to please his audience and finds new locations and stunts to make it happen. The film is a beautiful world travelogue but you don't have much time to enjoy the scenery as the action is pretty much non-stop. Much of the action sequences appear to be done minimally or completely without CGI which makes them all the more incredible. Of course everything is over the top but that's why you buy a ticket for a film like this. What makes it all bearable is how well Mr. Cruise and the cast "sell" it. It's not Oscar caliber acting but everyone works hard to make their characters credible.

The involved plot involves framing the IMF team for bombing the Kremlin. This requires them to go rogue (hence "Ghost Protocol") in order to stop a madman from starting a nuclear war. If Mr. Cruise was acting alone, you would think you're watching the new James Bond film but it is a team effort. His team consists of Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, and Jeremy Renner. Everyone plays their part well although Mr. Pegg's witty banter does start to wear thin. Mr. Bird is a veteran director of some beloved animated films and this time he has created a live-action cartoon realizing Ethan Hunt (Mr. Cruise) as a cross between Bugs Bunny and The Roadrunner. Everyone though, gets in on the action (including Mr. Renner in a sly homage to a key scene in the first film).

Don't try to analyze this one. Just sit back and enjoy the sheer fun of it all.

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