Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol

Starring: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Michael Nyqvist, Josh Holloway, Tom Wilkinson, Ving Rhames, Michelle Monaghan
Directed by: Brad Bird
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
2011

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF task force go rogue to stop a terrorist bent on inciting global nuclear war.

Review:

Tim: Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol did something pretty amazing. It took a franchise that was badly in need of new life, and it created a thrilling, exciting, incredible fourth film that completely revitalized the franchise. For the first time in quite a while, I felt legitimately excited about these movies. That is amazing, and Brad Bird deserves a great deal of credit for making the fourth film in this franchise a contender for the best film in the franchise. That isn't easy to do.

This movie is an incredibly entertaining, funny, exciting movie. It represents what all action movies should strive to be. It features excellent action sequences, enough lighthearted humor to keep audiences laughing, and the typical, "How are they going to pull this off?" moments that have made this franchise memorable. I really, really enjoyed the film.

One of the big worries I had going into the film was Jeremy Renner. I like Renner a lot, but the rumor was that he was being introduced here so that when Tom Cruise decided to step away from the franchise, he could take over. I didn't like this at all. It felt like a move made out of financial reasons, not what was best for the story. Fortunately, that's not true at all. The script did a fantastic job of introducing his character (as a supporting one, thankfully) and made him likable enough that I wouldn't be opposed to seeing him take over the lead role at some point in the future. They did a great job here.

For the time being, however, this is still Tom Cruise's franchise, and I am glad it is. He is certainly getting older, but he was great in this movie. The role of Ethan Hunt is perfect for him, and I hope he decides to stick with this franchise. He is exactly the type of person we want to see in this role. He does spend a lot of the movie running, but it doesn't feel so ridiculous (like it did at times in Mission: Impossible III). Cruise is the right actor for this role, and he made this movie work.

There are some excellent action sequences as well. The bombing at the Kremlin is incredible. The highlight of the film has to be the action scenes on the outside of the Burj Khalifa. Seeing Cruise scale the outside of the tallest building in the world, moments from death is unbelievable. These are some of the funniest moments in the film as well. This has to be the crown jewel of the film. The action scenes that follow are good, too- but this is the highlight of the film.

The Mission: Impossible franchise has always been enjoyable, but it's also felt like it never really reached its potential. The movies were fun, but obviously flawed. Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol finally starts to correct some of those flaws. This is one of the most fun, exciting, enjoyable movies I saw in 2011. I'm actually so excited to think about a potential fifth movie in this franchise.


Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Mission: Impossible, Mission: Impossible 2, Mission: Impossible III, Goldeneye, Days of Thunder, The Thomas Crown Affair, Spy Game, The World is Not Enough, Tomorrow Never Dies