Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Genre: Action Thriller
Director: Brad Bird
Stars: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg
Rating: ★★★☆ (3.5/4)

I walked into the theater slightly dismissive about the Mission: Impossible series as a whole. I never liked Tom Cruise; he always seemed like an actor that was very limited and lacked impact, so I assumed that it would be impossible not to be biased about my opinion. I was wrong. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is far and beyond the greatest action film of the year, and one of the greatest ones in recent memory. It was a dazzling spectacle, brimming with sharpness and spectacle. It went beyond what I expected the Mission: Impossible could go to.

The film starts of fresh. I barely recall the previous MI movies as I never cared much for them, but the film gave me the sudden urge to re-watch the previous ones. After being freed from a Russian Prison in an excellent start-off, Ethan Hunt, played by Tom Cruise, is assigned a mission to retrieve important documents from the Moscow Kremlin. Here is where we really see the incredible invention behind the movie. In the Kremlin, there is this great stealth sequence where a gadget is placed that gave the illusion of space that they hid behind. It's extremely creative and a delight to watch. Here is the point where we realize that this is unlike any other Mission Impossible that we have seen.

Much of this inventiveness can be accredited to the excellent team behind it. First would be the new writers, Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec, who wrote a more polished and sharp script than any other movie in the series. Then there is the score from Michael Giacchino of "Up" fame, who mixed the already riveting original theme and made it more attuned to this film. Next is the editor Paul Hirsch, and then there is Robert Elswit, the cinematographer, who's work was crucial to some of the scenes, most especially the Burj Khalifa scene which I will talk about in a bit.

The most essential part of the new team is Brad Bird, who you may know from his work directing The Iron Giant, Ratatouille, and most significantly The Incredibles; that of which I believe he draws the same kind of energy  in directing this. The energy of the movie is kinetic which can be attributed from his work in animated films. I believe that Brad Bird has a huge future in directing live action films; that does not mean that I wouldn't want to see an Incredibles Two at some point in the future.

The most riveting scene in the whole movie was the sequence in Dubai. Since Ethan must go up several floors without using the elevator, it is decided that he must climb up the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, using only a pair of electrical sticking gloves that tend to malfunction. The scene is the epitome of the modern action thriller, it is compelling and it demands that our eyes be glued to the screen. I can remember wanting to go to the bathroom yet not doing so. It was fascinating. For a second, I actually believed that Tom Cruise was on the Burj Khalifa until I realized the impossibility of that.

The performances were also great. Tom Cruise delivers a rare great performance. And this comes from someone who never really liked Tom Cruise. Jeremy Renner delivers as always playing the mysterious Brandt. The other two members of Ethan's team are Jane, played by Paula Patton, who captures the whole "badass fox" classic persona quite well, and computer geek Benji, played by Simon Pegg, who functions as the primary comic relief for this movie. I could relive the scene in which Brandt says "So I'll jump," and Benji then says, "And I'll catch you." The chemistry between the two is delightful.