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Having dropped the ‘4’ and opted for ‘Ghost Protocol’, the new Mission: Impossible offering looks to breathe new life into the franchise after a commercially poor third instalment. And that is just what it does. With a new director, new team and the age defying stunts of Tom Cruise, the film which comes 15 years after its original does everything to excite, entertain and enthral its audience.
Its new director, Oscar winning Brad Bird, is better known for animated successes The Incredibles and The Iron Giant, and so he seemed a strange decision for the high octane live action film. It turns out though that he was the perfect choice. In his live action debut, Bird follows his predecessors in true Mission: Impossible style and delivers adrenaline-filled action with a quirky sense of humour. From the very moment the iconic theme tunes sounds over the opening credits, you fill up with excitement awaiting the thrills to come.
Ghost Protocol sees the entire IMF disbanded and labelled as terrorists when Ethan’s (Tom Cruise) team are wrongly accused of bombing the Kremlin. The new team of Ethan, Jane (Paula Patton), Benji (Simon Pegg) and top analyst Brandt (Jeremy Renner) must operate outside of official channels to stop nuclear war from breaking out. Bird seems to have opted for a simple linear storyline, and although its development is obvious from the beginning, it is the out-of-this-world stunts and action sequences that really make the film. The one problem with the film, which has has been a recurring one throughout the franchise, is the way the action sequences are badly strung together. It seems as if Bird was unsure quite how to get from one scene to another and thus we find ourselves suddenly skipping from country to country.
As always in the role of Ethan, Tom Cruise gives a powerhouse performance and indeed in this film shows a more sympathetic and real side to the character. Though the surprise hit performance, by far, goes to the comic genius of Simon Pegg who's character of Benji it is an absolute delight to see not only return, but return as a field agent. From the moment he argues with Ethan over video link in a Russian prison refusing to open the doors, you just want to know what he is going to do next, and his antics do not disappoint.
If you get the chance see it in IMAX you will get an even bigger rush as some of the world’s most beautiful sights are brought to life amidst an array of breathtaking stunts. There is nothing better to get your heart pounding as you are sat on the edge of your seat than the visually dizzying image of Tom Cruise scaling the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, in person. After all it is refreshing in the age of CGI to see a real life stunt executed so perfectly by one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol delivers exactly what you want it to of a film in this franchise. Leave your brain at home, sit, relax and enjoy the whirlwind of action-packed thrills the film provides, and you will not be disappointed.
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