Mission: Accomplished
Six years after Mission: Impossible III, director Brad Bird (Ratatouille) picks up the Mission: Impossible franchise for a successful fourth installment, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. Tom Cruise returns as Impossible Missions Force agent Ethan Hunt. His mission, should he choose to accept it, is to stop maniacal nuclear terrorist Kurt Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist, Millennium) from creating a new world order after the United States and Russia blow up the planet in nuclear warfare.
In order to complete his mission, Hunt is assisted by tech-savvy Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg, Star Trek), Jane Carter (Paula Patton, Deja Vu) and secretive ex-agent turned chief analyst, William Brandt (Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker). The four actors are a joy to watch on screen, blending humor and action to form a dynamic team. Thanks to a well-written and balanced script, each teammate is given ample screen time and his or her own heroic moments time and again. Each character arc is developed throughout the movie, providing for an in-depth personality to all the heroes.
Cruise fans will be thrilled; the 49-year-old is definitely a key element of the movie and arguably the only consistent element throughout the Mission: Impossible franchise. He has not lost the charm that made him popular in his previous movies and continues to entertain us throughout the 133 minutes of Ghost Protocol. Everyone will enjoy seeing Cruise act in one of his finest performances.
The movie is witty at moments and thrilling at others. Two sequences are absolutely breathtaking. The first is an explosion that blows up half of the Kremlin, affecting the northern part of the historical Russian fortress, the surrounding neighborhoods and team leader Hunt, who is sent to the hospital. The second sees Hunt clinging to the plate-glass and stainless-steel surface of the 130th floor of Dubai's Burj Khalifa tower, the world's tallest building, with only a pair of adhesive gloves to stop him from falling. These scenes are without a doubt amazing and add to the entertainment value of the movie. Ghost Protocol takes the audience around the world through Budapest, Moscow, Dubai and Mumbai. Each city balances the storyline well and gives the entire movie a James Bond-like feel. A sandstorm in Dubai is particularly impressive and will leave some of us wanting to visit this magical city.
Car enthusiasts will enjoy the presence of BMW cars throughout the movie. The popular X3 and 6-Series convertible car-chase scene in the middle of a sandstorm is entertaining. Ghost Protocol also features BMW's new flagship line of cars: the i series. More specifically, Hunt drives the new i8, to be released in 2014. Although the car is only featured for 20 seconds as Hunt hands it off to the valet, the i8 is definitely to die for in its debut on the big screen.
A movie is rarely perfect, and some will think Ghost Protocol is one mission too many. The movie does have one major letdown: the villain, a rogue nuclear scientist, is bland, barely on screen, and minimally develops the plot. The plot itself is also bland and very disappointing. The action, however, more than makes up for a weak intrigue and makes sure Ghost Protocol stays one of the best movies of the holiday season.
In all, choose to accept this mission – and hang onto your chairs for one of the best Mission: Impossible installments.
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