Tom Cruise and the Mission: Impossible franchise are back in top form with Ghost Protocol.
In Ghost Protocol, the secret government agency known as IMF has permanently disbanded after being falsely suspected in a terrorist attack. Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his rogue team must now embark on a dangerous mission to clear their names and save the world from the brink of nuclear war.
As far as plots go, Ghost Protocol does not bring any new ideas to the table. It seems like this particular plot has been featured in every second spy film ever made. Basically, it is as formulaic and clichéd as films go.
Normally, with a description like that, you would assume that the film is a complete shocker. This is definitely not the case here. Director Brad Bird (of animated film fame, i.e. Ratatouille, The Incredibles) has turned this otherwise generic storyline into a gripping, action-packed spectacular of a film.
The action sequences are literally edge-of-your-seat, next level stuff (Tom Cruise scaling the Burj Khalifa in Dubai is amazing). The film is expertly paced and each scene hits its intended mark.
The actors, lead and supporting, are all superb in this film. Tom Cruise (Knight and Day, Valkyrie) is at his best and the inclusion of Jeremy Renner (Hurt Locker, The Town) into the mix was an excellent casting choice, especially as he is billed to take over the reigns from Tom Cruise in the franchise’s future. Paula Patton (Precious, Déjà vu) is the other new arrival to the team, who definitely holds her own in her portrayal of a tough and sexy IMF agent. Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) has also been bumped up and is now featured as one of the principle characters, providing the patented comical support. The only letdown in this department is the casting of Michael Nyqvist (The Millennium trilogy). Nyqvist could have potentially been a brilliant villain, however his character in Ghost Protocol is completely under-developed unfortunately.
If anyone is tossing up whether to watch this film in IMAX or at the regular cinema, the answer is a no-brainer. Ghost Protocol must be watched in IMAX. More than a few of the film’s scenes were shot at the full IMAX resolution and the results are absolutely amazing.
Overall, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is the best instalment of these films yet and is possibly the best action film to come out this year. It has everything you could ask for in an action film and where the film lacks in originality in story-telling, it makes up for in it’s mastery of action set pieces and building tension – and it is just a very cool film. Check it out at IMAX for the full immersive experience that cannot be matched at the regular multiplexes.
Fun Fact:
Tom Cruise performed the sequence where Ethan Hunt scales the outside of the Burj Khalifa tower himself without the use of a stunt double. The Burj Khalifa tower is the tallest building in the world with 2,722 ft or 829.8 meters. Cruise dangled outside the tower at so-so 1,700 feet, or 518 meters.
COMMENTS