Review: Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

After a five-year layoff, Ethan Hunt returns in renowned animation director Brad Bird’s live action debut Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. The series’ fourth film sees Tom Cruise’s Hunt paired with a returning Simon Pegg’s Benji alongside new team members Agents Carter (Paula Patton) and Brandt (soon to be Bourne, Jeremy Renner).  The result is a high-octane rush of action that is bound to thrill audiences worldwide.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol crashes UK cinemas on 26 December

Following an immediate burst of fevered pursuit and gunfire in Budapest that sees an agent murdered for his top-secret files, the story moves to Moscow where the Impossible Missions Force are about to attempt a prison break in order to free a locked-up Hunt, having been imprisoned following his wife’s murder.  Going out of his way to secure the freedom of an informant first, Hunt makes his escape in spectacular fashion, all before the title sequence (harking back to the series’ origins) and iconic theme kick in.  The real fun begins once the IMF is assigned the task of infiltrating the Kremlin in order to access files revealing the identity of would-be nuclear terrorist, code-named Cobalt (the other star of Sweden’s Millennium Trilogy, Michael Nyqvist, getting a well-deserved Hollywood spotlight).  However, when the end result sees the Kremlin reduced to rubble, the team is disavowed by the US government and must act on its own in order to clear its name and prevent Cobalt from igniting a nuclear apocalypse.

From Moscow to Dubai to Mumbai, Mission: Impossible comes hard and heavy with intense action and breath-taking stunts.  Of particular note is Hunt scaling the outside of Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, using only a pair of electronic grip gloves, of which one winds up malfunctioning.  Shot in the IMAX format, the effect is dizzying.  The execution of the entire scene is nail-bitingly suspenseful and the highlight of a film packed with set pieces that are as fearless as Hunt himself.  It’s a genuine accomplishment for Bird, previously of The Incredibles and The Iron Giant fame, to take the reins without the slightest sign of inexperience shining through.  Mission: Impossible is excellently composed, with crisp editing and strong camera-work bringing the smart, but never overly complex script to life.  While Cruise is his usual death-defying self, tackling the big-time stunt work with genuine gusto, it is Renner who brings a charismatic breath of fresh air to the series.  Intelligent and skilled, Agent Brandt is a measured force to be reckoned with that is amplified by Renner’s electric screen presence.  Pegg serves to lighten the mood and does so commendably, whilst steering clear of any heavy lifting.  However, Patton feels less of a factor, as she fails to bring anything truly compelling to the film in the role of Agent Carter.

Unfortunately, Mission: Impossible does hit a few bum notes once it arrives in Mumbai.  Anil Kapoor’s Indian billionaire is cartoon-ish, whilst the final showdown with Cobalt unnecessarily portrays him as far too-super a villain.  When the dust settles, the film seems to run out of gas with a subdued epilogue that feels out-of-place in a work so otherwise grandiose.

Despite the weak close, Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol delivers a solid two hours of full-on action and entertainment.  It’s a soaring, boisterous popcorn flick that is sure to entertain all but the most cynical cinema-goer.  This is one mission worth accepting.  8.5/10

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