Who woulda thunk it? The best action movie of 2011 comes from the fourth installment of a fifteen-year old franchise that was based on a 1960’s television series, and on top of that, this was a franchise sequel that no one was asking for. But we got it anyway, and now that it’s here, we should all be happy that it was made because it’s awesome.
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol still features Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise, Tropic Thunder) leading a team of super spies in a globe-spanning mission to save the world – this time the team consists of returning wise-cracking gadget nerd Benji (Simon Pegg, Paul), newcomer Jane (Paula Patton, Hitch, Déjà Vu) and analyst-with-a-secret Brandt (Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker, The Town), and together they have to stop a rogue nuclear strategist (Michael Nyqvist, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) who has decided that the best option for humanity to survive would be global thermonuclear war. Exactly why this would be the best thing for the world isn’t made too clear by this bad guy, but then again, what kind of logic can really lead a person to that conclusion anyway? Making things tougher for the team is the fact that they were framed for the bombing of the Kremlin in Moscow, causing the government to disavow the entirety of the IMF (Impossible Missions Force), leaving Hunt and his team with no back up or support. Good times.
The beauty of the Mission: Impossible series of films is that a different director has had a crack at each one, making this franchise a director’s sandbox. This movie couldn’t be any more different from the old-school approach Brian de Palma used in the first film, or the hyper-real, cartoonish levels of action in M:I 2 that John Woo brought to the table, or the angst-ridden, “let’s shoot everything in close-up” style of J.J. Abrams with the third M:I movie. With this newest film, we get well-constructed and exciting action sequences bound together by great character work and slick storytelling, and that’s all thanks to the sure-handed direction of Brad Bird, who just made his first live-action feature film after honing his storytelling chops in the world of animation. With The Iron Giant, The Incredibles and Ratatouille, Brad Bird has shown a talent for these very things that make Ghost Protocol work so well – great characters, great action, solid storytelling. If you’ve read anything about this movie by now, you probably already read about the fantastic set piece that involves Tom Cruise dangling off the outside of the world’s tallest building, and let me tell you, this scene alone is worth the price of admission. And in order to achieve this awesome special effect of Tom Cruise dangling from the world’s tallest building, they took Tom Cruise and dangled him from the world’s tallest building, and then filmed it. Brilliant.
The story itself is good, though it feels a little light, especially considering the fact that nuclear war fallout is a fairly big threat and should weigh heavily on the proceedings; but instead the story flies by and there is a strong peppering of jokes and levity throughout the movie, and while it makes for a fun and entertaining film, it does seem to rob it of any real lasting weight. This isn’t really a bad thing, it just makes for a fluffier, lighter movie…about possible global thermonuclear war.
There were reports that this movie was going to serve as a way to pass the franchise on to Jeremy Renner, as Tom Cruise is nearing 50 and will likely be ready to bow out of action movies pretty soon, and they actually had something to do with his character that worked really well, so it will be interesting to see how they handle his character and Cruise’s Hunt in the next film and how much of the reins will be handed over, if they are at all. But no need to look that far ahead now, not while he have such a fun action movie to enjoy these days.
Hear Christopher Crespo on SBK Live! every Monday night at 8:45 PM for a review of the prior weekend's box office and films.
Email Christopher Crespo at crespo11882@gmail.com.
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