Released today on IMAX screens, and nationwide next week on December 21st - Mi4 is the third
sequel to the hugely successful live-action adaptation of the classic 60's CBS TV series.
Tom Cruise returns as IMF super-spy Ethan Hunt, who surprise - has once again been disavowed
by the American government that employs him - forcing him to stay off-grid, and hunt down
a Russian terrorist hell bent on starting World War III with stolen nuclear launch codes.
Joining him on his globe-trotting action-packed search for the bad guy is Jeremy Renner, Paula
Patton and Simon Pegg reprising the tech-nerd role of Benji from the previous film.
The stakes have never been higher for the gadget-loving IMF team, but gone are the personal
threats against his wife from MI3 - replaced instead by a cold urgency to prevent an atomic
war.
Which is perhaps the film's only misstep... removed from the context of the earlier movies,
Hunt's character receives little back-story here.
But this is an action thriller, not a dramatic Oscar-contender.
And thrilling this film is - the cold open features Hunt fighting his way out of a Russian
prison... capped off with an explosive escape on his command, "light the fuse" - and in
comes the iconic theme music... and director Brad Bird doesn't let off the throttle from
there.
Utilizing some incredibly imaginative and uber-cool tech gadgets, Hunt and his team
make the best of the exotic locations they visit -- including a Spiderman-esque climb
up the world's tallest building, The Burj Dubai - made even more impressive when you
learn that Cruise himself performed the act without a stunt-double.
[CLIP] Other tricks include chain-main armor that allows it's user to float over it's accompanying
magnet-holding rover, chasing enemies through an Arabian sand-storm on close-range GPS,
and using an advanced projection screen Wille-Coyote style to give Kremlin guards the illusion
of an empty.
The spy-work is fun, clever, and inventive - a scene where the IMF team has to fake a
meeting with two bad guys simultaneously resembles some of the best elements and misdirection
from your favorite heist films.
Meanwhile, the action and chase sequences are explosively pulse-pounding, brought to
life by a wonderful score from producer JJ Abrams' long time collaborator Michael Giacchino's
intense soundtrack.
The stunts, although ridiculous, are refreshingly routed in a world of realism, unlike the previous
installments, where flying a helicopter through the chunnel was commonplace.
Maximizing the all of the impressive advantages of the giant IMAX frame, Bird does a fantastic
job of filling every one of them with exquisite detail and emotion -- rarely does the viewer
lose sight of the action on-screen.
Like all great blockbusters though, "Ghost Protocol" never takes itself too seriously
- with just enough breaks in the battles to make you smile at some of the more light-hearted
moments.
When operating undercover, using the names of celestial bodies as codenames, Benji quips,
"Why do I have to be Pluto?
It isn't even a planet."
Tom Cruise is no stranger to loud, big-budget films, but this is perhaps his best effort
to date.
"Ghost Protocol", a "Thrilling and adventurous show-stopper".
That was my review, now let's read some of yours - from the few people who also watched
this film on opening day.
Here's the Rate-O-Matic to rank "Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol"... a NINE and an EIGHT.
I'm a sucker for a well-paced, and fun action movie, and this movies absolutely delivers
on all accounts, I thought it was AWESOME, and my pick for best in the series.
If you're curious about my thoughts on the previous three, I wrote some short 5-word-reviews
for each in the description below.
As for those who had a chance to see this film already, you agreed: praising the high-wire
stunts and intense action scenes, with everyone able to overlook Cruise's bizarre personal
life - scoring the film a GREAT.