Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol Review

"Yes, Even Better than Mission Impossible 2..."

Actually, I made the mistake of watching Mission Impossible 2 in anticipation of watching Ghost Protocol. At the end of it I was left with bewilderment that such a movie had been allowed to spawn to further sequels. Perhaps this significantly lowered the bar enough to gain maximum enjoyment out of Ghost Protocol.

The Mission Impossible film series could just as aptly be named the “Mission Tom Cruise” film series, and Ghost Protocol is no exception. To be fair, the series has succeeded almost solely on the back of his charisma, and the lack of positivity around the third film reflects his popularity at the time despite it being one of the better outings. In Ghost Protocol, Cruise’s stamp is even felt in the high energy opening credits, which even say “A Tom Cruise Film”. The film is also produced by Tom Cruise, J. J. Abrams and Bryan Burk.

Writing credits go to André Nemec and Josh Appelbaum. Ghost Protocol director Brad Bird made his name in Pixar hits The Incredibles and Ratatouille. This is in fact his first live action film. You would never know it; in fact calling this film live action is an understatement. There literally could not be any more action in the movie.

Arguably the peak of the movie is the dramatic Burj Khalifa sequence, where Ethan Hunt scales the world's highest building with minimal equipment. Apparently Tom Cruise filmed these scenes without a stunt double, and knowing this before hand makes watching even more enjoyable. Some Ghost Protocol scenes, such as those on the Burj Khalifa, were filmed with Imax cameras. Watching in a regular theater was certainly impressive, but from what I've read I wished I had paid the extra and watched at Imax because those scenes are apparently even more stomach churning.

Let's face it, no one who sees a Mission Impossible film is expecting anything Shakespearean. What viewers are hoping for is entertainment, and Ghost Protocol provides over two hours of it. It's fast-paced, exciting and, as usual, the stakes have never been higher.

If you are feeling like a couple of hours of escapism, then check out Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol.

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Read on if you dare...

Tom Cruise: Ethan Hunt
Jeremy Renner: William Brandt
Simon Pegg: Benji Dunn
- along with Cruise, Ving Rhames and Michelle Monaghan, the only actor to return for more than one Mission Impossible film.
Paula Patton: Jane Carter
Michael Nyqvist: Kurt Hendricks
Vladimir Mashkov: Anatoly Sidirov
Samuli Edelmann: Wistrom
Anil Kapoor: Brij Nath
Josh Holloway: Trevor Hanaway
- an exciting cameo from the LOST TV series star.
Léa Seydoux: Sabine Moreau
Tom Wilkinson: IMF Secretary
Ving Rhames: Luther Stickell
- Rhames gets an opportunity to pass the torch to the younger crew.
Michelle Monaghan: Julia Mead
- Perhaps the last we will see of short term wife of Ethan Hunt?

Ving Rhames has a number of Mission Impossible distinctions to his name. Until Simon Pegg returned from Mission Impossible III to Ghost Protocol, Rhames was the only actor apart from Tom Cruise to even appear in two of the movies. He has, in fact, appeared in every Mission Impossible film in the current franchise.

However, it seems to me that Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol is the end of the line for Rhames. I looked everywhere in anticipation of an appearance by his character Luther Stickell, but it wasn't until the very end that he made a blatant cameo appearance. This was a clear example of the passing of the torch. He shares a laugh with Cruise's character Ethan Hunt, then the new team arrives and Stickell exits with a nod.

The torch has now been passed from the old team to the new team. It's a shame to see Ving Rhames' Luther Stickell go, but at least he got the opportunity to exit gracefully. It wasn't as good as his final scene in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction of course, but at least he was in there. Hopefully we will see him again.

Coupled with the aforementioned passing of the torch by Ving Rhames' Luther Stickell, there seems to be a move to the future with the new Ghost Protocol movie. This was also apparent with the inclusion of Jeremy Renner's William Brandt into the IMF (Impossible Mission Force). Traditionally charismatic leading men have only been involved as villains in the Mission Impossible series or are killed off early. Jeremy Renner's inclusion seems to be succession planning, with the character William Brandt able to eventually take the mantle from Tom Cruise as the Mission Impossible point man. Ghost Protocol also offered more development of the supporting team members than in previous outings. Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) and Jane Carter (Paula Patton) both had reasonable screen time and character development. In the final scene Ethan Hunt offers his new team the opportunity to work with him on future missions.

Ghost Protocol also ties up the loose end of Hunt's marriage to Julia Meade (Michelle Monaghan). This allows somewhat of a reboot for the franchise, while still giving credence to what has happened before.

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