Review of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) by Harry W — 03 Jul 2016

With Mission: Impossible III presenting the best entry into the series thus far, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol sounded like a chance to see the series continue where it had finally begun to take a stand.

Though Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol does not feature the involvement of the director in the writing process this time around, the handling of the material is still brilliant. The narrative scale of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol displays a key increase since its predecessors. With the story going back to the roots of the original Mission: Impossible television series (1966-1973), Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol resurrects the cold war subtext and implements in a theme about American conflict with Russia. Rather than feeling like a dated espionage thriller, the theme provides an enticing political element for the story. Still, it never frets on the logistics of the story and instead uses it as the medium for a big-scaled action thriller. There are also more characters introduced to the story. Rather than being a collection of arbitrary supporting characters who make singular contributions to Ethan Hunt's mission without any lasting purpose, the new characters have lasting purpose in the narrative this time around. There is an absence of Luther Stickell which is frustrating to me as a fan of Ving Rhames, but the new characters on Ethan Hunt's team are an appealing fit. Frankly, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is an impressive step away from the conventional narrative implemented into the story by the preceding three entries. There are still some familiar plot devices, but the innovative story elements offer a refreshing innovation over its familiar ones. Even the addition of obligatory character building is actually useful this time because even at times where it seems unnecessary, it later proves to add character value to the experience.

Above all, the great thing about Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is that it is a genuinely fun film. Though the story is taken very seriously, it does not neglect the need to captivate its audience with mediated gimmicks and so is able to use action and humour appropriately over the course of the story. The screenplay is written with sophistication so that the story is intense and the characters each make a contribution, but there are also moments which take a brief second to add a touch of humour into the experience. And as far as the action aspect of the film goes, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol has the greatest stunts of the film series. As well as the traditional physical combat and shootouts, the chases go to an all new extent this time. But most importantly, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol features the coolest gadgets the series has had to offer. There is a whole new array of different inventions which play into the action scenes and show Ethan Hunt exhibiting skills of an all-new kind. The action in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol effectively paces itself for intense buildup and fast execution with a long-lasting running time, and the stunts are brilliant. This can be credited to the fact that the new director for the series is Brad Bird, a man who has worked as the visual mastermind behind multiple critically acclaimed animated films. Among them is The Incredibles (2004), an example of flawless animation and brilliant action. Though Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is his first live-action film, he treats it with as much visual grace as an animated feature. As a result, his use of visual effects is tenacious. Yet the film does not rely solely on them as it is a practical experience at heart, and the cinematography that captures it all uses a brilliant mix of long-shots, intense closeups and tracking shots to provide a wide perspective on the big scale of events. The editing also keeps things intense without cutting too quickly.

And for the first time in the series, the cast outside of Tom Cruise manages to make a large impact on the experience. The man himself is still the star though because Tom Cruise once again reminds audiences of his passions as an action hero. The man puts up a strong fight with his physical dedication to the film, ensuring that he engages with the stunts without the use of a double. This is really respectable, and it makes for an entertaining spectacle. The man is very confident in the role and implements emotional intensity into his performance to keep up with the atmosphere of the film, though he does find time to step away for the sake of comic relief. Tom Cruise is a charismatic hero once again in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol.

Smion Pegg is the greatest new addition to the cast of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. The man returns to the role of Benjamin "Benji" Dunn with an expansion upon the cameo he originally implemented into Mission: Impossible III. This time we see him bring it to a major supporting character, and he serves as a brilliant source of comic relief for the film. Simon Pegg's natural charm brings sophisticated wit to the story without detracting from its serious nature, and he even displays some dramatic charge along the way. Simon Pegg is a hilarious presence in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, and his humours gimmicks never wear off as the story goes on.

Jeremy Renner is also a welcome addition to the cast. The two-time Academy Award nominee has a natural ability to bring intense charisma to any role he plays, and he does that in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol while still having fun with the part. He manages to make a powerful duo with Tom Cruise while utilizing the humour in Simon Pegg's performance, ensuring that he brings power out of anybody he interacts with. There are even some more restrained moments where we see Jeremy Renner pull back and really consider the meaning behind his dialogue, grasping a level of depth in his character which transcends the simplicity in which it was crafted. Jeremy Renner makes a compelling presence in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol.

Paula Patton brings an intense supporting performance to the film and Michael Nyqvist is a convincing villain as always. And even with the aforementioned absence of Luther Stickell from the story, at least Ving Rhames makes a cameo to pay fan service.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol raises the scale of the series with a new standard for practical stunts under the direction of Brad Bird, and the conventional story elements are overshadowed by its constant movement and entertaining characters.