Review of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) by Jeffrey N — 08 Oct 2014

Being a James Bond fan, I've actually not put much effort into seeing the many flavors America has produced in a similar genre. I remember seeing the first Mission Impossible, and liking it. I saw the first Bourne movie, and liked it.

They've just never struck me with the same interest that 007 has. Honestly, had my son not wanted to see this for his birthday, I probably would not have wanted to pursue seeing it either, but I'm glad I did.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol keeps the viewer on edge pretty much the entire time, similar to Bond. While there are simplistic points to elements of the story, I'm glad they didn't try to go too deep into complexity as the length of Ghost Protocol was almost enough to make me lose interest.

However, the cast is incredible. I'm a huge Simon Pegg and Jeremy Renner fan (although with Renner taking over the Bourne series and Hawkeye in The Avengers, it seemed odd that he accepted this one).

Tom Cruise is aging very well and is well-received (obviously) in this role. What makes Ghost Protocol the most interesting though is its key scene in Dubai. From the eye-opening, jaw-dropping IMAX city scenes, especially those scaling the Burj Khalifa, to the unique sandstorm car chase, this 30 minute scene made the movie, for me.

One can only expect so much from a story in a movie like Ghost Protocol, but when the supplement is a fantastic cast and superb film-making (without being overly effects-oriented), one can't help but enjoy the ride.