Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011): American filmmaker Brad Bird's action feast

Tom Cruise's much anticipated return to the M:I Franchise

A Potpourri of Vestiges Review

By Murtaza Ali

Featured in IMDb Critic Reviews 

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) - By Brad Bird

Our Rating: 8.0

IMDb Ratings: 7.4

Genre: Action | Adventure | Thriller

Cast: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner and Simon Pegg

Country: USA | United Arab Emirates | Czech Republic

Language: English | Russian

Runtime: 133 min

Color: Color

Summary: The IMF is shut down when it's implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin, causing Ethan Hunt and his new team to go rogue to clear their organization's name.

Mission: Impossible - The Ghost Protocol is a 2011 motion-picture directed by American film-maker Brad Bird starring Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner and Paula Patton in the lead roles.  The brilliance of Mission: Impossible III was marred by the infamous sacking of Tom Cruise by Paramount's owner and movie mogul Sumner Redstone, who blamed Cruise's bizarre sofa-hopping TV antics, and intransigent support of Scientology for movie's relatively poor show at the box office that resulted in losses of up to £75million in revenue. The sordid incident ensured that the wait for the next installment of the franchise had to be a long one. The half a decade lull that ensued saw Cruise's career sunk to a new nadir with movies like Lions for Lambs (2007), Valkyrie (2008), and Knight and Day (2010) failing to impress at the box office, while his contemporaries and coevals continued to tumble records at the box office, attaining new heights of fame and stardom. 

Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder

It is indeed ironic that Cruise's most impressive show in this interim has been his well-disguised cameo in Ben Stiller's Tropic Thunder (2008) in which he plays a the foul-mouthed, hot-headed, half-bald studio executive. But, every coin has the other part that completes the picture. While the things have been going a bit rough on the professional front, Cruise's personal life has finally been witnessing a much needed sense of calmness and stability. Such stability on the personal front can often lift a person's morale providing him with a sense of rejuvenation that can help him fare well in all the facets of life. Tom Cruise's rejuvenated self is pretty much apparent in the latest installment of the M:I franchise, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.

M:I - Ghost Protocol director Brad Bird

Ghost Protocol takes the viewer on a roller coaster of a ride from Moscow to Dubai, all the way to Mumbai, never allowing a breathing space, keeping him on the edge of the seat throughout. MI – GP is indeed the quintessential action extravaganza that the ardent lovers of the genre perpetually anticipate to devour upon in order to satiate their ever growing hunger for unremitting action and adventure. Ethan Hunt is back in all his glory with some newly added dimensions to his old daredevilry that had established him as the greatest contemporary to Ian Fleming's larger than life human incarnate. As seen with Bond in Casino Royale (2006), the key men behind the MI franchise have made conscious efforts to make the caricature of Hunt more vulnerable to danger and crises, and hence more human. MI – GP delivers everything that an action-movie lover craves for: suspense, intrigue, passion, daredevilry, razzmatazz, and much more. The adrenaline filled action is well complemented by the dazzle of the geeky gadgets on display and it is this synergy that makes MI – GP an incredibly sublime experience. The tremendous reputation that the high octane franchise carries meant the newly appointed director Brad Bird—mostly renowned for his oscar winning animation flicks The Incredibles (2004) and Ratatouille (2007)—had his work cut out for him. Brad Bird has indeed been up to the task and has lived well to the expectations of Cruise and the entire production team led by J.J. Adams, who directed the third movie of the series back in 2006.

M:I - Ghost Protocol Sandstorm Chase

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is packed with a plethora of action sequences that includes a shootout in Budapest, an escape sequence from a Moscow Jail, a sandstorm chase in Dubai, and a classic brawl in an automated parking garage in Mumbai. However, the sequence that stands out is the one in which Tom Cruise climbs the tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa by clinging to it from the outside using suction gloves, giving the Spiderman a run for his money. 

 The new IMF team in M: I - Ghost Protocol

After the splendidly executed siege of the Vatican in the third installment, Ethan and his IMF team are on the lookout for some classified information pertaining to a Russian extremist Kurt Hendricks, which takes their quest to Kremlin. The covert mission goes awry as their plan is sabotaged by the personal intervention of Hendricks, which turns the tables on Cruise and his team rendering them sequestered and helpless. The questionable events that unfold at Kremlin, forces the US President to invoke the Ghost Protocol leading to the disavowal of IMF. Ethan and his team, which includes the computer geek Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), agents Jane Carter (Paula Patton) and William Brandt (Jeremy Renner), despite their severe handicap are the only hope left at preventing the diabolical duo of Hendricks and his stalwart Wistrom from fulfilling their demonic mission of global destruction through a nuclear war. Simon Pegg as Benji is spot on with his persiflage, and his nonchalance adds a much needed levity to the otherwise tense plot. The introduction of Jeremy Renner as William Brandt adds another layer of intrigue to the plot of MI – GP. Brandt's enigmatic part allows Renner to depict a wide array of emotions that his previous roles couldn't offer. 

Ravishing Paula Patton in M: I - Ghost Protocol

Paula Patton as Jane Carter is a treat to the sore eyes: her imperial gait, upright posture, predatory agility, dusky complexion, steamy mystique, athletic built, curvaceous figure, and apparent haughtiness make her an object of envy for males and females alike. Her ethereal presence undoubtedly leaves a lasting impression on the viewer. The over-hyped inclusion of veteran Indian actor Anil Kapoor in the MI – GP cast is undoubtedly movie's greatest disappointment, especially from the perspective of Indian cineastes. His ephemeral presence in the movie is indeed a matter of mere formality as the actor fails to make an impression.

Overall, MI – GP has managed to raise the bar for the Action genre. Indian movie-makers, who have recently started to delve into the genre, can look to take a note or two out of MI – GP in order to iron out the usual glitches that one often gets to witness in such ventures. Despite the occasional lack of coherence in the plot, MI – GP works quite well at almost all the levels and promises to be a great entertainment.

If you want to check out the other Mission Impossible films as well as this one, don’t hesitate to pick them up via the internet. Yes, there are a number of streaming services available, but there are also some fairly effective methods you can pick up new DVDs online. A DVD may not be “instant” but the tangibility of the medium allows you to play it anywhere. No longer will you be relying on whether or not someone else has a steady internet connection. Don’t worry about having a fast connection for HD streaming when you can watch the whole film in pristine quality with no worries.

Readers, please feel free to share your opinion by leaving your comments. As always your feedback is highly appreciated!

For more information on the title, please follow the links:

Official Movie Site

IMDb

Wikipedia

Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol Trailer

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