I watch a lot of movies (Check out my list of movies seen in 2011), but I don’t always have the time to write up a full review. Instead, I thought I would start up a new column where I give you the discount version of the review. What’s good, what’s bad, if it’s worth your time.
The Movie: Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
The Good: kinematic action, beautifully shot, cool gadgets, Tom Cruise’s intestinal fortitude
The Bad: shallow or absent character arcs for the leads
Do we really need a fourth Mission Impossible film? The first was very good, the second was a little too zany and over-the-top, and the third nudged back into “good” territory. We’ve seen Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and the Impossible Mission Force grow and develop into top-notch spies over the course of the first three films. Is there more action and adventure to mine from this franchise? Short answer: Hell yes!
Director Brad Bird, who cut his teeth directing The Incredibles and Ratatouille for Pixar, takes a crack at a live action filmmaking. Talk about diving into the deep end, he took over an established franchise with an honest-to-goodness Hollywood megastar, and he shot most of it in IMAX, the huge screen, ultra-high definition format that shows everything, including potential flaws, in meticulous detail. It’s a bold choice that pays off nicely. Bird knows action, and he keeps things flowing along at a steady, enjoyable pace. Even the most hectic scenes are presented in a clean way so that we can actually see what’s going on. And there’s a lot of cool stuff to see. Bird’s eye for visuals explodes to life on IMAX. Some of the scenes, particularly in Dubai will blow you away.
The story itself is not particularly novel. A madman wants to entice nuclear war between the U.S. and Russia and busies himself by stealing launch codes and hijacking tactical satellites. The IMF crew of Ethan Hunt, Benji (Simon Pegg), Brandt (Jeremy Renner), and Jane (Paula Patton) must find a way to stop him. Right from the start, the IMF gets blamed for a bombing at the Kremlin, and the crew find themselves disavowed by the U.S. government. They must complete their mission with no resources or backup available, only what they can beg, borrow, or steal. We’ve seen this sort of “must stop rogue warrior” plot before, but there is a great sense of urgency and isolation in this story. It really is up to four people to save the world. There is also a subplot about Ethan’s wife that tries to humanize Ethan and his gang of IMF agents, but that story arc feels tacked on and falls a little flat.
What makes MI4 so awesome are the incredible set pieces. From an opening-scene Moscow prison break to break-ins at the Kremlin and the Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, to a climax in a high-tech parking garage in Mumbai, there is never a lack of cool places to sneak, fight or drive. Every scene is packed with coolness and intensity.
Cruise is amazing here. The guy is known for doing his own stunts, and I think he shows that he’s a complete maniac here. The highlight of the film, and one of the most incredible action scenes ever shot, has Cruise scaling the Burj Khalifa 130 stories up. 130 stories. Up. Off the ground. And he’s basically free-climbing the structure*. There are only a handful of people in the world who would risk doing that stunt, but Cruise attacks the role with such intensity and gusto that the audience is spellbound. There’s about ten minutes in the middle of the film where nobody in the audience dares to breathe. Great stuff, that.
Cruise isn’t the only member of the IMF engaged in this operation. Each of the other agents has their moment in the spotlight, and they all feel like real people. Real badass people, but real people nevertheless. It’s great that Cruise’s performance doesn’t overshadow the other members. It really does feel like a team of IMF agents out to save the world. They each have their strengths and weaknesses, and the combination of the four gives you hope that the team can pull off the intricate plans needed to save the world.
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol is an amazing action film. See it, but do yourself a favor and catch it in IMAX if you can. You will not be disappointed.
4 out of 5 stars
* I'm sure that a stuntman performed the stunts at the Burj Khalifa first, that the film crew had a cadre of safety people check every detail of the stunt 50 times, and that Cruise was harnessed in during the stunts. Still, it takes serious balls to run and jump out of a window 130 stories up, no matter how many safety precautions are in place.
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