Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Cast: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Jane Paula Patton, Michael Nyqvist
Directed by Brad Bird
Running time: 132 minutes
Directed by Brad Bird
Running time: 132 minutes
Even though the
"Mission: Impossible" film franchise has maintained a reasonably high
standard over the course of its first three instalments - the 1996 original
from Brian DePalma was a superior action extravaganza that looks better and
better with every passing year and the follow-ups directed by John Woo in 2000
and J.J. Abrams in 2006 were perfectly acceptable continuations – I’m not
exactly sure that there has been any pent-up demand amongst the viewing public
for a fourth one.
After all, it has been six years since the previous ‘III” - and that one was a commercial disappointment, mostly due to a growing audience apathy towards star/producer Tom Cruise. As for Cruise himself, he hasn't really had anything approaching a hit since then and the most attention that he has received in that time for his on-screen work was for his heavily disguised cameo appearance as the sleazy studio head in "Tropic Thunder."
As a result, it’s quite likely that many people will look at "Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol," the latest entry in the series, as nothing more than a desperate attempt by Cruise to reestablish his commercial standing by going back to a source that has served him well over the years. Whilst many cinemagoers may approach the film with little more than diminished expectations, they will be leaving it with quickened pulses and silly grins on their faces because, in one of the happier cinematic surprises of the year, "Ghost Protocol" is pretty much a blast from start to finish - easily the best in the series since the original, and a genuine spectacle with set-pieces that will stagger even the most jaded of viewers.
In true action film tradition, "Ghost Protocol" starts off with a bang, with IMF agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise) languishing in a Moscow prison for unknown reasons, until he is busted out by fellow agents Jane (Paula Patton) and Benji (Simon Pegg) with the help of some computer trickery, a full-scale riot and the swinging sounds of Dean Martin.
Immediately after escaping, he and the others are charged with breaking into no less an establishment than the Kremlin, in order to help bring down Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist), a Russian extremist who is apparently hell-bent on acquiring and launching a nuclear missile that will goad the superpowers into destroying each other. Unfortunately for Hunt, Hendricks is on to him and not only escapes the team's clutches, he blows up a chunk of the Kremlin and leaves Hunt to take the blame for the attack. Hunt manages to escape the clutches of the Russian police but soon learns that, as a result of the bombing and the subsequent bad publicity, the entire IMF has been disbanded and all of its agents have been disavowed.
Naturally, a little thing like this is not going to stop Hunt from trying to stop Hendricks and save the day and, using what little equipment he is able the scrounge from a safe room, goes off in pursuit of the mad Russian with a rag-tag team consisting of Jane, Benji and William (Jeremy Renner), a seemingly mild analyst who may or may not be entirely what he seems. The chase takes them first to Dubai, where the team must subvert Hendricks' men from acquiring the necessary launch codes from a sexy French assassin (Lea Seydoux) via impersonations, technological trickery and Hunt dangling off the side of the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, with the help of nothing more than a pair of hi-tech adhesive gloves of dubious functionality. (For extra hassle, there is also a massive sandstorm on the way, an element that adds an additional level of tension to the inevitable chase sequence).
Afterwards, it is off to Mumbai where Hendricks is planning to launch the missile where the gang ties to stop him once and for all in an extended sequence that finds Benji guiding William through the bowels of a building like a remote-controlled aeroplane, Jane seducing the sleazy Indian media baron with India’s wildest duck’s arse hair-do (Anil Kapoor) who owns the satellite that Hendricks is hoping to hijack, and Hunt going head to head against Hendricks in a multi-level parking structure with plenty of lifts going up and down to exploit and plenty of expensive cars to drop when needed. Phew, still with me?
Although the "Mission: Impossible" films are generally considered to be a star-driven franchise, they have been notable for attracting a better class of director than might normally be associated with such relentless silliness. With DePalma, the concept allowed him to further explore his career-long obsessions with voyeurism and elaborately choreographed set-pieces on a massive scale and the result was a blockbuster that still felt like a DePalma film through and through. In the follow-ups, John Woo and J.J. Abrams were allowed to similarly indulge in their own peculiar stylistic notions - Woo's flair for the operatic and Abrams' further exploration of the concept of a spy trying to balance their professional and personal lives, and the results were more distinctive than they had any right to be as a result. This time around, the directorial reins have been handed over to Brad Bird, making his live-action feature debut after directing the acclaimed animated films "The Iron Giant," "The Incredibles" and "Ratatouille," and while it might seem at first to be an odd idea to put a project of this size in the hands of someone who has never made a non-animated film before, he proves to be an incredibly inspired choice.
One of the things that made his previous efforts so special was the way that he took characters that might seem, on the surface, to be difficult for most people to relate to - a giant robot, a dysfunctional family of superheroes and a rat with delusions of gourmet grandeur - and invested them with enough genuinely human characteristics so that viewers could eventually embrace them. In the previous entries in the series, Ethan Hunt has basically been portrayed as a sort of one-man show who can pretty much do it all despite overwhelming odds and who always makes himself front and centre over what were theoretically supposed to be team efforts - one of the key beefs that fans of the original Sixties-era TV show had with the big-screen version. This time around, Hunt has been knocked down a peg or two, especially after the explanation of the mysterious absence of what would seem to be an especially important character, and while there is still no doubt that he will indeed save the day in the nick of time, he nevertheless comes across as a little more vulnerable and human and becomes all the more appealing in the process.
And like "The Incredibles," in which the superhero family was only able to save humanity when they finally began to work together as equals, "Ghost Protocol" is the first of the films in which the heroics come across like a genuine team effort as opposed to the other players merely getting a couple of scraps to keep them happy. Simon Pegg is the comic relief, of course, but he also gets a few instances of unexpected derring-do as well. Likewise, Paula Patton gets to do more than merely serve as the group's object of lust and her mid-film brawl with Lea Seydoux is a definite highlight. As for Jeremy Renner, his character may start off a little slow but his character grows in stature as the film goes along and by the end, he has made such an impression that if Cruise ever decided to leave the franchise, he could step in and it could go on with barely a hiccup. The four play nicely off of each other and that turns out to be quite important, since the bad guys, with the exception of the striking but too-brief appearance by Seydoux, simply aren't that memorable - the kind of generic super-baddies that one might ordinarily see in one of the Roger Moore James Bond films.
Of course, the other reason that Bird was presumably hired was due to the flair for stunning and kinetic action sequences that he demonstrated throughout "The Incredibles." Anyone worried that his gifts might not transfer from animation to live-action can rest easily because "Ghost Protocol" contains some of the very best action scenes to hit screens this year and what is especially refreshing about them is that, with the exception of the knockout explosion at the Kremlin early on, the scenes rely less on over-the-top pyrotechnics and an obvious over-reliance on CGI trickery and more on pure filmmaking skill and a genuine sense of jaw-dropping spectacle that has become all too rare at a time when virtually any imaginable sight can be conjured up with a battery of computers.
Scenes like the opening prison break and the concluding fight in the multi-car park are highly impressive in the way they present seemingly chaotic action in a clean and efficient manner that never loses its grip on the spatial geography of what is going on at any given time. Even more impressive is the entire Dubai sequence starting with Cruise doing things outside the building that presumably gave the studio insurance weasels manic fits and coronaries, extending to the multi-story brawl between two sets of bad guys and concluding with the hair-raising chase through the sandstorm - forget all the talk about the big centre-piece sequence in "The Adventures of Tintin" because this is the scene that action junkies are going to be remembering for a long time afterwards.
Adding further to the spectacle is the decision to shoot portions of the film in the large-screen IMAX process to give them extra size and clarity. Although the film will presumably look impressive enough in its regular engagements, this is one where the added expense of seeing it in IMAX (provided that you have a real IMAX cinema in your midst and not one of those cheap crummy digital versions) is certainly worth it for the vertiginous thrills that it provides.
"Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" is a superior piece of cinematic exuberation that is perhaps just one decent villain short of being a complete top-to-bottom knockout. Nevertheless, the film is exciting and entertaining without ever bludgeoning audiences into submission in the manner of such overstuffed craptaculars as the recent "Transformers" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" films.
If that weren't enough, it also manages to reinvigorate a presumably moribund franchise and makes Tom Cruise seem likeable again too. Certainly, there are better and more profound films out there (as reviewed on mediaeyefilm!) and you should make every effort to see them of course, but as mass-market popcorn epics go, this one more than does the business. However, if you suffer from vertigo in any way, shape or form, wear contact lenses or have a weak inside, and are planning to see up close in the IMAX format, you might want to consider forgoing the popcorn, sweeties or anything else from the extortionate multiplex shops, just to be on the safe side.
After all, it has been six years since the previous ‘III” - and that one was a commercial disappointment, mostly due to a growing audience apathy towards star/producer Tom Cruise. As for Cruise himself, he hasn't really had anything approaching a hit since then and the most attention that he has received in that time for his on-screen work was for his heavily disguised cameo appearance as the sleazy studio head in "Tropic Thunder."
As a result, it’s quite likely that many people will look at "Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol," the latest entry in the series, as nothing more than a desperate attempt by Cruise to reestablish his commercial standing by going back to a source that has served him well over the years. Whilst many cinemagoers may approach the film with little more than diminished expectations, they will be leaving it with quickened pulses and silly grins on their faces because, in one of the happier cinematic surprises of the year, "Ghost Protocol" is pretty much a blast from start to finish - easily the best in the series since the original, and a genuine spectacle with set-pieces that will stagger even the most jaded of viewers.
In true action film tradition, "Ghost Protocol" starts off with a bang, with IMF agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise) languishing in a Moscow prison for unknown reasons, until he is busted out by fellow agents Jane (Paula Patton) and Benji (Simon Pegg) with the help of some computer trickery, a full-scale riot and the swinging sounds of Dean Martin.
Immediately after escaping, he and the others are charged with breaking into no less an establishment than the Kremlin, in order to help bring down Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist), a Russian extremist who is apparently hell-bent on acquiring and launching a nuclear missile that will goad the superpowers into destroying each other. Unfortunately for Hunt, Hendricks is on to him and not only escapes the team's clutches, he blows up a chunk of the Kremlin and leaves Hunt to take the blame for the attack. Hunt manages to escape the clutches of the Russian police but soon learns that, as a result of the bombing and the subsequent bad publicity, the entire IMF has been disbanded and all of its agents have been disavowed.
Naturally, a little thing like this is not going to stop Hunt from trying to stop Hendricks and save the day and, using what little equipment he is able the scrounge from a safe room, goes off in pursuit of the mad Russian with a rag-tag team consisting of Jane, Benji and William (Jeremy Renner), a seemingly mild analyst who may or may not be entirely what he seems. The chase takes them first to Dubai, where the team must subvert Hendricks' men from acquiring the necessary launch codes from a sexy French assassin (Lea Seydoux) via impersonations, technological trickery and Hunt dangling off the side of the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, with the help of nothing more than a pair of hi-tech adhesive gloves of dubious functionality. (For extra hassle, there is also a massive sandstorm on the way, an element that adds an additional level of tension to the inevitable chase sequence).
Afterwards, it is off to Mumbai where Hendricks is planning to launch the missile where the gang ties to stop him once and for all in an extended sequence that finds Benji guiding William through the bowels of a building like a remote-controlled aeroplane, Jane seducing the sleazy Indian media baron with India’s wildest duck’s arse hair-do (Anil Kapoor) who owns the satellite that Hendricks is hoping to hijack, and Hunt going head to head against Hendricks in a multi-level parking structure with plenty of lifts going up and down to exploit and plenty of expensive cars to drop when needed. Phew, still with me?
Although the "Mission: Impossible" films are generally considered to be a star-driven franchise, they have been notable for attracting a better class of director than might normally be associated with such relentless silliness. With DePalma, the concept allowed him to further explore his career-long obsessions with voyeurism and elaborately choreographed set-pieces on a massive scale and the result was a blockbuster that still felt like a DePalma film through and through. In the follow-ups, John Woo and J.J. Abrams were allowed to similarly indulge in their own peculiar stylistic notions - Woo's flair for the operatic and Abrams' further exploration of the concept of a spy trying to balance their professional and personal lives, and the results were more distinctive than they had any right to be as a result. This time around, the directorial reins have been handed over to Brad Bird, making his live-action feature debut after directing the acclaimed animated films "The Iron Giant," "The Incredibles" and "Ratatouille," and while it might seem at first to be an odd idea to put a project of this size in the hands of someone who has never made a non-animated film before, he proves to be an incredibly inspired choice.
One of the things that made his previous efforts so special was the way that he took characters that might seem, on the surface, to be difficult for most people to relate to - a giant robot, a dysfunctional family of superheroes and a rat with delusions of gourmet grandeur - and invested them with enough genuinely human characteristics so that viewers could eventually embrace them. In the previous entries in the series, Ethan Hunt has basically been portrayed as a sort of one-man show who can pretty much do it all despite overwhelming odds and who always makes himself front and centre over what were theoretically supposed to be team efforts - one of the key beefs that fans of the original Sixties-era TV show had with the big-screen version. This time around, Hunt has been knocked down a peg or two, especially after the explanation of the mysterious absence of what would seem to be an especially important character, and while there is still no doubt that he will indeed save the day in the nick of time, he nevertheless comes across as a little more vulnerable and human and becomes all the more appealing in the process.
And like "The Incredibles," in which the superhero family was only able to save humanity when they finally began to work together as equals, "Ghost Protocol" is the first of the films in which the heroics come across like a genuine team effort as opposed to the other players merely getting a couple of scraps to keep them happy. Simon Pegg is the comic relief, of course, but he also gets a few instances of unexpected derring-do as well. Likewise, Paula Patton gets to do more than merely serve as the group's object of lust and her mid-film brawl with Lea Seydoux is a definite highlight. As for Jeremy Renner, his character may start off a little slow but his character grows in stature as the film goes along and by the end, he has made such an impression that if Cruise ever decided to leave the franchise, he could step in and it could go on with barely a hiccup. The four play nicely off of each other and that turns out to be quite important, since the bad guys, with the exception of the striking but too-brief appearance by Seydoux, simply aren't that memorable - the kind of generic super-baddies that one might ordinarily see in one of the Roger Moore James Bond films.
Of course, the other reason that Bird was presumably hired was due to the flair for stunning and kinetic action sequences that he demonstrated throughout "The Incredibles." Anyone worried that his gifts might not transfer from animation to live-action can rest easily because "Ghost Protocol" contains some of the very best action scenes to hit screens this year and what is especially refreshing about them is that, with the exception of the knockout explosion at the Kremlin early on, the scenes rely less on over-the-top pyrotechnics and an obvious over-reliance on CGI trickery and more on pure filmmaking skill and a genuine sense of jaw-dropping spectacle that has become all too rare at a time when virtually any imaginable sight can be conjured up with a battery of computers.
Scenes like the opening prison break and the concluding fight in the multi-car park are highly impressive in the way they present seemingly chaotic action in a clean and efficient manner that never loses its grip on the spatial geography of what is going on at any given time. Even more impressive is the entire Dubai sequence starting with Cruise doing things outside the building that presumably gave the studio insurance weasels manic fits and coronaries, extending to the multi-story brawl between two sets of bad guys and concluding with the hair-raising chase through the sandstorm - forget all the talk about the big centre-piece sequence in "The Adventures of Tintin" because this is the scene that action junkies are going to be remembering for a long time afterwards.
Adding further to the spectacle is the decision to shoot portions of the film in the large-screen IMAX process to give them extra size and clarity. Although the film will presumably look impressive enough in its regular engagements, this is one where the added expense of seeing it in IMAX (provided that you have a real IMAX cinema in your midst and not one of those cheap crummy digital versions) is certainly worth it for the vertiginous thrills that it provides.
"Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" is a superior piece of cinematic exuberation that is perhaps just one decent villain short of being a complete top-to-bottom knockout. Nevertheless, the film is exciting and entertaining without ever bludgeoning audiences into submission in the manner of such overstuffed craptaculars as the recent "Transformers" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" films.
If that weren't enough, it also manages to reinvigorate a presumably moribund franchise and makes Tom Cruise seem likeable again too. Certainly, there are better and more profound films out there (as reviewed on mediaeyefilm!) and you should make every effort to see them of course, but as mass-market popcorn epics go, this one more than does the business. However, if you suffer from vertigo in any way, shape or form, wear contact lenses or have a weak inside, and are planning to see up close in the IMAX format, you might want to consider forgoing the popcorn, sweeties or anything else from the extortionate multiplex shops, just to be on the safe side.
