Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Dir: Brad Bird

2011

****

Mission: Impossible III made up for certain mistakes made in Mission: Impossible II but what magic the original film had was diminishing fast. There was clearly still some love for the franchise though, as even though the third film made less money than the critically panned second outing, a forth film got the green light. J.J. Abrams decided not to direct but stayed on as producer (something I believe he is far better at). It was somewhat of a surprise that Brad Bird was announced as director, given that he was more famous for his animated work but he certainly brought the magic back. The simple and painfully obvious truth was that the Mission: Impossible franchise needed a team, it is why the initial TV show was so popular, it was never meant to be the one man show that it had become. Ving Rhames' lethargic cameos weren't enough, Ethan Hunt needed help and Tom Cruise needed interaction with more than just sexy ladies and bad guys with Russian accents. Simon Pegg had brought a bit of humour and humanity to the third film that was somewhat of a beacon of hope. Getting his character back and giving him far more of a prominent role in the story was a key decision and adding Jeremy Renner and Paula Patton to form a team only cemented this. Finding the right balance between action and espionage has always been the problem with the franchise but finally, at the fourth attempt, they get it right. The action sequences are impressive but used sparingly. When there is no action there is acting, emotion, espionage and even a half decent story. I've never had much enthusiasm for the franchise but Ghost Protocol really grabbed my attention and had it throughout. Cruise has done his own stunts before but never to this scale, it almost feels like penance but he's clearly enjoying himself and who doesn't like watching Tom Cruise enjoying himself? The idea finally worked, the new layers gave depth to a tired series that until now seemed to have a complete lack of direction. I'm probably more inclined to go see a Mission: Impossible film now than a James Bond.