Movie Review: Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol    $$$

PG-13

133 Minutes

Starring: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, and Paula Patton

Director: Brad Bird

 

            My oldest son dragged me to the theater Friday night.

            Let me say up front that I am not a fan of the Mission: Impossible movie franchise. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the televisions series. It’s the recent movies that have left me un-entertained. That being said, I enjoyed this film.

[Spoiler Alert – I discuss one of the film’s early surprises. Read at own risk.]

            Ghost Protocol opens with the IMF team of Benji (Simon Pegg) and Jane Carter (Paula Patton) breaking Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) out of a Russian prison. They are given an extremely high priority mission within the Kremlin.

            However, the mission is blown – literally – when a wild card appears out of nowhere. In one fell swoop, the IMF mission is ruined, a major portion of the Kremlin is destroyed, and the IMF team is framed for an act of terror that puts the U.S. and Russia at the brink of war.

            Things get worse from there. I’ve already given away one surprise, I don’t want to give away any more. The result is the President institutes “Ghost Protocol” and the entire IMF organization is disavowed.

            The team is left entirely on their own for this – possibly last – mission. The only logistical support they have is one another. The only supplies they have access to are the hidden caches that the team can find along the way. And I think this is one of the reasons I liked the film. In story-telling, limited, and dwindling, resources equal dramatic tension.

            Another thing I liked about this film is that we have an elite team of super spies that are not infallible. They make mistakes. Murphy’s law comes into play. And a few other elements that us common folk are familiar with besiege the IMF team. That made it more believable for me. (Not that anything in Hollywood is believable, but within Tinsel-Town parameters it was more easily accepted.)

            Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol earned a solid 3. All of the actors did a good job; the Ethan Hunt character seemed less arrogant, Simon Pegg was humorous, and I really enjoyed the lesser role played by Anil Kapoor. I thought the plot was smartly written and appreciated a villain that gave the heroes a run for their money. Much like the recent Sherlock Holmes movie, this film had a wonderful move – countermove component that kept my interest.

            This is a movie that benefits from a big screen and a good sound system. As much as I enjoyed it, I definitely could’ve waited for a matinee showing. And that is what I recommend.

            One last comment: I liked this well enough that I would be willing to go see the next film in the franchise. If they make another one.  

            Randy’s Rating System

$$$$   = Full Price    See this movie right away and pay full price, it’s worth it.

$$$     = Matinee      Catch this as a matinee or other discounted showing.
$$        = Discount     Wait until this movie reaches a discount theater near you.
$          = Rental         Wait until this movie reaches your local video rental outlet.
0          = No Sale       Don’t see this movie at any price.