Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Tom Cruise's Mission Impossible series has always been one of my guilty pleasures. Even the second one, which is the weakest of the bunch, still benefited from John Woo's crazy style. Prior to this entry it almost seemed as if each of the MI movies existed in their own continuity. Sure, some of the characters are the same, and they all star Dreamy McHawtpants (Tom Cruise), but the stories always seemed to be their own thing. Ghost Protocol is the first one, in my opinion, that is a true "sequel", meaning that it fits in the same universe that JJ "ManGod" Abrams created with the third film. And that's a positive. Abrams' MI seemed more "grounded", as if you could ever accuse a spy flick of being grounded in reality. Perhaps it's because the characters are treated like characters, rather than just a bunch of scenes thrown together that make Ethan Hunt look cool (I'm looking at you, Woo).

Ghost Protocol also represents the first live action flick from another ManGod: Brad Bird. For those of you not in the know, Mr. Bird is the guy who gave us The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille. I wouldn't hesitate to put all three of those flicks in my top 20 movies of all time. Does Ghost Protocol make that list? Ummmm not sure yet. Maybe. Ask me again in 2 years. If I've watched MI:GP multiple times then yes, it probably will be. If not, the only criticism I can level at the film is that it is an extremely competent, entertaining, masterfully crafted action flick.

Notice that I used "action flick" and not "spy flick". MI:GP is pretty straight forward. The plot is simple, easy to follow, and affords Tom Cruise and his team of wacky cohorts to save the world in the nick of time. Oh yeah, spoiler, I guess. The simple plot actually makes the movie stronger due to the focus on the characters. Brad Bird really let's the light shine on the entire team. And "team" is the operative word. The first two MI flicks were basically Tom Cruise single handedly foiling whatever evil plot some nefarious individual had concocted. The third, and the fourth, brought back the team concept of the MI force. Yes, Tommy Boy is still the point man, but without his team he would fail. Hard. All the members are given something relevant to do and their actions are, at the end of the day, just as heroic as Cruisemaster Flash.

The action is top notch. Specifically the sequence involving the Dubai Tower and a crazy chase through a dust storm. The special effects are phenomenal. Had the interwebs not been real I would never have known that some of the stuff thrown up on screen was created by some guy behind a computer. So kudos to the artists. Another credit to the action is the amount of tension that each set piece builds. There are many "whoa!" and "eek!" and "holy balls!" moments. You'll pay for the whole seat, but you'll only use the edge.

All the acting is well done, with one extremely minor exception, which I'll point out below. Tom Cruise does his best Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg is hilarious (of course), and Paula Patton...oh my, Paula Patton. She is elegance and beauty wrapped in a tight package that will whup your ass. Plus, she eats strawberries extremely well. I really do hope to see more of her in the future.

The one exception is the guy who plays the villain. He never really gets a chance to exude his villianisimitude. All his motivations are given off screen, and he has probably the least amount of screen time of any of the actors. Which is too bad, considering the small amount of time he is given he does well, but not near to the effect nor menace that Phillip Seymore Hoffman exuded in MI:3. If there is a weak point in this movie, it is the villain, but only from a "we need someone to root against" standpoint.

Special props to Michael Giacchino for crafting a super fun score.  He is quickly becoming one of my favorite composers.

MI:GP is a super fun, tense, and thrilling popcorn flick. It's the strongest movie of the series thus far, and also the most accessible. If you enjoyed the others, go see this one. If you don't care about MI I think you would still have a good time with this one.