Review for Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011) by Mike

Title: Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)

Original UK Release Date: 26^th December 2011

Original US Release Date: 21^st December 2011

UK Rating: 12

US Rating: PG-13

Director: Brad Bird

Genre: Action

Plot: When Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is framed for the bombing of the Kremlin, his team must go rogue to clear their names and prevent a nuclear war.

Mike's Review

I really enjoyed the Mission: Impossible films. I was looking forward to this one when it was announced. The only thing that troubled me was the director Brad Bird. Until this film he had never directed a live action film. He directed the Pixar films The Incredibles (2004) & Ratatouille (2007). These are both great animated films, but live action is completely different. I really hoped he was up to the task. All of the Mission: Impossible films have had a different director, and each director brought something new to the series. What could Brad Bird bring to the table?

The film follows the same formula of the series, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) given the mission to prevent a terrorist from starting a global nuclear war. His team are on their own this time after the Kremlin is bombed and they are blamed for it. They take matters into their own hands and have to overcome the odds to succeed.

The film stars Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Michael Nyqvist, Josh Holloway, Tom Wilkinson,  & Anil Kapoor. The cast is great and work well together. Tom Cruise is naturally perfect in this, after all it’s his fourth outing as Ethan Hunt and he has really made the role his own. The introduction of Jeremy Renner is a deliberate casting and the character is being groomed as a replacement if Tom Cruise decides not to return to the successful franchise. Renner really fits in well and the series will be in good hands if he takes over the lead role. Simon Pegg adds the comedic element to the film and it is perfect. The comedy is just the right amount to compliment the action scenes without being too over the top. His character is now a field agent on his first assignment and he steals every scene he is in with a standout performance.

One other person of note is Josh Holloway as IMF Agent Trevor Hanaway. Only knowing him from the Lost TV series, I was pleasantly surprised. He turned a small part into a memorable character. It is a shame they overlooked him for the part played by Renner. Whilst Renner was good I wasn’t sold on him as a “super” agent. He seemed like a cheap copy of Tom Cruise. However Josh Holloway bought something fresh to the film. It felt like he could have been a great agent who did things a little different.

So back to my previous question. What could Brad Bird bring to the table? With Tom Cruise & J.J. Abrams producing, utilising their experience with the third film in the series Brad Bird does an excellent job at directing. The film is visually spectacular and along with the fearlessness of Tom Cruise doing his own amazing stunts it really is a treat to watch. The well publicised stunt he pulls atop of the world’s tallest building is incredible. Knowing it really was him on the building makes it all the more impressive.

This film really lives up to all the expectations and it was great to watch. It also links into the previous film nicely. This series gets better with each instalment and I hope, if there is a fifth one, it continues the trend. This was one of the best films I have seen this year.

10 out of 10

Additional Information

Stand out performance: Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn

Trailer