Mission Impossible — Ghost Protocol (Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Michael Nyqvist) – By now, if you haven’t seen one of the Mission Impossible films, it’s too late. If you were a fan of the TV show with such notables as Peter Graves, Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, Greg Morris, and Peter Lupis, you probably don’t like the MI movies since they bear little resemblance to the TV show. But if you liked the first three movies in the series, you will like MI – Ghost Protocol. Unlike the first three, there isn’t even much of a plot here. It is strictly played for the special effects, the stunts, the technology, the soundtrack, and the fast camera movement.
The plot, in a nutshell, begins with Ethan Hunt’s (Tom Cruise) team being disavowed after a mission goes bad and the Kremlin blows up (yes, that is about how credible the movie is). Cruise and the team he has left, Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg, the computer nerd who serves as the comic relief) and Jane Carter (a very talented Paula Patton aka, the kick-ass eye candy), resolve to go after the bad guy (played by Michael Nyqvist, star of the Swedish version of Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) who set them up and killed their agent/teammate. After all, they have to save the world.
The movie is a travelogue across the world. There is the occasional wearing of one of those masks that makes you look exactly like someone else (the lone holdover from the TV show). We get to see the Secretary; you know, the one who will “disavow any knowledge of your actions if you is caught or killed” (played in a cameo by Tom Wilkinson). The Secretary expresses his faith, admiration and love for Ethan while introducing him to one of his analysts, William Brandt (Oscar winner Jeremy Renner), right before a bomb hits their limo. That starts the real action that is full of explosions, gunfire, impossible situations, ridiculous but stunning stunts, and the obligatory Tom Cruise sprints in scene after scene.
The plot holes are big enough to drive a nuclear bomb through. But that usually doesn’t matter to MI fans. If you are looking for action; if you’re a Tom Cruise fan; if you love techno-driven, loud, thumping surround sound music, you will really enjoy Ghost Protocol. This is the polar opposite of the independent, award-seeking movies released in 2011 like My Week With Marilyn, The Help, The Descendants or Margin Call. This one is for the masses. So put your jeans on, grab your iPhone, and get a large popcorn with a red bull and get ready to rumble.