Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol (PG-13)

Directed by Brad Bird

Written by Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec, and Bruce Geller

I had wanted to get this review up while this movie was still in theaters, but sadly my noble intentions were undone. I decided to release this because it just came out on DVD and I will probably buy it.

The Mission just got more impossible. With the IMF disavowed due to an attack on the Kremlin, Ethan Hunt (played by Tom Cruise) and a few agents are all that remain to stop a Russian who has wonderful plans to blow up the world with nukes. Though this story may seem to be repetitive of other action flicks, "Ghost Protocol" achieves a higher standard of serious stunts and action scenes while maintaining a joking atmosphere throughout most of the movie. Tom Cruise reprises his role as the agent Ethan Hunt whom is known as one of the best agents in the world. Though his plans are not perfect they always seem to work, and when an actor wants to do his own stunts, it makes for a great spectacle. Simon Pegg is known for Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Paul and a few other assorted comedies, and he brings his light-hearted sense of humor to Protocol. He livens up the dialogue in between the explosions and gun fights. The one actor I really wanted to touch on is Jeremy Renner who plays William Brandt, an “advisor” to the Secretary of Defense. The character is similar to Hunt in that he has the skills, and has the secrets to go along with the skills. Renner’s performance was fairly impressive and he has played many roles in his career, many related with the military or another action-themed job. Acting in The Hurt Locker, 28 Weeks Later, The Town along with many others, the character Brandt was pretty good for Renner to take. He apparently did pretty well as Renner has picked up the role of Aaron Cross in the next addition to the Bourne series, as well as playing Hawkeye in The Avengers. Now because of the questionable quality of Mission Impossible III, I was somewhat skeptical of what GP would bring. What it brought were new characters that added new twists to the story of Ethan Hunt, but of the other agents as well. In accordance with the other movies, some parts of Ethan Hunt’s plans were awry, but comical in a way that caused me to enjoy the movie a lot more than the other three.

Overall Rating: 7/10