2011’s Mission
Impossible: Ghost Protocol, directed by Brad Bird.
Starring Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula
Patton, Michael Nyqvist, Vladimir Mashkov, Samuli Edelmann, Ivan Shvedoff, Anil
Kapoor, Léa Seydoux, and Josh Holloway.
What is it about?
Super spy for the IMF Ethan Hunt (as always played by Tom
Cruise) returns in the fourth Mission Impossible movie. Joined by
fellow spies Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, and Jeremy Renner, Cruise is broken out
of a prison so that he may attempt to foil a defected Russian spy (Michael
Nyqvist), who is out to unleash nuclear terror on the world. With Nyqvist
framing the IMF for bombing the Kremlin, the team finds itself on its own,
without supports. Can the team of elite spies, lead by Hunt, rise to stop him,
or will the planet plunge into apocalyptic chaos?
Why is it worth seeing?
As per previous entries, Ghost
Protocol takes the series’ standard espionage beats of crazy stunt set
pieces (especially Cruise’s work), and sleight of hand tricks, and has director
Brad Bird (Iron Giant, Tomorrowland, The
Incredibles’ series) ’s animated tendencies to wrap around them. The
results are thrillingly electric at times, but also sometimes uneven and
un-natural.
We’ve already established
that Cruise has to be one of the most foolhardy A listers ever, with the
previous 3 films showcasing Cruise himself, fearlessly hanging off of cliffs, running around like a maniac, and getting
blown away by explosions. But for Protocol,
how about scaling sky scrapers? It’s pretty crazy, watching Cruise climb- and
descend(!), Dubai’s tallest building. Also spectacular- watching the group
break into the Kremlin, which requires minimal athleticism, but maximum quiet
(and some super technology). It’s a breath taker.
Let’s get something out of the way. The Mission Impossible series is a fictional universe, taking place in
a present day world where super spies wear masks with vocal copying modules to
infiltrate and deceive others. It’s not always realistic (possible?). But it
exists in a world of flesh and bone, meaning that even the preposterous events
that occur could happen. Here, the
line between make believe and unbelievable gets somewhat breached. Bird’s
tendencies towards animated flourishes (streams of water that squirt from one
side of the room to another, or a lit fuse that burns from one credit scene to the
next) can be electric (or alternately look silly in a slapstick kind of way),
but they stand out in sharp contrast to the rest of the film, when humans have
to stand there and speak to one another, or walk down the street. The result is
a feeling of unevenness, causing the film to drag as the live action world
struggles to jive with that of the cartoon one.
With the series’ run not quite finished, its feels premature
to pick its least memorable villain. Square in the running for that
consideration though, would be Michael Nyqvist (whom I loved in 2009’s Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). We’re told
he’s a bad guy, and that he’s quite clever- that’s nice. His personality (never
mind his motivations) are the real
ghost protocol here. There’s even a scene where we thought we were watching
somebody else, but it turns out to be him- I’m confused if there’s a
difference.
A nice change to the formula is Ethan Hunt having more of the
good guys to help him out. We meet his team, and see them take some of the
weight off of Cruise’s shoulders. From Pegg’s funnyman in the field routine, to
Patton’s sizzling, um, competence, to Renner’s abilities both at the computer
station and otherwise, a world where Ethan Hunt has friends he can rely on is
one worth saving.
Ghost Protocol
also punts on Mission Impossible III’s attempts to make Ethan a domesticated
man. It was an awkward fit, since the character of Ethan Hunt is a blank slate
of the state, with nary a clue as to why he decided to become a spy in the
first place (nor remain one). So far so good, however the decision as to why
there was a change in plans is baffling, since it further clouds Hunt’s
motivations and wonder what it was that was making him consider domestic life
back in pt. III.
With plenty of funny and capable friends, and mind blowing
stunts, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol delivers on thrilling
viewers with its energy. It’s just a shame that the whole thing feels so
weightless when it comes to the stakes, and that the unnevenness makes the film
drag when you really want it to soar to the height of skyscrapers.
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