Fast paced and exciting action sequences, amazing set pieces, beautiful women and Tom Cruise, I finally caught up with Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol as I realized it would probably be a beneficial experience as I hope to see the new film Rogue Nation soon. Honestly, I'm not sure how I managed to avoid this one for four years as I had seen the previous three and Ghost Protocol was quite possibly the best received critically of the bunch.
Turns out that praise was well deserved: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is a damn fine and fun film.
It helps if I clarify that I am a Tom Cruise fan, and frankly it baffles me so many people out there are not. Yeah, I get it, the dude is a bit crazy personally. Here's the thing though: I don't give a shit. Go be a Scientologist and jump on couches and say weird nonsense and freak people out. It doesn't bother me in the least. I'm not looking for Cruise to be an awesome guy and I'm not looking to be his buddy, I'm looking for great cinema and he either knocks it out of the park or tries his best to do so every single time out. As an entertainer I find Tom Cruise to be pure bliss, and he was a sublime choice to play the role of Ethan Hunt in this franchise.
Cruise is joined by an ensemble that includes Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Lea Seydoux and Michael Nyqvist, and the one name on that list that leaves me feeling conflicted is Seydoux. Not that there was anything wrong with her, quite the opposite actually. I'm still trying to decide if there was not enough or just the right amount of her, because I was left wanting more. Her character is intriguing, dangerous, and sexy and just her presence in the frame made those scenes feel more compelling, so on the one hand I felt let down by the relatively small amount of screen time she was given but on the other, perhaps more would have been too much. Can't help but feel short changed though.
Despite my relatively minor quibble regarding wanting more Seydoux, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is a blast with certain sequences getting my adrenaline pumping and literally moving me to the edge of my seat. Top notch work from director Brad Bird and everyone else involved in the production of this one. I can only hope Rogue Nation comes close to matching it.
4.5/5
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