Excellent: 9.5

Rating: 9/10 (27 July 2019)

The Mission: Impossible series has been on a quality roller coaster over its four-film run. Brian DePalma's original was slightly above mediocre, John Woo's follow-up was just bad, and J.J. Abrams elevate the series with the third installment. The latest, directed by Incredibles and Ratatouille veteran Brad Bird, lives up to its director pedigree with style and substance never before seen in the series. In terms of storyline, this is the most audacious MI yet, by far. There is a man who wants to start a nuclear war to bring about the next mass extinction to advance life on earth. Sounds simple enough, but if you have seen the other films, you know that these are the highest stakes yet. This fact, of course, necessitates big action pieces, with which Ghost Protocol also steals the series crown. Nearly every set-piece moment in the film will stick with you long after they have passed. A jail. The tallest building on Earth. A sandstorm. A party. A server room. A parking garage. Anyone who has seen this movie and reads those words should recall these scenes instantly. The plot is surprisingly deep, especially for an MI film. There are numerous mini-twists, many of which put major characters in a completely new light, something many "plot twists" nowadays cannot say they have done. The final one at the end is one that I certainly never saw coming, and ends the film perfectly.If nothing else, this film proves that action films are plenty capable of having substance to match the style. And what style there is! Brad Bird's deft direction and obvious talent is clear everywhere in this movie. His skill at directing animated films has seemingly paid off in spades, because generally, in animated films, no action equals tedium. This does not feel like the director's first live-action film. It feels like he has been doing this kind of thing for years. The final thing of note is the acting. Each of the four main characters does a great job filling their roles of genre stereotypes. There's the hero, the funny-and-smart guy, the sexy woman who's also a hand-to-hand combat expert, and the mysterious one who knows way, waaay more than he initially lets on. They're all here, but the the actors (and actress) do fantastic jobs with their roles and script, frequently making the writing appear better than it actually is. Oh, and one actor from Lost is a surprisingly important minor character in Ghost Protocol. Anyone here who has seen the show (I know you're there) will instantly recognize him. Overall, this was an extremely solid spy thriller that is the perfect complement to something like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Loud, over the top, and bombastic, Mission Impossible is back and better than ever. You don't want to miss this.