Ballistic Missile Scene Totally Unrealistic

Rating: 6/10 (17 December 2011)

I found this 4th installment of the Mission Impossible series very well made and entertaining. However, the last few scenes concerning the launch of the nuclear missile from the Russian nuclear sub and its ballistic journey were completely UNREALISTIC and nearly ruined the whole thing!! The movie had it that the USA defenses for a ballistic missile attack were virtually non-existent. I've seen too many movies and read too many books to know that NORAD would have detected the missile launch and initiated warnings to the USA's nuclear forces. Then comes the alert to the anti-ballistic defenses notably the patriot and the AEGIS ABM systems to shoot down the missile before it re-entered earth's atmosphere. At the very least, the USA would've launched a corresponding retaliatory attack on a Russian city and on the sub once the missile trajectory was determined. All this would take place in a matter of minutes. So I can't figure out why the movie screen writers didn't take this into consideration and just opted for a james bond type of near miss scene. Anti-ballistic technology is no secret - been around for years.. If Michael Bay directed this he would've had space based defense platforms with ABMs and lasers shooting down those bad nukes... On another note, i like how they tied up the loose ends in the movie's closing scenes especially that info on Ethan Hunt's wife. I give this movie 6 out of 10