An Explosive Blend Of Action, Humour & Spectacle

Rating: Null/10 (24 July 2015)

The fourth instalment in the Mission: Impossible series continues the strong momentum this action spy franchise gained in the previous chapter and delivers yet another swashbuckling ride that promises loads of thrills, action, excitement, entertainment & spectacle from start to finish, and is also notable for marking a sensational live-action filmmaking debut for the animation wizard, Brad Bird.
The story of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol follows IMF Agent Ethan Hunt & his team whose latest mission in Russia is compromised when the Kremlin is bombed. With all blame pointing towards IMF, the US President initiates Ghost Protocol which disavows the agency, following which Hunt & his team go rogue and try to apprehend the guy responsible for the attack in order to clear their organisation's name.
Directed by Brad Bird, the creative mind behind animation masterpieces like The Iron Giant, The Incredibles & Ratatouille, Ghost Protocol marks his first stint with live-action filmmaking and presents the esteemed filmmaker in prime form for Bird has crafted this film with same rigour, passion & imagination as his earlier works and greatly impresses with his excellent understanding of what makes an action sequence stand out.
The screenplay packs in a gripping storyline that makes splendid use of wit & its attention to characters isn't half-hearted either. Cinematography exhibits the most balanced use of camera in the series so far while the images photographed with IMAX cameras leave a mark of its own. Editing expertly paces its 133 minutes of runtime. And Michael Giacchino returns to contribute another fascinating soundtrack that beautifully compliments the narrative.
Coming to the performances, Ghost Protocol features a reliable cast in Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton & Michael Nyqvist with added inputs from Léa Seydoux, Tom Wilkinson & Anil Kapoor. Cruise is totally committed to what remains his most popular role to date, Renner does well with what he's given, Pegg is effortlessly hilarious, Patton is simply terrific, Nyqvist is passable, so is Seydoux while Kapoor is downright laughable.
On an overall scale, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is another impressive addition in the Mission: Impossible series that's jam-packed with blockbuster elements, is narrated in a streamlined manner, and succeeds in delivering an action extravaganza that scores high in both quality & quantity. Worth your time & money for that Burj Khalifa sequence alone, easily one of the most breathtaking segments ever filmed, Ghost Protocol comes as a must for every action fanatic out there. Don't miss it.