The Mission Impossible Franchise is Alive Once Again For Me!

Rating: 9/10 (16 December 2011)

The first Mission Impossible film disappointed me very much. I was a fan of the original MI TV series. I thought the first MI film stripped everything good about the TV series and made it a one-man show for its star, Tom Cruise. So much was my disappointment that I did not even care to watch the second and third installments. However, the trailers for this fourth installment, with its exploding Kremlin and the hi-jinx in the Dubai glass skyscraper captured my attention. Also, the presence of Jeremy Renner as a new co-star also added to my interest to see this one. And I am sure glad I did.
All the action promised in the trailer were delivered in high style, and more! Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team were accused of blowing up the Kremlin, and were thus left high and dry by the US government. As they move on their own to prove their innocence, at the same time they had to avert a nuclear catastrophe that would bring about another world war. This plot took the audience from Budapest to Moscow to Dubai and to Mumbai as Hunt and his team (Simon Pegg, Paula Patton and Jeremy Renner) follow the trail of mad nuclear terrorist Kurt Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist). Tom Cruise does show signs of age here already, but he is as invincible as ever. Simon Pegg is entertaining as the computer nerd, and comic relief. Paula Patton I have never seen before, but she is an exotic beauty and realistic Amazon. Jeremy Renner adds another feather to his impressive acting cap since "The Hurt Locker."
Aside from the Kremlin and Burj Khalifa scenes I have mentioned, there were also exciting foot and car chases throughout the film, particularly impressive were those shot in a huge sandstorm. There were also old- fashioned fist-fights thrown in to balance out the hi-tech computer stuff. Of course, I had to suspend disbelief for a lot of the seemingly physically-impossible stunts pulled off, especially on the Burj. But they looked very good on screen! Director Brad Bird was able to achieve his animated-style vision into startlingly-convincing live action. This will surely satisfy any action movie fan, as it did me. The teamwork required to achieve their mission was showcased front and center. That renewed my faith in the franchise and I look forward to their next adventure.