How did I enjoy this movie so much?!

Rating: 9/10 (21 December 2011)

Written by Markus Robinson, Edited by Nicole Ashland
I should be highlyembarrassed, being the self-proclaimed well respected critic that I am,to say this, but not only did I enjoy "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol" but in this reviewers opinion, it is the best action film I have seen in years! Masterfully directed by Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille) and starring Tom Cruise (Jerry Maguire, Top Gun), showing that he isn't quite irrelevant yet, Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker),delivering a great supporting performance as always, Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead), who brings in some much needed hilarity and Paula Patton (Jumping the Broom), who adds nothing to the movie, "Ghost Protocol" is the fourth and clearly the best film in what had been an average action-adventure series. Beginning with one of the most stylized prison-break sequences since "The Great Escape", this installment continues to follow the secret agent adventures of Ethan Hunt (Cruise) as his organization, the IMF, is shut down after a compromised mission in Russia results in the unit being accused of bombing the Kremlin. This leads to an accidental declaration of war by the United States, as the "disbanded" IMF must find out who really bombed the Kremlin and blah blah blah. Like the others in the series , this plot may seem overly complex and filled with convoluted double and triple agent story lines, but WHO CARES because the film itself is everything an action film should be; entertaining and filled with a plethora of the most amazing and suspenseful stunts. You want to see a high motored car chase through the streets of Dubai, during a sandstorm? You want to see the sultry female agent seduce the bad guy then kick his butt and saving the say, all while wearing high heels? You want to see Tom Cruise literally leap tall buildings in a single bound (well, that is not how it really goes down but anyways)? Well, it's all here! That is not to say that there isn't a valid storyline here. It's more like the action sequences are so good, that the plot seemed to be only a distracting devise to transition from one action sequence to another. And I loved every minute of it.
Aside from the much expected and well thought out action sequences which are customary in a film like this, there are also some very welcome supporting characters that create an atmosphere of levity (Pegg) that isn't seen in its predecessors and a cool factor (aka the Renner factor) that almost single handedly rejuvenates an action series that had become somewhat predictable and uninteresting. Pegg is hilarious here, and may be the biggest reason to see this movie, every so often giving the audience a break from the serious "straight-man" domineer of Cruise's character. As for Renner, he is very well cast as an almost Cruise-like understudy, showing that while his potential for Award winning acting is abundant, he is multi-faceted enough to play a very polarizing action hero as well.
Cruise's leading man career, after a series of unfortunate events in conjunction with a serious of unfortunate movies, was thought to be over after it was discovered that he was an actual brash eccentric and not just playing one in the movies. For the longest time it was thought to be that the only films he could get were embarrassing cameo roles (Tropic Thunder), leads in awful films (Knight and Day, Valkyrie) and L. Ron Hubbard Productions. And while the fourth installment of an action series like "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol" isn't the set up for a monumental resurgence in his career, (for the few who go see this movie) it should make it clear that Cruise still has that indescribable "it-factor" that carried him through his blockbuster film career.
Final Thought: At the end of the day, this movie is simply a stylized cartoonish espiongage film, whose only true merits lay in how extremely well it works on an incredibly high entertainment level (which is far from a bad thing). And even with a film like "Ratatouille" on his resume, it is in my opinion that Bird has crafted his best work here and even with the unavoidable sappy ending, "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol" stands as one of the only B-style movies which is well worth the ticket price. This is one Hollywood movie that is sure to exceed any reluctant viewer's expectations, garnering immensely more positive reviews than a backhanded compliment such as "it's not as bad as you thought".
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