The Best Mission in the Series

Rating: 9/10 (24 July 2012)

It's strange. I'm never excited when I hear that there are plans to release a new movie in the Mission: Impossible franchise. As far as action franchises go, I've seen and enjoyed all of them, but I can never be bothered to muster any excitement as a new one makes its way to theaters. I guess there's just something wrong with me because they're only getting better. I was worried that GHOST PROTOCOL, released five years after the third movie and rumored to be a "passing of the torch" from Tom Cruise to rising star Jeremy Renner, was just a cash grab to keep a profitable franchise alive as they transition away from the aging Cruise. I was so very wrong and realized this within minutes of sitting down to watch the movie. As the latest mission begins, Ethan Hunt is busted out of a Russian prison just in time to reteam with IMF on its latest assignment. Nuclear launch codes were stolen by an assassin during a routine mission and are believed to have fallen into the hands of an extremist known only as Cobalt. Cobalt is believed to be a former Swedish physicist that believes there will come a time when the human race will be devastated and ultimately strengthened by a catastrophic event. He intends to expedite the process through nuclear annihilation and, to keep IMF on his trail, he frames the organization in bombing the Russian Kremlin. Ghost Protocol is initiated and IMF is disbanded; it's up to Hunt and his team to stop Cobalt from following through with his plan while at the same time clearing IMF's name in the bombing.
The M:I series is fast becoming a new 007 series; each movie is helmed by a new director with his own vision and Cruise's character of Ethan Hunt it beginning to be phased out in favor of Jeremy Renner as the new hero. I imagine, as the series progresses, we'll be treated to an infinite stream of IMF agents as actors come and go, and each movie will have it's own style with each director's new take on the series. If I'm right and that's the case, I support it 100%. I have not been disappointed yet and GHOST PROTOCOL proves that the series, and Tom Cruise, haven't lost any steam. The fourth film in the M:I series ramps up the action, set pieces, and stunts and manages to include enough character development to keep it from beginning a totally shallow action piece. Ethan Hunt and William Brandt (Renner) have there own story going on underneath the surface with a connection from the past that isn't totally revealed until the end of the movie, and Jane Carter (Paula Patton) is battling her own demons as she finds herself conflicted between her personal feelings and her duty to IMF when her lover is murdered in the opening mission. Hunt is merely the duty-bound hero and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg, returning) is the comic relief, but there is enough story present without over-developing them.
Director Brad Bird, primarily known for his work in animated features, steps up to helm the fourth film of the series and proves he's down for the challenge by making the best M:I movie so far. As I mentioned, the action and stunts are amped up here with amazing sequences including Hunt scaling the side of the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, and a killer chase through the middle of a sandstorm. The movie is a tad over two hours long but you never feel the length because it never slows down. From the opening mission in Budapest to the final credits roll, the pace never lets up for more than a moment and story bits are fed in gradually between action set pieces to keep you interested in the characters. Michael Nyqvist (from the Swedish Millennium series) is the new villain, Cobalt/Kurt Hendricks. He's a cold-calculating sociopath who never goes overboard, monologues, or hams it up. He's a man who truly believes that he is doing the world a favor by trying to jump start nuclear war. Despite my disinterest in the movie leading up to release, it became one of my favorite blockbusters of 2011. Cruise may be a lunatic in his private life but I can't hate him when he's back on screen as Ethan Hunt. While this may be the beginning of a transition between lead actors, Cruise is still very much in command here and I hope we get another mission or two out of him before Renner officially takes over.