One of the year's best!

Rating: 10/10 (7 January 2012)

Remember the good old days of action movies? When Bruce Willis would let gas spill from an airplane, light a match, and the plane exploded? Or when Mel Gibson tied a rope to a stilted house and knocked it down? Or lines like "Yipee ki yay, mother fu**er" ? Or when action movies had a lead that we grew to love, and a plot that we could follow? I do, and that was brought back to me yesterday when I saw Mission:Impossible- Ghost Protocol, an action thriller with action sequences to look forward to, action sequences that are bubblegum for the eyes, a fun plot, and a lovable hero who is played by Tom Cruise. It's a thriller that really puts you in the movie.
Cruise reprises his role as Ethan Hunt again. A lot of people take Cruise for granted, and it's a real shame because he really is a marvelous actor, and here he gives one of his best performances. Cruise is an actor who can really do anything. He will climb up the tallest building in the world without a stunt double. Go figure. He will completely transform himself to where he is a bald movie producer who constantly shouts at people. He's a terrific actor who hit a rough patch, but I think he's back.
This time, Hunt and his IMF(Impossible Mission Force) team are forced to go rogue after they are sent on a mission into the Kremlin and it's bombed. So they are forced to stick together and prove their innocence.
The team includes Benji(Simon Pegg), the brains, Jane(sexy Paula Patton), the beautiful one who can also kick a lot of ass, and Brandt(Jeremy Renner), an analyst who may be hiding something about his past.
First time live action director Brad Bird(who directed such animated marvels as The Incredibles and Ratatouille) works wonders with the action sequences and special effects, while gifted cinematographer Robert Elswitt brings them to life. I mean, the scene where Cruise has to climb the Burji Kalhifa, the tallest building in the world, is stunning. As is the final showdown in the parking lot.
M:I-GP is the best action movie in years. Maybe since Casino Royale(I would say The Dark Knight but I don't count that as an action movie). It's an action film that really got to me(especially in the skyscraper scene because, well, i'm afraid of heights), and Cruise is just one of those actors that you should really invest in. It's one of the year's best. And it's a shame that action movies and comedies are overlooked during awards season, because this one would take home the gold.
A