High octane thrills make for a thoroughly decent blockbuster

Rating: 8/10 (22 November 2013)

I absolutely loved MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 3, so I knew the newest and fourth entry in the series, GHOST PROTOCOL, would have its work cut out to enter the same territory. It turns out I needn't have worried; this is spellbinding film-making indeed, a techno-thriller that sets out to thrill and does it very well.
GHOST PROTOCOL is fast, furious and entirely engaging. It kicks off with an intense set-piece and doesn't let up from there, feeling very much like a recent James Bond movie in its globetrotting scenarios and action-packed set-pieces. The extended sequence in Dubai is the highlight, of course, but the rest of the movie doesn't disappoint either.
Cruise is starting to look his age now but he still cuts it as a leading man and there's no faulting his enthusiasm for his craft. The rest of the cast is more mixed, with Michael Nyqvist struggling and visibly out of his comfort zone and Paula Patton unforgivably reduced to mere window dressing, but the reliable Jeremy Renner is on hand to restore order. I still don't get the fuss over Simon Pegg but I suppose he's not too irritating here.
Anyway, the emphasis is on intrigue and bombastic action and who would have thought that animation man Brad Bird would do such a fine job as director? The explosions are loud, the fight scenes are brutal and if there are occasional missteps that veer into silliness, the film always bounces back. Bring on number five!