Not quite on par with what was expected!

Rating: 5/10 (30 January 2012)

I could not score tickets to the premier; hence I waited out the rush and finally against many negative reviews on MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL I am watching it. When news broke out that Tom Cruise and J.J Abrahams were on the lookout for a director never did I for a moment expect Brad Bird to land himself on the project. It is no secret that the MI franchise is indeed the Tom Cruise mobile. However will it continue to be so is only a question Tom Cruise can answer?
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL is Director Brad Birds' first full length action production behind the camera. Bird who is a wizard with animations somehow seems to have impressed the producers and Paramount pictures in order to gain the main seat behind the camera. Did he fair well? I think he did. Did the movie work as a revamp for Tom Cruises' career? It would be acceptable to say 'yes'. However did the movie as a whole create that experience we would expect out of this overrated franchise? I think not. It is in fact an average production which I found more to have been tipped onto the funny side with Simon Pegg than onto some thrilling action.
When the Kremlin explodes in the background and Ethan Hunt is covered by the debris all I was thinking was why they could not have done a better job with the cinematography? INDEPENDENCE DAY which was shot back in 1996 was awarded for its effects and almost 2 decades down Cruise, Abrahams and Bird messes it up! The scaling of Burj Khalifa from the outside, the futuristic BWM and Simon Pegg saves MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL from being rated any lower than at midpoint! The action sequences apart from the Burj are the types that could have been done or seen in any movie. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE is a name that on its own sets a certain standard. Although personally I believe it is overrated, it does set the benchmark on many levels for its gadgets and stunts since 1996. Apart from the gloves and the car, nothing else seemed Ethan Hunt to me. The MI franchise is always known to move from director to director since it does not want to be like the one before. However I sense the flaw isn't in the direction or the cast. It's in the screenplay. It is too basic. In Fact its basic enough that I can skip a synopsis if not I may have to spoil it for the lucky few who have not watched it yet. It is not a bad script at all however it indeed isn't espionage material enough for a MI revamp. Ethan is assigned a mission, should he wish to accept it the message self-destructs (that line is way too old for 2012!) Ethan locates the villain, hunts him down and saves the day. This is exactly the concept since 1996. It is evident that MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL is indeed a very hard fought battle by both the cast and the crew. It saddens me as a fan to see the movie fall short of what I expected.
A humble request to Tom Cruise , if you chose to accept MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 5 please reconsider the entire concept of the franchise; if not your fan base will self-destruct without a doubt!
Title: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL Directed: Brad Bird Starring: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Michael Nyqvst and Tom Wilkinson Rated: PG13 Rating: 05/10 133 Minutes