What you expected... and then some

Rating: 7/10 (15 January 2012)

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and the rest of the IMF (Impossible Mission Force - duh!) are implicated in the recent bombing of the Kremlin, tensions between Russia and The States are rising at a Cuban Missile Crisis level and Tom Cruise looks 25 years younger. Only Hunt and the rest of the four-man (per se) group can reveal the truth about the bombing and bring the true terrorists to justice. Sound like a Mission Impossible movie yet? Keep reading.
This movie consists of four main elements: action, comedy, cheese- filled-drama and more action. Those of you who have seen the previous movies know what I'm on about and having just seen The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (the unnecessary Hollywood version) two days ago - I welcomed this mindlessly entertaining roller-coaster ride.
The two hour movie begins with a chiselled IMF agent (Sawyer from LOST) fending off and escaping the clutches of his attackers only to be exterminated by a deliciously cute little assassin who steals his briefcase. Later we find out that the case contains nuclear missile codes that eventually fall in the hands of a terrorist who plans to obliterate the United States. Hunt, in prison for killing his wife's murderers, escapes with the help of the new crew - Jane, William and Benji (Paula Patton, Jeremy Renner and Simon Pegg) - who have been assigned to deal with the terrorist situation and save everyone. Sound like a Mission Impossible movie now?
The story isn't brilliant. Perhaps just a little bit more narrative than an Austin Powers movie, but that's not what you're after. Brad Bird's directing abilities shine via the on-screen action and effects as well as a mixture of subtle and corny comedy. You feel every punch, even the ones thrown by the almost fifty-year-old Cruise. The sound is spot on with the theme tune creeping in at awesomely cool espionage moments.
In addition, Bird blends comedy into a lot of the action. Sometimes in a sort of cheesy one-liner way (think Rush Hour) and sometimes in a more illustrative way (think Ratatoullie - also directed by Bird). The movie doesn't shy from looking into itself as a cheesy action flick and poking fun at it, nor does it exaggerate its silliness. Having Hunt acrobatically swing around a skyscraper in Dubai from a hose pipe to try and reach a lower floor only to have him misjudge the landing and crash into the glass as the backing soundtrack impersonates a record scratch is brilliant.
Dubai isn't the only destination for this entertaining and (partly) meta-tastic action/comedy. The mission also takes the crew to Russia (obviously) and India, both of which become playgrounds for fun action, cool spy-stuff, stylish cars and badass gadgets.
Despite the lack of inspiration in the story, the characters are given the opportunity to develop. Jane eventually portrays a strong beautiful Bond-girl-esque woman, particularly in the hilarious scenes with Brij Nath (Anil Kapoor - major Bollywood actor) who's overwhelmingly sleazy swagger is slapped down and put to rest...literally. In addition, William and Benji are also more than just pieces of the slightly simple puzzle. William is troubled by his performance on a past assignment and Benji is the kid whose dreams of spy field work are eventually coming true.
Ultimately, this fourth addition to the Mission Impossible series is able to stand alone as a fun and exciting action packed movie that doesn't require much brain power. This is not a bad thing and so your mission is to enjoy it without too much effort...should you chose to accept it.
7/10