Bird shines in first live action outing!

Rating: 9/10 (8 February 2012)

'MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five)
The fourth 'Ethan Hunt' adventure is both the most financially successful of the 'MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE' series as well as the most critically acclaimed. It was directed by Brad Bird (former Corvallis High School graduate and Oscar winning Pixar director), in his first live action outing, and written by Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec (two TV writer vets). 'MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III' director J.J. Abrams produced the film along with star Tom Cruise and Bryan Burk and up and coming actors Jeremy Renner and Paula Patton joined returning cast members Cruise and Simon Pegg. The result is an exhilarating action thrill ride. Not quite as classic as the original but perhaps the best of any of the sequels.
This time around Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is on a deadly mission to stop a terrorist known as Kurt Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist) from attacking the U.S. with stolen Russian nuclear launch codes. He and his team, Benji Dunn (Pegg) and Jane Carter (Patton), first attempt to stop the madman at the Kremlin when a bomb goes off and the IMF team is blamed for it. The president cuts off Hunt and his team, issuing 'Ghost Protocol' against them. They do find aid from a intelligence analyst named William Brandt (Renner) though, that seems to know more about Hunt and his team than he lets on.
The movie is filled with spectacular edge of your seat action scenes and visuals. Cruise and the rest of the cast are adequate but there's definitely nothing too memorable in the form of acting. It's Bird that shines in the director seat as well as a smart and fun script and excellent work from an awesome technical team. The movie is not nearly as nostalgic or engaging as the original but, like I said, it offers a little more fun than the last two installments. If you're a fan of the series you're sure to enjoy.
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