Whilst I respect this film, I certainly don't get on with it.

Rating: 7/10 (12 February 2020)

I think you're either a MI3 person or a MI Ghost Protcol person and I am certainly the former. Although with the amount that the people I was with were laughing and enjoying, it's easy to appreciate this feel-good, fun, popcorn blockbuster for working its particular brand of magic.
Brad Bird paints in broad strokes with everything, the shots and cinematography, the music, the dialogue and plot and even down to the villain who is easily as bad as 2's Sean Ambrose despite being bland as a box of fluff.
The almost science fiction approach to the gadgets means that this film stands out in my mind, Bird making a stab at a fun Bondian Cold War entry with a Roger Moore vibe. But I'm waiting for some big secrets or revelations following the last film's constant tension and upmanship, and there really isn't. It's pretty straightforward which, with the potential of this franchise to subvert and eschew audience expectations, is a shame.
And then there's the constant japery that I have to say felt wrong almost all of the time to me. And there's the strange collection of fairly anonymous side characters that turn up like comedy versions of leads from other films.
Cruise looks like he's too busy and he's slotting his work into reshoots and then there's the bland Renner and the whole franchise's attempt to slowly wring Cruise from the series that failed so badly it left Renner out of the latest one.
Bird shoots long and interesting scenes that take their time and don't require complex preamble, the Mission structure all play out in front of you and it's easy to follow and heightened at the same time.
Good to see Julia for a short moment but the tacked in ambiguity is annoying.
Unfortunately despite the film's merits, all of which I note, but not many of which I enjoy, I have to say that I find Ghost Protocol to be a big, bold, broad let down. The second half is entertaining and beautiful and the sandstorm sequence is bloody good. But it ain't enough.
That Max reference is baffling, and that bit with the Kremlin is unforgivable CGI though, looks less realistic than something from The Incredibles.
Impossible Mission: I suppose it has to be the Burj Khalifa. Despite the structure of the diamonds scene, the Burj is the big stunt. Ghost Protocol may be the first film in the series to properly delineate between the impossible Mission and the big teaser/poster/flagship 'Stunt'. The Burj is bold in imax and cool but a little contrived. The Winstrom/Moreau sequence is a clever brisk little sleight if hand with a low tech vibe and it escalates to an action sequence pretty seamlessly.