Cruise lights up the screen once again aided by a hugely likable supporting cast. Thrills, laughs and action aplenty make for solid popcorn entertainment.

Rating: 8/10 (30 December 2011)

Not one of the Mission Impossible films since the very first in the series back in 1996 have managed to compete or even really get close to having what most people would call a plot. But where 'Ghost Protocol' rises above the previous two sequels is in its inventiveness and sense of fun. Cruise has always been a likable and charismatic lead and really breathes life into the character of Ethan Hunt but it's mainly thanks to Brad Bird (that's right! – the man behind 'Ratatouille' and 'The Incredibles') that the series has really found its feet again. Word is that Cruise has now decided to break the mould of choosing a brand new director for each movie due to the unique visual panache that Bird has brought to his brilliantly executed set pieces and has already signed Bird on for the fifth movie. Deservedly so methinks.
15 years after the first movie and Cruise is still very much the star of the show, having barely aged since the series began he's certainly showing no signs of slowing down – quite the opposite in fact. Here, we see him in peak physical fitness doing more death defying stunts than the first and third movies combined – sprinting, leaping over cars and off staircases, side kicking bad guys at head height, zip-wiring onto the roof of a moving van and even finding time for a brief kiss with Paula Patton's seductively capable Agent Carter, Maggie Q's equally attractive replacement to the IMF team. But most impressive of all is of course what some would argue to be the movie's climax – Cruise scaling the tallest skyscraper in the world, Dubai's Burj Khalifa. For real. Yep. – Filmed entirely in IMAX this one sequence alone is worth the price of admission and is so thrillingly effective that you'll have dropped all your popcorn down you in disbelief of how much vertigo you'll be feeling if not for yourself then at least on behalf of Cruise. However, before and after scenes involving a rather comic but tense infiltration into the Kremlin and a car chase taking place in a blinding sandstorm are certainly worth no less in the entertainment department.
'Ratatouille' composer Michael Giacchino re-collaborates with Bird and continues the scoring from the previous movie, his unique style being instantly recognisable and in contrast to Hans Zimmer's more reflective but no lesser take on M:I-2's set pieces, provides us with a greater sense of urgency adding to the shock of the sudden bursts of action which are aplenty.
Like the first movie, all the characters are well rounded meaning we actually care about newcomers Paula Patton and Jeremy Renner - welcome replacements to the IMF team. Simon Pegg is back and as likable as ever providing much of the light relief to Cruise's daring exploits and it's good to see his character has evolved from the last film, now having become a competent field agent who can shoot straight without flinching.
In fact, the supporting cast all ooze talent with the likes of Anil Kapoor (24), Michael Nyqvist (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Vladimir Mashkov (Behind Enemy Lines) and Léa Seydoux (Robin Hood) making for a highly talented bunch for Cruise, Pegg, Patton and Renner to play off. Even brief cameos by Tom Wilkinson's IMF secretary, Josh Holloway's field agent and Ving Rhames' return as Ethan Hunt's long term sidekick are made memorable and really elevate the profile of this fourth entry in the franchise. The happy endings are also still here but with an additional plot twist that's hard to see coming, even for an IMF agent.
Verdict: Cruise, his fellow leads and supporting cast alike are all on top form complemented by Bird's competent and flamboyant direction. A hugely enjoyable spy thriller which has softened the blow in waiting for the release of 'Sky fall' and is without a doubt the best Mission Impossible since the first in the franchise. See it.
Review by MARK PAYNE