Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol review
The
latest Mission Impossible film had a lot to prove, and it's just about
done it with a fresh, but oldschool, take on the action genre...
Tom Cruise, the star of the Mission Impossible series, may be approaching the big 5-0 next year, but you wouldn't know it walking out of Ghost Protocol.
So fresh and bright is this latest instalment in the action franchise
that it shows up many recent examples of the genre, easily outdoing the Bournes and Statham's of the world in both stunt-work, plotting and overflowing chemistry between its stars.
Those stars consist of Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton and Simon Pegg, all working together on another near-impossible mission. A returning Simon Pegg is probably the most entertaining of the quartet, but the British actor is almost always great value for money in property's such as this (see Star Trek, Mission Impossible III), and the rest of the supporting players certainly hold their own. Renner, in particular, has been touted to eventually take over from Cruise, and the ground-work for that reshuffle is effectively lain here.
But most of the film's advertising has focused on the movie's main set-piece on the world's tallest building, and the actual scenes definitely don't disappoint. The filmmakers seem to know what they have here, as the moments leading up to Cruise's Ethan Hunt climbing the side of the building with nothing but magnetic gloves holding him in place are delivered with maximum suspense and tension in mind. Visually, they're absolutely mind-blowing, and if you get the chance to see the film in its intended IMAX setting, please do.
This is also Brad Bird's live-action debut, so you'd expect the visual aspects of M:I to be its strongest assets. The director has cut his teeth on Pixar animation, after all, but films like The Incredibles and Iron Giant have not been praised across the board for how they look alone. This is a Brad Bird movie, through and through, bringing all of the strengths of his past output to the action-adventure table. Almost everyone here is trying to prove a point, not least of all Cruise, who holds no shame in reminding everyone what a gosh-darn action hero he can be at his best.
It is also very, very witty in places, even when Pegg isn't there to pick up the slack. The majority of Ghost Protocol is light-hearted and fun, only flipping to the heavy stuff or lengthy exposition when absolutely necessary. The choice of using a four-part team, and travelling across the world's most exotically attractive locations throughout the running time, was an ingenious one, as it keeps everything going at a good pace, and never lets up for long enough to let the audience become restless or bored.
This Mission Impossible has all the plus points of the rest of the series, but adds to them with a great choice of director and unwavering conviction from its stars. You can understand why, as this is Tom Cruise's baby in many ways, and his dedication to making the stunts as authentic (he did the building climb himself) and exciting as possiblie an authenticity and heart that many action franchises lack.
Those stars consist of Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton and Simon Pegg, all working together on another near-impossible mission. A returning Simon Pegg is probably the most entertaining of the quartet, but the British actor is almost always great value for money in property's such as this (see Star Trek, Mission Impossible III), and the rest of the supporting players certainly hold their own. Renner, in particular, has been touted to eventually take over from Cruise, and the ground-work for that reshuffle is effectively lain here.
But most of the film's advertising has focused on the movie's main set-piece on the world's tallest building, and the actual scenes definitely don't disappoint. The filmmakers seem to know what they have here, as the moments leading up to Cruise's Ethan Hunt climbing the side of the building with nothing but magnetic gloves holding him in place are delivered with maximum suspense and tension in mind. Visually, they're absolutely mind-blowing, and if you get the chance to see the film in its intended IMAX setting, please do.
This is also Brad Bird's live-action debut, so you'd expect the visual aspects of M:I to be its strongest assets. The director has cut his teeth on Pixar animation, after all, but films like The Incredibles and Iron Giant have not been praised across the board for how they look alone. This is a Brad Bird movie, through and through, bringing all of the strengths of his past output to the action-adventure table. Almost everyone here is trying to prove a point, not least of all Cruise, who holds no shame in reminding everyone what a gosh-darn action hero he can be at his best.
It is also very, very witty in places, even when Pegg isn't there to pick up the slack. The majority of Ghost Protocol is light-hearted and fun, only flipping to the heavy stuff or lengthy exposition when absolutely necessary. The choice of using a four-part team, and travelling across the world's most exotically attractive locations throughout the running time, was an ingenious one, as it keeps everything going at a good pace, and never lets up for long enough to let the audience become restless or bored.
This Mission Impossible has all the plus points of the rest of the series, but adds to them with a great choice of director and unwavering conviction from its stars. You can understand why, as this is Tom Cruise's baby in many ways, and his dedication to making the stunts as authentic (he did the building climb himself) and exciting as possiblie an authenticity and heart that many action franchises lack.
Comments
Post a Comment