Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol certainly ran the risk of extending a series that was running on fume since its last go-around. Tom Cruise was not the movie star he used to be. Jeremy Renner, while a tremendous actor, was not an absolute sell as an action star. Paula Patton's biggest role to date was in Jumping the Groom. Simon Pegg was not an action star, but the plucky comic relief. But with Brad Bird (The Incredibles) at the helm and energetic turns by all of the actors, MI4 did the seemingly impossible. It made Ghost Protocol arguably the best Mission Impossible yet.
This was not a perfect movie by any means. Between Dubai and Mumbai, there was an odd and prolonged layover that, while completely pertinent, was also completely boring. Many times, the MI series tries too hard to entangle the viewer in this confusing web of story lines, especially with the abuse of the perfect facial masks that have been used multiple times throughout this series. While (thankfully) the protagonists left this to a minimum, there was still some camouflaging in this film. But outside of this, the films was solid and fast-paced.
The actors were outstanding, though not perfect. Patton seemed to edge on the hammy side when she was forced to be emotional. Cruise seemed to waver between all-too-serious secret agent and bantering spy colleague. Pegg ran the risk of turning into a one-joke guy with his quippy-ness. Renner played his role of action star well, but had some trouble in the more emotional parts of the movie. But on the whole, this team was actually a team. The chemistry can be felt among the four actors as they effortlessly flowed through the movie, turning into a tight-knit team of spies.
Bird took his first stab at live-action film and brought a cartoon-y aspect to it. The opening credits were a testament to the limitlessness that Bird has dealt with in animation. It jumped from scene to scene following a dynamite wick on its way to an explosion. His best idea was not anything to do with the editing or the cuts. It was the scenery. Bird brilliantly captured the beauty of both Mumbai and Dubai in his far shots. The majesty and magnificence of Dubai served as the backdrop to the most thrilling scene in the film. Bird is also willing to turn all of the buildings into his playground. One of the best parts about confined spaces in this film is that Bird turns these closed areas with limited movement into this vast expanse of area. At times, it felt too slapsticky, too cartoony. Some of the stunts would work better in an animated setting. But overall, Bird kept the suspense high and the thrills on.
Overall, the movie was great. It had one of the easier plots to follow of the MI series, and the entire film was an unending thrill ride. The actors were having fun, the director was having fun, and even the composer, Michael Giacchino (the genius behind the score of Up) seemed to have fun with the riffs off the hold MI theme music. And that is what made MI4 so great. The film was so much fun that the audience could not help but stand in awe with the artistry that a seeming popcorn flick could have.
