First things first…I have been wondering why the ‘Ghost Protocol’ title was in bigger font than the franchise’s title. Are they trying to market the movie as a reboot? Or a new franchise altogether? Suffice to say that it didn’t stop me from going for the movie though it did confuse the guy at the counter when I asked tickets for ‘Mission Impossible’.
Most people either havent seen the original TV show or worse…not even heard of it. Kill me now, TV Fans, coz I just said the truth. I for one was fortunate enough to watch ‘some’ seasons of the show just coz Leonard Nimoy was in the cast. There were bits of the show evident in the movies (IMF, The Plot Theme music, homage to an assortment of action sequences) but the movies, Mission Impossible 1 to 3, concentrated more on the agent by name Ethan Hunt than the team. Its good to see Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol back in form, this time with an amazing cast as well as focussed on the team.
Helming the successor to Mission Impossible III (directed by none other than J J Abrams) is Brad Bird. Famous for directing ‘The Incredibles’ and other Pixar animated movies, I was surprised to see that an animation veteran like Bird was handling an action movie. I knew the franchise was in good hands though I was skeptical at the same time at how much better than Abrams he could get. Safe to say that the movie is enjoyable and crafted in reminiscent Abrams fashion.
Story is a formulaic plot to stitch together action setpieces at exotic locations like Budapest, Kremlin, Dubai and Mumbai. The stunts are all well choreographed, awe-inspiring and is a treat to watch. What I don’t understand is that why does it always have to be a nuclear threat that gets the IMF run around the globe? Last time it was Evian’s ‘Rabbit’s Foot’ and this time a megalomaniac named Cobalt on the loose with another nuclear device. I mean Nuclear Devices are all the creativity the writers got? Some background info is indeed provided amidst all the fast paced action but still I am a wee bit disappointed with the story. Still Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol carries forward its essential panache set by its predecessors with its complex and stylish action setpieces.
Tom Cruise & Simon Pegg, this time is accompanied by Jeremy Renner and Paula Patton. I’d like to add that the character Ethan Hunt is increasingly traversing on a one-dimensional and less intriguing curve and Cruise had nothing much to do in this movie than crawl up and down Burj Khalifa and similar action sequences. At the end of the movie Ethan says something about the mission being successful only coz of the team and I’d like to say the same about the cast. The movie wins you over because of the amazing chemistry between the cast, of which Simon Pegg steals every scene he’s in. He’s not just comic relief…he just got promoted both as an IMF agent and the main entertainer in the movie. It seemed like Jeremy Renner is just getting warmed up for his big role in The Avengers next year. His character ‘Brandt’, despite having a mysterious back story, was a bit underwritten but he oozed a kind of James Bond charm and even looked like Daniel Craig at times and was equally entertaining as Pegg. Paula Patton was a refreshing change from the stereotypical Bond-girls of the previous movies. She is simple & gorgeous and evenly vixen-ous in the action sequences. India’s own Anil Kapoor, despite allotted generous poster space, is portrayed and reduced to a rich playboy. J J Abams’ own ‘LOST’ (TV Show) star Josh Holloway is introduced with a bang but in a snap goes into a blink and miss role. Another weak point in the movie is the villain ‘Cobalt’. His character is not at all fleshed out and never attains a supervillain status and is a big disappointment compared to Mission Impossible III’s maliciously cool Evian played the incredible Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Michael Giachino’s score is fresh and makes a scene spectacular as well as tense at times. Especially the Burj Khalifa sequence was tense with just a mere ambience than a full-fledged score. The slow build up of a revamped ‘The Plot Theme’ was just amazing.
Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol is formulaic and follows a safe path set forward by J J Abrams and Brad Bird revamps it to be a great team based adventure than burdening Ethan Hunt with all the escapades…thus evidently proves to be a talented action movie director. Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol works well due to its cast and the franchise is indeed famous for its exquisite action sequences and it has them in abundance…now that I can assure you!
What I Thought! 