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Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol
After cutting his teeth on Pixar's The Incredibles, Brad Bird applies his ample talent and requisite enthusiasm for spy thrillers to live action in this, the latest installment in the foundering Mission: Impossible franchise. And the result is a resounding success, at least on par with the first film which also favoured the ‘spy thriller’ element to ground its story. Its abundance of butt busting action also easily trumps the last two feeble sequels.
Also like the first film, the faux technology is intelligently utilised with just enough realism to help us gloss over the implausible details - the technological principles are sound even if their implementation is a stretch.
Tom Cruise is starting to show his age but he's still remarkably fit for an old fella - hell, he's remarkably fit for a young fella! He's well renowned for personally performing as many stunts as his insurance policy allows (or is it as many as his agent allows?) and, again, he doesn't disappoint. The stunts are utterly breathtaking in their scope and application. They're thoroughly ridiculous in their credulity too but, you know, this is ‘Impossible Mission’ after all.
The villain (Michael Nyqvist) is thinly drawn but it matters little. We know what we need to know: he needs nuclear launch codes and an operational satellite to bring on a holocaust. Why? Well, because he's bad, and that's what bad guys do! In a lesser film, this shallowness of character would be a distinct flaw but here our minds are kept busy following the affairs of our side of the team with their intricate plotting, their wild gadgets and their ‘almost dying at every turn’ in their bid to save the world. Simon Pegg is also a most welcome addition on comic duties.
With its seductive combination of seat-of-your-pants action, fascinating gadgets and spy thrills, M:I4 is a holiday blockbuster winner.
Stuart Jamieson
www.missionimpossible.com
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