Director Brad Bird (in his live action feature debut) took a lot of care to ensure that the franchise returned to what made it so successful in the first place. And no, not just carefully timed explosions and suspending Ethan Hunt, again played by Tom Cruise, from some precarious perch.

First, he stopped numbering the sequels. This way, although they still maintain the core characters and remain in the canon of the story, they distance themselves from the less successful parts two and three. Take, for example, the James Bond franchise. There are references to characters spread over multiple films, such as the death of his wife in On Her Majesty�s Secret Service mentioned by Felix Lighter in License to Kill. However, they are not specifically numbered because they are independent movies that don�t necessitate viewing the preceeding movie to fully appreciate it. With the innovative new title Mission Impossible is no longer bogged down by a number sequence and free to create its own universe, no matter how many movies it takes.

Our film opens with unknown agent played by Trevor Halloway. He makes a dramatic escape with a package, only to be killed and have it taken from him by a deadly assassin. We then immediately cut to Hunt in a Serbian prison where he was sent for the deaths of six soldiers. Working on breaking him out is Jane Carter, played by Paula Patton, setting explosives of sorts and Benji Dunn, played by Simon Pegg.

After his harrowing escape, the crew makes for Moscow to stop an unknown man named Cobalt from getting his hands on everything needed to launch a nuclear device. When the mission is botched nearly creating an international incident, the entire IMF is blamed. The President of the United States initiates Ghost Protocol, meaning any active field agents are to either report back to Washington to face imprisonment or to discontinue any field work and act as civilians. This is where the movie really surpasses its predecessors.

The team only has a sparse amount of equipment to work with that was at a safe house in the field. There is no outside technical support, no satellite surveillance, no emergency extractions. There is only the four of them, small side arms for each and whatever they are able to make with their limited resources. The audience is made to feel their desperation and as a result is in a constant state of suspense as virtually each of the gadgets malfunctions in some way, and they are just supposed to adapt.

One problem in the film is the use of excessive breaks for a quick joke. Having comic relief during stressful moments can create a very necessary catharsis for the audience. However, too many jokes at the wrong time can create a detachment with the suspenseful nature of the scene, and that is what happened here. One cannot specifically complain about any one character or moment, because by themselves, they are amusing and entertaining. But with too many it removes the stress of the situation. After all, a psychotic is intending to start world war three; could we work up a sweat a little bit before the next joke?

The settings are visually stunning. Whether we are at the Kremlin in Moscow or the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, each scene is well shot. What�s more impressive is that these were used these places to their full potential, not just as an easy backdrop. Even in the throes of a vicious sand storm, there isn�t one scene that isn�t visually appealing.

There really isn�t anything here to dislike. The characters aren�t unstoppable super spies, they are flawed human beings who let their emotions get the better of them and sometimes are on the losing end of a physical exchange. The settings are awe-inspired and beautiful. The tension is palpable and the comedy, though often disruptive, does have its place. The interaction and dialogue between the characters is completely natural, there aren�t any forced interactions or unnatural, unnecessary romantic subplots. This is a great movie that, finally, brings the series back to its roots and will leave the audience gasping until the button is pushed.

Write Comment
Name:	Guest
Title:
Comment:
Code:*

Powered by AkoComment 2.0!