After JJ Abrams’ impossible rescue mission on this franchise in 2006, Brad Bird gets to direct fourth film in the run. It’s an interesting one; in 2006 the IMF gadgetry seemed like movie magic. One year later the iPhone came out and it set the ball rolling on a whole new world of pocket computers as powerful as full-sized ones and seamless wireless access to the internet from almost anywhere in the world. The every-man now has all the cool shit Ethan Hunt had in 1996.

It’s not about what you’ve got though, it’s how you use it, and here the crew get up to some pretty bad-ass hi jinks in Dubai. I liked it the first time and the stuff in the desert definitely holds up to a second viewing. Lea Seydoux matches Seymour Hoffman like for like on the scariness scale but sadly they kill her off way too soon.

It wouldn’t be such a bad thing but the actual villain seems to have no real motive for doing what he’s doing. That, along with the Jeremy Renner plot, does put the whole film on shaky ground. However, much like the last one, it’s a well made piece of spy fun propped up by good actors and stand out set pieces.

Bring on number five!

(Also, send help)

http://benoliver999.com/film/2017/05/19/missionimpossibleghostprotocol/

Brad Bird directs this one and he does a great job. I really liked the film. The action scenes are amazing!

The cast is charismatic. Tom Cruise gives energy to the film as Ethan. Simon Pegg’s character has more to do now. I’m not the biggest fan of Jeremy Renner’s character, but he is ok even though. Paula Patton plays an agent that appears only in this film for some reason, I liked her. I expected more of Léa Seydoux’s character, she doesn’t do much.

The action scenes are great! They get better and better by each film.
That sequence where the mission takes place in Dubai is awesome. When Ethan has to climb the Burj Khalifa is breathtaking. Amazingly shot. These guys are insane, congrats to Tom Cruise for making these scenes even better. Wow.

When the CGI is used in a most apparent way, it not very good. I liked the set piece where we have a sandstorm coming though. Oh, and the big explosion on the Kremlin where Ethan tries to run from it although the bad CGI, it is still entertaining.

I enjoyed that they still use some key elements since first entry in the franchise: masks everywhere and some crazy gadgets. I like that they do not take itself too serious like the new 007 films. Good pacing as well.

The best one in the franchise so far for sure.

**Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol takes an already great formula and upgrades it with bigger stunts, more character development, and an expanded universe.**

Ghost Protocol tops the list of best Mission Impossible movies and sits near the top of best spy films. Ghost Protocol ratchets up the action, the stunts, the comedy, and the allure while still delivering a compelling and entertaining story in ways the franchise hadn’t mastered before. The world of the IMF expands beyond its star agent Ethan Hunt by showing agents on other missions and giving Hunt’s team backstories and development. Brad Bird’s Pixar charm rubs off on the film with fun, quirky moments punctuating the incredible action set pieces and providing a little breathing room in the intense face-paced plot. The quality of new characters and the pedigree of the actors playing them seems to prepare the franchise for spin-offs or even a changing of the guard (if Tom Cruise ever wanted to pass the movies on to a new lead). Ghost Protocol sets a new bar for the Mission Impossible series that causes its successors to thrive as they reach for its level of excellence. If you didn’t want to watch all 6 (and soon to be 8), Ghost Protocol wouldn’t be a bad place to start.

This is almost as good as the first outing - almost 20 years ago - for "Ethan" (Tom Cruise) and he finds himself on the wrong end of an evaluation from the US Government - led by "Hunley" (Alec Baldwin) that wants to dissolve the IMF. He and "Luther" (VIng Rhames), meantime, are on the trail of the "Syndicate" - a criminal organisation that poses a real threat to the peace and security of the nation and to his organisation. Co-opting "Benji" (Simon Pegg) and "Brandt" (Jeremy Renner) they soon come across the enigmatic "Ilsa" (Rebecca Ferguson) who wants to help out, but why? What now ensues is a tautly directed thriller with plenty of action that takes us all around Morocco and Europe before quite a gripping conclusion to the intrigue leaves everyone unsure who they can trust. Christopher McQuarrie seems to have decided to go back to the television series for reference here, the teamwork (even from the usually terrible Pegg) and the plot develop more plausibly and excitingly; it has a grittier and more substantial story to it, and even if Cruise looks a little unkempt from time to time, that narrative is just better - it actually is a thriller rather than just another piece of star-led boisterous entertainment. Like most films that depict the principle of US Senate oversight, it continues to poke fun at the (in)competencies of that body to even make a proper cup of coffee; there is some humour in the dialogue and it's put the franchise very much back on track.

Perhaps what I'm missing with _Mission: Impossible_ is the big screen experience. Because I'm just not really feeling the love with this franchise. 15 years down the road since the first film and it still all feels a little unfocussed and silly to me, despite how beloved I know it is.

That all said, and though the villain here is certainly no Phillip Seymour-Hoffman of _M:I:III_, I still felt this was the strongest entry of the franchise so far. They even finally figured out that women can be used for more than just a damsel-in-distress, throwaway-set-piece or eye-candy. They haven't moved terribly far past that point, but at least they're changing it up a little. This fourth entry also adds a little levity, something a series that has always been a little dumb, is well served by.

_Final rating:★★½ - Had a lot that appealed to me, didn’t quite work as a whole._