First Reviews For MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL Hit

Released next week, here are the first batch of reviews for Brad Bird's Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. There's plenty more to be found via sites such as Rotten Tomatoes, but here are a selection of those from some of the biggest outlets. So far, it would appear that this a return to form for the popular franchise, with the majority of critics praising the impressive action sequences and special effects.

In his first live-action film, Bird gives us a cleaner, clearer, smarter and better action film than Michael Bay has in any of his nine straining, slapdash efforts. I wasn't blasted into the back of my seat cushions or dragged to the edge of my seat, but there were moments of adrenaline, laughter and suspense with enough character details to like these people being buffeted and blasted by bombs and bullets. Alongside Fast Five, Mission: Impossible 4 stands as one of the big-studio highlights of the year—it's smart, snappy and stylish fun just in time for the holiday. [4*]

There's no doubt that this is a sequel to the last film, and it seems like the real goal of the film is to build a team that can last more than one movie. It's nice to see the way these characters reveal themselves and build connections, and Cruise seems more than happy to make room for Renner and Patton and Pegg. He's entertained by them, and they all make real contributions to the film. It's so easy when you've got a star as big as Cruise for that person to overwhelm the movie, but Bird never lets that happen. Bird's proven here that he can orchestrate mayhem with grace and style, and that he can absolutely adapt his voice to someone else's creation, and while that might not make this one of the very best films of the year, it does make it a significant one, because I get the feeling Bird's still just warming up. [A-]

It may not be The Incredibles, but there is some fairly incredible stuff to be found in Mission: Impossible —Ghost Protocol, animation ace Brad Bird's first live-action film and a good continuation of the now-16-year-old series. The impact of spectacular action on striking international locales is moderated somewhat by the repetitive nature of the challenges faced by this rebooted team of American agents trying to thwart a villain who believes that a nuclear winter would be in the natural order of things. With Tom Cruise in top form here and IMAX presentation enhancing some of the key sequences, this Paramount release should add substantially to the grand total of a franchise that has hauled in $1.4 billion to date.

Cruise’s commitment to both his character and the series as a whole remains the thing that keeps it viable, but he’s also a generous collaborator who surrounds himself with a formidable ensemble: Pegg’s natural irreverence protects the film from becoming too dire, while Patton’s conflicted professionalism gives it humanity, and Renner provides an unexpected emotional throughline, albeit one that more strongly reinforces Hunt than his own character. But without solid or identifiable obstacles for the team to overcome, save for reinforcing the surface-level realization “teamwork is really important, you guys,” Bird’s film doesn’t leave much of an impression, and possesses little lasting value, which is something that all of his films until now have both done and had in excessive quantities.[B]

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol might well be a romping spy adventure of pretty traditional structure and format, but once Tom slips into his climbing gear (bolstered by some nifty special sticky gloves) and starts shimmying up the sheer glass sides of this spectacular building, the film really goes into overdrive. And it is made even more spectacular if you catch it in an IMAX version. The Burj Khalifa scenes as seen on the massive IMAX screen are breathtaking...and if you suffer from vertigo it might well give you the shakes.

The fantastic gizmos keep malfunctioning in "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol," and similarly, this elaborately conceived fourth entry in the Tom Cruise action franchise delivers a tremendous early surge of excitement before running into engine trouble. Pixar wizard Brad Bird's live-action debut serves up sights and setpieces of often jaw-dropping ingenuity and visual flair, but it's a movie of dazzling individual parts that don't come together to fully satisfying effect in the final stretch. Nonetheless, a robust marketing push, Imax showings and an ample if intermittent sense of creative resurgence should spell strong, sustained B.O. for Paramount's holiday tentpole.