When a terrorist bombing destroys the Kremlin, the United States government initiates a black ops "ghost protocol" and disavows the entire Impossible Mission Force. Ethan Hunt and his team are to be blamed for the attack, but are allowed to escape as part of a plan to enable them to operate in the dark, outside of their agency. However, Hunt is warned that if any member of his team is captured during their mission, they will be charged as terrorists planning to incite global nuclear war. Ethan is then forced to work with ex-IMF agent Brandt, who knows more about Hunt and his past than even Hunt himself.
The latest instalment in the hugely popular
Mission Impossible franchise is the best yet, with director Brad Bird delivering some of the most breathtaking and jaw dropping action set pieces of 2011. Known for helming
The Incredibles and
Ratatouille for Pixar, Bird's foray into live action filmmaking is with any luck the first of many. The momentum very rarely lets up and the most publicised sequence - Tom Cruise's impressive climb up the gigantic "Burj Khafi" building in Dubai - is, as you may have suspected, the most memorable. Filmed specifically for IMAX, it's the most compelling reason to pay extra to see
Ghost Protocol on one of the larger screens and is magnificently constructed by Bird. The rest of the movie also refuses to let up, with car chases, prison breaks, sandstorms and fight scenes aplenty. The inventive and unique spin on the iconic rope dangling scene (this time with Jeremy Renner instead of Cruise) is particularly refreshing.
Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt is once again the main focus, although the movie takes on more of an ensemble feel with the condensed IMF team of Brandt (Jeremy Renner), Jane (Paula Patton) and Benji (Simon Pegg). This is no bad thing, thanks to a fantastic team dynamic and significant/unique roles for them each. Indeed, there are no weak links in the main cast regardless of how big or small a part their characters have.
Lost's Josh Holloway turns up for a very fun sequence, while Anil Kapoor, Michael Nyqvist and Léa Seydoux round off the impressive cast. However, if there is one particular area that
Ghost Protocol falls down in, it's the villain. Vladimir Mashkov is convincing enough as the evil Sidorov, but only a single news report and a few snippets of dialogue offer up any real explanation of his motives. On the plus side, this lack of focus does give the impression that he's too big a threat to make it personal a la Philip Seymour Hoffman in
Mission Impossible 3. He's got to be stopped, end of story.
The story itself is straightforward enough, with plenty of smaller character moments and snappy dialogue giving
Ghost Protocol an edge over the other brainless blockbusters filling up multiplexes these days. Spot on special effects with a rousing score from Michael Giacchino top off what is essentially the perfect popcorn movie. Brad Bird and his impressive cast show that there's plenty of life left in the franchise, while Hunt remains up there with Bond and Bourne as one of the best spies on the big screen.
Tom Cruise cements his status as one of the best action stars of today and Jermey Renner continues to prove that he's equally deserving of such a title. Your mission, if you choose to accept it...hunt down an IMAX screen and watch the best action movie of 2011, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.