Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

In 1966, Bruce Geller embraced espionage on the small screen. Following The Avengers, The Saint, I Spy and Get Smart, the writer and producer created the series Mission: Impossible, which ran for seven seasons. A 1980s revival eventuated, before the commodity made the leap to cinema. Indeed, like the aforementioned efforts, the show lived on in movie format, starting with the eponymous 1996 offering, and succeeded by continuations in 2000, 2006 and 2011.

Although each of the features stars Tom Cruise, the franchise encompassed the program’s episodic format. Compiling a different supporting cast for each instalment, as well as changing directors, the four films explore varying missions within the prescribed formula. The latest addition – Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol – adheres to the pattern, with a new crisis for the hero to resolve. Under the guidance of Ratatouille’s Brad Bird, it journeys from Budapest to Moscow, and then Dubai to Mumbai, charting the actions of IMF agents.

After an explosive escape from a Russian prison, Ethan Hunt (Cruise, Knight and Day) and his team are thrust into the hunt for a nuclear terrorist (Michael Nyqvist, Abduction). When their efforts to divert disaster at the Kremlin are thwarted, the US government disavows the unit, leaving Hunt, Jane (Paula Patton, Precious), Benji (Simon Pegg, Paul) and Brandt (Jeremy Renner, The Town) to covertly continue their quest to save the world, sans resources and official assistance.

The longevity of the Mission: Impossible series stems from suspense and spectacle, combining the thriller and action genres. With a tangled plot teeming with duplicity and complimented by stunning set pieces, the latest iteration is up to standard, with both elements present in abundance. However, whilst the former retains interest as it overcomes obviousness by including the necessary red herrings, it is the latter that steals the show. Jailbreaks, government infiltration, tower climbing, sandstorm chases and more attempt to dazzle viewers with daring, in an imaginatively choreographed display of stunt work.

Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol also boasts humour, mining the comedic talents of the cast. Whilst Pegg is in his element playing the comic sidekick, unexpected mirth radiates from Cruise and Renner, who share a strong screen rapport. Indeed, first-time feature writers Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec amply insert amusement into the adventure, with Bird’s finessed helming tying it together. Accordingly, the film is a regaling, riveting and robust chapter in the saga, lessened only by the requisite repetition.

Rating: 3.5

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Director: Brad Bird
US, 2011, 133 min

Distributor: Paramount
Rated M
In cinemas nationally Thursday December 15, 2011