If it were possible to ignore casting Jim Phelps in the role of a traitor, Mission Impossible would be a pretty decent film. MI:2 and 3 much less so.
Our opinion, if you’re prepared to accept it, is this fourth entry in the franchise is a GREAT film.
We were treated to an advance screening at London’s BFI IMAX earlier this month and came away truly impressed. The action, the pace and the story are better than in any of previous three films.
And so is Tom Cruise.
It’s been five years since Cruise last played IMF agent Ethan Hunt. In that gap he upped his game with Valkyrie and in Ghost Protocol proves why he remains the most successful of the 80’s Brat Pack.
Charming and humorous, Cruise’s Hunt is a believable action hero who remains on the right side of ordinary joe/superhero line.
For this Mission, Cruise is joined by Paula Patton, Jeremy Renner and Simon Pegg. The three make for a serviceable, if unexciting, team but the only member of the cast who comes close to outshining Cruise is Anil Kapoor as telecommunications entrepreneur Brij Nath.
Director Brad Bird squeezes every last drop of tension from the plot and stages some truly awe-inspiring stunts. Details would spoil the treat, but audiences are in for some genuine thrills.
If you have the option, you’ll want to see this at your local IMAX. Bird uses the larger IMAX screen to grab the audience and place them within some of the most thrilling scenes cinema has offered in years.
Would it be hyperbole to suggest effects and stunts haven’t been so seamlessly woven into a film since Richard Donner convinced an audience Christopher Reeve could fly?
A fantastic, thrilling adventure which proves sequels can be better than the original.
Our verdict: 4/5
Mission Impossible 4 – Ghost Protocol, IMAX from December 21st, cinemas from December 26th.
