Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol [DVD]

As some have mentioned, this is not a cerebral experience but I am unsure why anyone watching any Mission Impossible film would ever expect that it would be. This is an action thriller, dumb and brash and extremely unlikely. It is a work of escapist fiction where the audience must suspend their disbelief a little to invest in an over-the-top international espionage and terrorism plot played out by characters who are a little 'extra' human. It is a comic book film of sorts. And it is a very good one. It's fun.One of the main reasons why this works better than the other films in the series is Cruise's portrayal. He is reined in by the director (and, I believe, by himself) in order to give the supporting cast space to act. He is still the 'hero' or main protagonist, there are no illusions about that, but he is far more likeable and grounded in this instalment. And he even has an interesting back story that ties in with Jeremy Renner's (the new Bourne!) character rather splendidly.The plot is ridiculous and the set pieces wholly implausible but they are certainly staged with aplomb and extract much suspense from the situations, as well as even some startling twists. The scenes in Dubai where Hunt has to scale the Burj Khalifa are stunningly silly but palm-sweatingly good. Onwards to Mumbai and then back to Seattle, they certainly rack up a few stamps on their ghost passports. And it is fun to see the team working without back-up and the least amount of gizmos to aid them.The denouement where the new team disband with new missions and the Hunt sub-plot comes to a sad but fitting resolution is a perfect way to both move on and leave the possibility of sequels open.Highly recommended for action film junkies. Art house lovers need not apply - but they already know that.

As always, Tom Cruise takes his craft seriously and gives a stellar performance.. A movies star and A Hollywood movie over 2hrs. not pushed out on a conveyer belt of under 2hrs..

i can watch this movie everyday and dont get bored. the Burj khalifa stun is mental love it. Tom i love you

This is by far the best out of all the MI movies. It's (dare I say) much more realistic than the others. You can actually see Ethan Hunt struggle to get through these mini-missions to complete his goal. Gone is the cocky near-super-human Tom Cruise, to a more "this is proving tough" Tom Cruise. There's a bit more personality in this Ethan Hunt. Simon Pegg adds a nice bit of humour in to the movie. Similar to his role in Star Trek - being 'the funny nerd'.It's pure fast action all the way. Some edge of your seat bits wondering how will he get himself outta this one. Loads of great action scenes. They went down the good oul' reliable Russian-baddie route as usual. Bit Cliche, but who cares. It's well worth a watch.As for the Blu-Ray experience, yeah, it's not bad. Some visually good scenes in Dubai. The Kremlin part too. The 7.1 Dolby Digital sound is a mess though. It seems someone just set all the sound to "all channels" and left it at that. I've got 5.1 surround sound AV receiver, and found myself having to adjust my amp to get a decent balance in the channels for some kind of surround experience. I've just heard better and clearer movies I suppose.

The fourth Mission Impossible movie is my third favourite after Fallout and Rouge Nation and is a great action ride. Brad Bird made his live action debut having previously worked in animation [Simpsons, The Incredibles] and brings a lot of creativity to the action pieces, especially during a car chase in the midst of a sandstorm.Tom Cruise has an incredible sequence where he scales the Burj Khalifa tower [done practically too] which is worth the price of admission and is still great as Ethan Hunt. The team element is also strong. Jeremy Renner is probably my favourite with some good fighting sequences and strong acting, but Simon Pegg brings the humour and Paula Patton, in her sole outing in the series, holds her own. The pacing, though a little slack early on, is good, as is the score. Bird keeps the tension strong, in particular leaving an action scene in the Kremlin unscored and having the team’s technology let them down.The plot is nothing new and the villains [including a miscast Léa Seydoux] are only serviceable [something the sequels got right] and the CGI has dated in parts but these niggles don't come close to harming a fun entry. A blast

Okay - if you havn't got it by this instalment, the title of the films give it away - 'Mission Impossible' - utterly beyond belief is a fair summary.However if you cast aside a fair chunk of reality and just see it for what it is, it becomes a jolly romp which entertains and makes you laugh in equal measures.If nothing else you get to wonder what has happened to Tom Cruise, as he has a shape more akin to 'Popeye' than someone real - watch it and you'll see what I mean.Anyhow it is what it is and I must admit I enjoyed it, despite the above.But does it come anywhere near the early original TV Series for 'believable' Mission Impossible situations?No - but it doesn't matter.......... watch and either laugh or kick the screen with equal enjoyment - you will be glad you did!!!

The Incredibles/Ratatouille director Brad Bird takes his hand at live action for the first time with this movie and he easily outshines those who have been doing this for years. The action set pieces are choreographed to perfection as the two hour roller coaster ride keeps a pace similar to the Bourne movies but unlike those, the geography of sequences is never lost. Bird expertly builds the tension throughout the film and I was often brought to the edge of my seat.My only gripe with Mission 4 is that Ethan Hunt takes far too many blows to his body. By the end of the movie, he should be a bloody mess with bones poking out of his clothes and possibly a huge crater in his skull. It's only a small note though and when you're in the moment, it doesn't detract from the otherwise excellent joyride that I can highly recommend.