Today’s quick review: Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. IMF agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is languishing in a Russian prison, a pseudo-retirement brought about by an incident months earlier. When his expertise is needed for the IMF’s latest mission, Hunt’s new team stages a breakout. Together they infiltrate the Kremlin looking for information on Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist), a terrorist who wants to kick off World War III using Russian nuclear weapons. The operation goes south when a bombing at the Kremlin is pinned on Hunt’s team, and the President enacts Ghost Protocol, disavowing the IMF and leaving Hunt’s team out in the cold. Now wanted fugitives, Ethan, Brandt (Jeremy Renner), Jane (Paula Patton), and Benji (Simon Pegg) are the only ones who can stop Hendricks before he starts a nuclear war.
The fourth installment in the Mission: Impossible series, Ghost Protocol pushes the franchise in an excellent new direction. As usual for the series, the film is built around big stunts, futuristic gadgets, and high-stakes, globe-trotting spy action. Ghost Protocol adds humor, gadget failure, and a bevy of new locations. Newcomers Jeremy Renner and Paula Patton fit right into the team, and their characters each have important arcs in the story. Benji is promoted from his supporting role in Mission: Impossible 3 to the main cast, bringing Simon Pegg’s excellent comedy to the fore. When added to Ethan’s affable interactions with his teammates and repeated failures from mainstay gadgets, this introduces a strain of overt humor to the series that boosts its enjoyability without diminishing its intensity.
Ghost Protocol amps up the entertainment value of an already strong series. Watch it if you’re in the mood for a light and entertaining spy thriller with high-stakes action and a welcome touch of humor. Skip it if you prefer a more realistic spy movie or a more grounded thriller. Ghost Protocol is an excellent place to jump into the Mission: Impossible series for new fans and an excellent addition to the series for old ones. Give it a shot.
7.4 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it an 8.0 for creative stunts, high intensity, and good use of humor.