Now Playing: Fourth ‘Mission’ Successfully Accomplished

Please note: While ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol’ technically opens today, it can only be seen on IMAX, XD and other larger-than-usual premium screens until the film expands on December 21st. Even with the inflated ticket prices, the significant amount of shot-in-IMAX footage is worth seeing on a premium screen anyway.

One of the biggest complaints about the ‘Mission: Impossible’ film franchise is often heard from the fans of the old television series, who see the movies as little more than the “Tom Cruise Show.” What they really want is the team dynamic from a group of fun and diverse, well-written characters like the original series featured. If that has been your beef with the movies so far, rest assured that ‘Ghost Protocol’ is a full four-person team effort where each member carries just as much weight as the others – and it’s brilliant!

For the first time in 24 years, Pixar’s Brad Bird steps out from behind the computers to direct a movie from behind a camera. Pixar fans, play close attention during ‘Ghost Protocol’ and you’ll find a few fun easter eggs. ‘Ghost Protocol’ is the first of the ‘Mission: Impossible’ films to not be produced by Paula Wagner. After directing a stellar third installment, J.J. Abrams has filled her shoes.

In ‘Ghost Protocol’, a Russian terrorist plots to start a nuclear world war that will obliterate the weak and cause the strong to rise. Nuclear natural selection, if you will. To keep his identity secret, he’s pinned the theft of the launching device and a major bombing of the Kremlin on Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team. To avoid conflict, the President of the United States has issued “ghost protocol,” meaning that all IMF (Impossible Mission Force) agents are disavowed. With no satellites, no safes house, no support and no extraction, Ethan and his team must go on a rogue mission to save the world by stopping this villain – all on their own.

‘Ghost Protocol’ takes the fun from ‘M:i:III’, adds a lot more action and a complex plot, and delivers solid stylized fun. Aside from Simon Pegg reprising his role from the last film, the members of Ethan’s team are new agents to us. Paula Patton and Jeremy Renner make fantastic additions to the franchise.

Since so much of the film was shot in IMAX, you really deserve to see ‘Ghost Protocol’ in the huge format. It’s breathtaking, terrifying, riveting and absolutely intense to see Cruise hang / run / flip / climb up the side of the tallest building in the world (in Dubai) on a massive IMAX screen. Instead of doing dinner and movie, put the cash from dinner towards the IMAX ticket. It’s the best way to experience ‘Ghost Protocol’.

Rating: ★★★★☆

5 comments

    • Luke Hickman
      Author

      In my area, there are two IMAX screens and a bunch of XD and premium screens that are showing it. If you get your tickets early enough (given you have these premium screens around you too), you should be able to get it with no prob.

      No joke, IMAX is the only way to see this movie anyways.

  1. Saw this last night in fake-IMAX. It’s a lot of fun. I still think the first is my favorite (I love Brian De Palma’s set-pieces), but this one is better than either of the last two.

    My friend Ben put it well by saying: “It was so nice to see an action movie where the set pieces actually had wit and verismilitude and looked like they had been storboarded instead of just covered with a thousand cameras and put together in editing.”

    • Technically, the dome screens are called “Omnimax” (but yes, they’re a division of IMAX). There’s one here in Boston at the Museum of Science. Nature documentaries are OK to watch on that screen, but I agree that I’d never want to watch a regular movie distorted like that.

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