Hello, movie fans! Say what you will about actor Tom Cruise, but his fourth installment in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise currently is the No. 1 movie in America. “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol” has chills, it has spills, but am I a fan? You’ll find out!
This time around, the Impossible Missions Force agents have been framed for an international incident. Then, the entire IMF is disavowed, but that won’t stop the team from trying to save the world anyway. When nuclear winter is a sure consequence, who has a choice, really?
Brad Bird directed “Ghost Protocol.” For a guy who mostly has done animated films, I have to say, I was impressed.
The last movie was like one long episode of “Alias,” and “Ghost Protocol” offers a little something more. If action is what you want, then this film really delivers.
It opens with Cruise stuck in a Russian prison, and he runs through a gauntlet of danger and chaos with the precision of a superhero. The stunts just get better and better from there. At one point, Cruise hunts his prey in high-speed pursuit despite a Dubai dust storm, the air filled with sand and almost zero visibility.
Actor Simon Pegg, who plays gadget master Benji, has perfect comedic timing and quite a rapport with Cruise.
Unfortunately, some of the acting is weak. I appreciate the complexity that filmmakers tried to infuse into the female lead, but I would have chosen a different actress to pull it off. Paula Patton was awesome in “Precious,” but I would have preferred to see someone like Eliza Dushku.
Jeremy Renner does his job, but he doesn’t really sparkle. We’ll have to wait for “The Avengers” and “The Bourne Legacy.” I guess this was just his warm-up.
For action so good it hurts, I’m a fan! I enjoyed it, but this probably is B-minus material.