Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)' lightens the tone slightly but introduces the biggest stakes of the series, although these do feel slightly 'cartoony' and somewhat intangible while also being perpetrated by a fairly weak and barely present villain. The flick refines the well-established formula pretty much to a tee, becoming a bombastic and action-packed adventure throughout that feels very much akin to a fair-ride, one that knows its audience and gives them as much fun as it can possibly muster. 'Fun' very much feels like the name of the game here, with a throw-back and slightly 'knowing' vibe perpetuating the piece. It almost wants to physically 'wink' at the audience but still plays things pretty much straight, which makes the experience very enjoyable and rewatchable, even with its few problems becoming more evident every time you see it. The most pertinent of these problems seems to be the almost complete lack of personality displayed by the flick's star, which is a strange and slightly disconcerting issue that makes deeper emotional attachment difficult. Still, the 'team' more than makes up for it here. In fact, they outshine our hero, with each cross-cut back to the gang becoming more and more welcome as the run-time goes on. Overall, the movie is always fun and has some fantastic action. 8/10

It's amazing to see, how the Mission Impossible franchise evolved over the years. Today, it's something completely diferent to what it was back in the 90's, but this evolution was, in a certain way, fluid. MI3 kind of started to change the "franchise's focus" back in 2006, after an awful MI2, and Ghost Protocal definitely continued that. Cruise, once again, it's incredible, this is where he is comfortable, he knows what he is doing, and man, he knocks out of the park. I love it. The whole supporting cast is amazing again. With one addtion here, this is probably the first time since MI1 that we actually see a team really working on the field with him (like, fighting and stuff). Paula Patton is great, the addition Simon Pegg to the main cast was a hit too, and Jeremy Renner is also amazing. Regarding to cast, probably the only thing that you could say was "missing" here was Ving Rhames, but I don't, they might have had a good reason for that.And, you knew what was coming, we need to talk about the stunts here. Besides a couple of weird look CGI scenes (like the explosion), the movie is MIND BLOWING. The building scene... man! What a gorgeous sequence. I was really scare just to imagine how the f#ck they shot this thing. Man, it's just fantastic, the chasing scene that follows it is also amazing. And really, this movie opened up the path for what we saw in Rogue Nation, and will probably see on Fallout, just and increasing amount of mind blowing sequences shot by Cruise (WITHOUT STUNTMANS). Really, where will this franchise end up? Movie by movie, I just can't imagine how they will improve from the last one, and they always do!Well, probably the main issue here is the villan. There isn't much to say about it, it's just a bad guy, that is bad because... he is. There isn't depth at all, and well, this is probably what the franchise has showed us is its main difficult, the only great villan we had was in MI3, and besides that, you kind of forget the other movies' villans. But the rest is great, so it holds up.To sum up, Ghost Protocol is a great movie. The Mission Impossible franchise is fantastic. It proves itself more every movie, in order to be without a doubt the best action franchise of all time.8,5/10

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is a film directed by Brad Bird. After the third one, I was eagerly waiting to watch this one. And one again, the M: I series didn't fail to surprise me.Plot: Ethan and his IMF team, now disavowed, must stop a Russian strategist who wants to start a war between the US and Russia.Story and direction: Knowing that Brad Bird (his first live-action film) was going to direct the film, I had huge expectations from it. The story is takes the basic idea of US vs. USSR and spuns it into a complex and diversifying one. The film has so many layers and interesting characters because of which there were no dull moments. The new characters introduced have such interesting back stories that it is interesting to watch them. Each scene is just full of tension and suspense. This film very nicely balances the action and thriller aspect of the film. Full credit goes to Brad Bird on proving that he can give a good film whether animated or live-action. The action scenes and VFX are just spot-on especially the one in Dubai where my heart just skipped a beat several times. The cinematography is just awesome. Since IMAX cameras were used in some scenes, it feels quite good. There are many wide-angle shots that do enhance the beauty of the film. The editing of the film is wonderful. Michael Giacchino has again done wonders with the BGM of the film. My only issue with the film is just the villain. He has no such motivation or arc. He is just a guy who wants to destroy the world. I can very safely say that he is the least impressive villain of the entire series.Performances: Tom Cruise has just synonymised himself with Ethan Hunt. It is juts difficult to imagine this series without him. Jeremy Renner delivers a great performance. So does Paula Patton. Simon Pegg returns in this film with a much meatier role as compared to the previous venture and he just impresses. Michael Nyquist was good on the acting department but nothing the story did to move his character forward. Ving Rhames and Michelle Monaghan do return in smaller roles but it is always good to see them both. Favorite Scene: Apart from the Dubai Sequence (which is almost everyone's favorite scene in this film), I would say the film ending was quite good. Ethan says that however difficult the mission be, it is the team that makes it successful. I liked the fact that the scene stressed on the importance of a team and teamwork.Verdict: This series never fails to impress me. I can't thank the makers enough for raising the stakes of the film in terms of action and storyline in each and every film a notch higher. Can't wait for ROGUE NATION.I am going with a 9/10.

Very different than the first MI...far less serious. I liked the humor and light hearted JJ Abrams feel but a few things would have made this far better...and they are simple fixes. 1. Much more Josh Holloway! He was coming from LOST and very popular...his role needed to be far greater.2. When you hit a prison guard with your hands who is wearing a full face guard he shouldn't fall to the ground like hand-to-hand combat! Come on...these details matter.3. When you go to the proverbial tape scene..."Will you accept this mission" have a guy with a deep resonating voice...distinct, unique, powerful, strong--not just any guy! These details matter JJ, you are projecting legacy here!4. The MI Theme needs to amazing! This was weak...much more effort! This needs to be over-the-top production with huge drums and bass...your audience should be singing the theme when they exit the theater...you are setting a template for the next generation JJ! Come on...again!I was living in the UAE when they filmed the tower scene...HUGE event...as in the greatest rock star visited your country...TC outside of the US in places like the UAE is like Michael Jackson...they LOVE stars there!The female lead was perfect...she is super hot but intelligent in looks...you believe she could be a school teacher, that her beauty is not her identity...she has a mind of her own. Jeremy Renner is gold...always. Not Hollywood Josh Holloway good looks, but like Tom Hardy, believable is everything he does.Tom Cruise: Do the nose experiment with him. Just stare at his nose and you will be stunned how huge it is. His features distract you because of his looks, but that nose grows by the second once you focus on it. He handled the comedy well...yet, with Mr C, his Scientology crazy will always be a stamp, a distraction to overlook. Leah Remini isn't doing him or his "faith" any favors.Overall, a good installment. Take the franchise very seriously, but allow the movie to breath. Maybe the next time more intense drama, but this was a nice addition.