Mission Impossible is certainly one of the most profitable franchises in the history of cinema, always dragging millions to its sessions. And this is due to the quality of each of its chapters. Unlike most cases, even more so in the action genre, here is an example that the quality is increased throughout the films, always maintaining a high standard. Following the idea of calling different directors, for this fourth part was called director Brad Bird, who until then had never directed a film with real actors. In the world of animation, his first feature The Iron Giant (1999) was not successful, but the following two - already at Pixar - received many nominations and awards, such as the Oscar for Best Animation for The Incredibles (2004) and Ratatouille (2007).
Now secret agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is disallowed by the president of the United States after the country has been accused of bombing the Kremlin. The Ghost Protocol begins, which aims to end IMF agents. Without any resources or support, Ethan needs to find a way to clear his name and that of the agency he works for. To this end, he starts working with Benji (Simon Pegg) and Jane (Paula Patton), renegade agents like him, and Brandt (Jeremy Renner), a former agent who now works as an analyst.
Filming took place at locations that included Dubai, Prague, Moscow, Bangalore and Vancouver, and the production was partially filmed with IMAX cameras, which are approximately thirty minutes of the total length of the film. Brad Bird insisted that the film be shot in IMAX and not in 3D, as he thought the first format offered greater immersion due to its higher image quality, which is projected on a larger screen, without the need for special glasses. And this decision absurdly favored the action sequences, which follows the trend of the series in a continuous escalation of adrenaline. The result is perhaps the most spectacular to date. And interpret the adjective in its original sense, of "show creator", because that is what the Ghost Protocol is, for better or for worse.
the script in this sequel maintains the standard of the franchise by not really importing, limiting itself to creating a generic threat that will allow hero Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team, once again disowned by the agency (will they never learn?), can dedicate themselves to invading buildings, fortresses and mansions whose plants are designed with the sole function of offering interesting challenges to the good guys. Following a video game structure that forces the protagonist to face increasing obstacles until reaching the final stage and the Big Boss, the silly plot serves only as a shortcut between the elaborate action sequences
Ethan Hunt is experienced by Tom Cruise as a man with immense physical vigor and frightening agility - and also without any hint of personality, since we still have no idea, even after four films, of who that guy is and what moves him beyond. orders from his superiors. Not that it makes a difference: exhibiting an admirable fluidity in the gestures, from the jumps he takes from one floor to another in the initial scene until the moment he grabs his cell phone, boots and jacket in the street without even interrupting his walk, Cruise never fails to convince as an agent capable of performing unimaginable feats - and just watch him pick up a paper clip and we know that everything will be fine. With an efficient secondary cast composed by the beautiful Paula Patton and a Simon Pegg who is always better at being Simon Pegg, Mission Impossible 4 also introduces Jeremy Renner as a possible (and effective) replacement for Cruise in the future. We still have the presence of Ving Rhames (present in all the features of the series), in addition to a quick participation by Michelle Monaghan (also from episode 3). In the antagonistic field, the late Michael Nyqvist gets it right by not hiding the madness of his megalomaniacal villain (whose solution to the problems of overpopulation is more absurd than those of Thanos in the Avengers film) and Léa Seydoux offers a femme fatale character worthy of a good noir, being a good counterpoint for Patton.
Even trying to compete strongly with explosive films within the modern aesthetic of "one cut every three seconds", there is an attempt, in Ghost Protocol, to go back to the basics and simply repeat, but on a much larger scale, the plot of the first Mission: Impossible. If, in the first film, Brian de Palma managed to print an old school tone of espionage, here Brad Bird lends a much more theatrical and self-critical tone to the film. For example, Brandt's introduction to the plot is not intended to create a new Ethan Hunt. Brandt, in fact, serves as an instrument for Bird to mock the series' impossibilities. Another characteristic of the director, also very present in The Incredibles, is the group dynamics. Although Ethan Hunt is the undeniable star, Bird gets his camera to give a good degree of attention to the rest of the team, and always in an effective way for the plot to unfold. Just look, for example, at Brandt himself or the scene of Jane's fight with a murderer.
In addition to this interaction between the members of Hunt's team, the action scenes are memorable. The first one takes place in a Russian prison and serves to establish the characters. The second is tense and takes place inside the Kremlin, with gadgets that would make James Bond have an attack of envy (the screen that reproduces the environment behind him is particularly inventive). The third is the highly praised external scene at Burj Al Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In this scene, made by Tom Cruise personally without stuntmen, Hunt has to climb some floors of the place without the help of ropes. It is hopeless and Brad Bird, with a beautiful photograph of Robert Elswit (Syriana, Black Blood), manages to capture and pass on to the viewer a high degree of fear for the character, even though it is more than evident that Hunt will simply not die. There is also the spectacular chase sequence on foot or in a car in the middle of a violent sandstorm in the Arab country. Finally, there is the final scene in one of those automatic car parks, using elevators, in Mumbai, India, in an unrestrained race against time to prevent the detonation of a nuclear warhead on American soil. In this fourth part, pyrotechnics gains a lot of space, transforming Mission: Impossible into yet another action / espionage franchise. The difference is that Bird's mastery of his technique and a simple, but oiled script, by Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec, end up elevating the final result to the level of an electrifying thriller that will amuse you even a little while cheating the essence of the series.
Brad Bird is safe in conducting the action, avoiding annoying vices such as excessive camera movement and frantic cuts, thus allowing us to follow the mise en scène with ease even though the characters' entry into a train car reveal a little adventure. To top it off, the great composer Michael Giacchino goes back to working the classic theme of Lalo Schifrin with intelligence, introducing it punctually with subtlety and avoiding the wear and tear due to excessive repetition. Sinning here and there for excessive exposure and for absolutely redundant dialogues (after almost reaching a head, Hunt seems to assume that there is some visual impairment in the car and assumes the role of descriptor, commenting: "Camels"), the film compensates for these stumbles through of subtler little moments that almost allow the characters to become more believable - like the protagonist's hesitation in the face of an especially dangerous leap during an escape.
Ghost Protocol is also the most humorous film in the franchise and this goes through both the script and the excellent team that helps Ethan - unfortunately without the presence of the great Ving Rhames, who this time only makes an uncredited tip at the end -, of a way that Tom Cruise serves more as the catalyst for everything they provide in terms of fun and dialogue, leaving aside the exploration of his life story and his psychological and focusing more on the insanity of his achievements in the field. Simon Pegg is the perfect comic relief, with phenomenal timing that observes (and comments with genius strips) the absurdities surrounding Ethan and the team's exploits. Jeremy Renner does very well in humor and in action and still has a small dramatic plot involving Ethan and Julia (Michelle Monaghan, in an uncredited tip at the end).
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is a first-rate blockbuster that establishes itself as the best feature film in the franchise after Brian De Palma's classic, alone or alongside the two subsequent films, which do not drop the level and establish themselves with equal quality. Brad Bird makes a fantastic transition to live-action, successfully bringing in elements from the animations and building a fast-paced, thrilling thriller from start to finish. Brad Bird creates electrifying action sequences and leads the narrative through them - something that would be explored further in the next two films, directed by Christopher McQuarrie. The plot that is based both on the charisma of the leading star and on a plot that not only needs to respect what has been done before but also innovate within an original and impactful concept. Fun, lively and tireless, this is the ideal film to show that Tom Cruise, who at the time of the film's release, was about to celebrate his 50 years of age, is the biggest action star in Hollywood.
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