Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is the fourth entry in the Mission: Impossible franchise that premiered back in 2011. Directed by Brad Bird, the film stars Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, and Paula Patton. Ethan Hunt and his team are racing against time to track down a dangerous terrorist named Hendricks, who has gained access to Russian nuclear launch codes and is planning a strike on the United States. An attempt to stop him ends in the IMF being implicated, forcing the President to disavow them. No longer being aided by the government, Ethan and his team chase Hendricks around the globe, although they might still be too late to stop a disaster.

Believe it or not, I did not like this when it initially came out. As a fan of the franchise, this was not not what I was expecting. I found the trailers to be incredibly exciting, but I was disappointed by how predictable I found it to be at the time. For the longest time, I did like how the opening credits showed the entire movie. This has nothing to do with me accepting the acclaim the film holds. After quite some time and learning more about film production, I have come to really enjoy this one.

Right from the start, it’s clear this entry is a reboot, which is exactly what the franchise needed. Even though the third one was an improvement, it still needed something to sustain enough credibility to ensure it stuck around for years to come. Enter Brad Bird, a director well know for his work on The Incredibles at the time. His transition into live-action allows the film to embrace a cartoon tone that keeps the film fun and breezy. It’s too bad Brad Bird is sort of in director’s jail. What he did here to help push this franchise in the right direction is commendable.

In order to make this franchise work, it sort of ignores everything from the past. There’s only four returning actors, and two of them don’t even enter until the end. Bring those two back in the end helps connect the bridge between this one and the last, making the last one not completely pointless. To bring you into where Ethan is at the given time is such a smart move to show how he still operates within this world.

Without a doubt, the practical effects here are astonishing. I love how Cruise continued to outdo himself with his stunt work. He never had to, but he did for the sake of entertainment. What he does here gives proof as to why these films are best seen in the theater, which surprises me how these films have never once broken a billion dollars at the box office nor have a million people have logged a single entry on Letterboxd. The closest it has come to that is with the first entry, which does surprise me as the later entries like this one have become widely popular.

There is a clear structure here that allows the action set pieces to stand out. From the prison break out to the silent Kremlin scene and the Burj Khalifa to the party scene, every set piece continues to deliver action where conflict builds on top of each other. There is a clear plot that helps drive these characters forward, but the action helps drive the story. My personal favorite action set piece is in Dubai. The way Ethan has to go from hanging on the side of the Burj Khalifa to fighting enemies to chasing down the main antagonist in the middle of a sandstorm is unreal.

The side characters this time around manage to have more depth. I love how Simon Pegg is given more to do that allows him to stick around longer in the franchise. It’s too bad Jeremy Renner & Paula Patton didn’t stick around long. Renner was a solid addition to the franchise. As for Patton, I genuinely don’t understand why she doesn’t do much anymore. She is an incredible actress.

My biggest gripe to this day is the villain. This is by far the worst villain in the franchise. At least the villain in the second entry had more character. The villain here has no characterization and his motives are never clear. This is where the cartoon vibe is too much. I want the villains to challenge Hunt. He just feels not threatening enough, making it easy to understand that Hunt will indeed be able to take him down. The franchise is at its best with its top tier action and imposing villains that challenge Hunt.

Overall, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol redefines the franchise into what it is today. Between the top-tier action and likable characters, there’s plenty of entertainment to be behold. Other than a forgettable villain, this is a solid entry in the franchise.

VERDICT: 4/5 (Great)