Tuesday Cruiseday, week 35: Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011)

revoltub

Steel Belt
@Steel
Joined
Jun 10, 2016
Messages
28,937
Reaction score
18,780
This week is the rewatch of Brad Birds MI entry with

Mission_impossible_ghost_protocol.jpg


This would be maybe my 3rd or 4th time watching it through.

This film really moves from start to finish. I love how everything moves at mostly real time (beside a few plane rides). It makes everything in the film feel very hectic. There is also a running theme throughout that everything seems to go wrong that can go wrong. I love the premise of the IMF going into "ghost protocol" and Ethan and his team having to get creative and get things done without all of the help they usually have. The mission in this film really does feel "impossible". Even though I've seen it several times it still keeps me on the edge of my seat. The opening prison breakout scene is awesome.

The film is basically 5 mini missions within 1 major mission. It takes the good ideas of 3 and polishes them out and nails them a lot better. At least here it feels like they are doing things I'd expect IMF to do.

The two new entries, Paula Patton and Jeremy Renner both play their parts well and are given decent character arcs within the film. I would've liked to see more of the characters from Mi: 3 return but overall I think the chemistry of this team worked a lot better. I did enjoy Pegg in this and his new promotion into the field though at times he was a little too much with his fumbling around. I did enjoy his chemistry with Renner. The inclusion of Tom Wilkinson was also fantastic and even though he's barely in the film he might have stolen the show for me.

The biggest hole in the film for me is the lack of Ving Rhames who is one of the backbones of the franchise. Even though 2 and 3 werent great the inclusion of Rhames really helped them feel like home. The film does a lot to make up for this in other ways but his absence never goes unnoticed.

I'm mixed on Nyquist as the villain. Hes great in one sense but in another you never get much of him. Id say his mystique, capabilities and the hectic ride he takes the characters on evens out the issues I have with him. I think I'm a bigger fan of Seydoux as the secondary villain in the film. She is perfect as the sexy, dead eyed assassin out to collect her diamonds.

I mentioned before about everything going wrong that can. I think it the problem that arises from this is that you also have to accept certain things going completely right. For example there is a scene where you have to accept the (probably small) chance that 2 characters never met before. The film is at least self aware of this fact as Renner and Cruise have a conversation about planning vs going on instinct in the film. There are also a few times where too many goofy things go wrong that it starts to feel like a gag.

there is a whole scene where Cruise and Renner cant find the train car they need to get into and meanwhile need to avoid hitting the metal beams as they are running. There is also the skyscraper part which is fantastic but then Cruise's glove stops working...adding a little more tensity, and then a sandstorm starts. It just feels like it borders on being cartoony.

There is also the fact that, although they aren't supposed to have all the help they need because of being in "ghost protocol", it still mostly feels like they have exactly what they need for most of the film. So the effect of it all is a little dampened.

I'm mixed on the Mumbai party part of the mission toward the end. It's kind of goofy especially with the campy way Anil Kapoor plays the role. It is a nessecary part of the mission but it feels a little too much of a tension killer at that point in the film.

Theres also this whole situation involving Renner and Cruise in which was a little eye rolling.

you find out Cruise's wife from 3 died because Renner didnt protect her. Which opens up this whole underlying tension between the two. But later the film is like "just kidding shes not dead because Ethan planned it all." which feels like a cop out.

As for the stunts and action they are really incredible here. There are several times where it looks like Cruise really hurt himself and it's hard to believe he survived both in the fictional context of the film as well as in real life. His dedication really bleeds into the role as you get a sense he will stop at nothing to stop Nyquist. The musical score by Michael Giacchino is also great and adds to the hectic feeling of the movie.

Overall: not quite as polished as it could have been, but fast paced from start to finish, terrific missions and action scenes, and satisfying payoff, Ghost Protocol's strengths far outweighs its weaknesses to become one of the franchises most heart racing entries.

Final Score: 8/10

New Cruise Rankings

39. The Mummy - 4.5/10
38. Rock of Ages - 5/10
37. Lions for Lambs - 6/10
36. All the right moves - 6.5/10
35. The outsiders: 6.7/10
34. Losin it - 6.8/10
33. Magnolia - 7/10
32. Mission: impossible 2 - 7/10
31. Eyes Wide Shut - 7/10
30. Jack Reacher Never go back - 7/10
29. The Firm - 7/10
28. Legend - 7/10
27. American Made - 7/10
26. taps - 7/10
25. Cocktail - 7/10
24. Mission Impossible: 3 - 7/10
23. Jack reacher - 7/10
22. War of the worlds- 7.25/10
21. Knight and Day - 7.5/10
20. Interview with the vampire - 7.5/10
19. Color of money - 7.5/10
18. Far and Away - 7.5/10
17. Days of Thunder - 7.5/10
16 Valkyrie - 7.5/10
15. Oblivion - 7.5/10
14. Collateral - 8/10
13. Vanilla sky - 8/10
12. The Last Samurai- 8/10
11. Mi: Ghost Protocol - 8/10
10. Risky business - 8/10
9. Top gun - 8/10
8. Born on the fourth of july - 8/10
7.Top Gun Maverick - 8.5/10
6. Rain Man - 8.5/10
5. Edge of Tomorrow - 8.5/10
4. A few good men - 8.5/10
3. Minority Report - 9/10
2. Jerry Maguire - 9/10
1. Mission Impossible - 9.1/10

Tune in next week for my rewatch/review of Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation.

Cruise on.
 
I was impressed that the franchise made movies I actually liked after #2 and #3. Normally the trajectory at that point is Transformers, F&F and Highlander.
 
GOAT M:I

Come at me


2T8Q.gif

I think its 3rd best maybe. I think they all have a case for 1st beside 2 and 3. I admittedly dont like Fallout to the point others do and I like Rogue Nation and The original more than others do. But its a solid franchise and each one has something fairly unique about them.
 
No Rhames is a problem

He was busy with the gimp.

Rhames wasn't important to the story plus they added a beautiful black bombshell instead. Ving can sit this one out and hope he gets the call for death reckoning
 
He was busy with the gimp.

Rhames wasn't important to the story plus they added a beautiful black bombshell instead. Ving can sit this one out and hope he gets the call for death reckoning

Disagree, hes essential to the franchise.
 
Disagree, hes essential to the franchise.

Never seen him on any of the posters and he's not in half of the movies. Pick a new hero kid. These movies are about Ethan Hunt, not a big black guy on his lap top who has about 15 mins of screen time in the movies he's in.
 
Never seen him on any of the posters and he's not in half of the movies. Pick a new hero kid. These movies are about Ethan Hunt, not a big black guy on his lap top who has about 15 mins of screen time in the movies he's in.

Hes in more than half of them and technically is in all of them. Try again poser.
 
Hes in more than half of them and technically is in all of them. Try again poser.

He's forgettable then, a minor character that was cast to check off a few boxes. We get it Tom, you're not racist.
 
I was impressed that the franchise made movies I actually liked after #2 and #3. Normally the trajectory at that point is Transformers, F&F and Highlander.

Cant think of many other franchises that kept it together for so long beside maybe the Bond films and Rocky.
 
Cant think of many other franchises that kept it together for so long beside maybe the Bond films and Rocky.

Planet of the Apes if you add it all up as one thing I guess. Eight decent movies and that pygmy Tim Burton thing in Jersey.
 
Planet of the Apes if you add it all up as one thing I guess. Eight decent movies and that pygmy Tim Burton thing in Jersey.

I still havent gotten to the original apes movies beside the original. I thought the reboot ones were pretty good. The Tim Burton one I never hated but I haven't seen it in forever.
 
Back
Top