Mission Impossible 4 in IMAX is large and in charge action fun

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol is the 4^th entry in the franchise and easily the most entertaining out of all of them.  The movie takes advantage of the picturesque scenery in Moscow, Dubai and Mumbai to all but require watching the film in IMAX.  I saw the film in IMAX and the difference in the scenes shot in IMAX and those that weren’t are like comparing an LP to an MP3 file.

About 25 minutes of Ghost Protocol is filmed in IMAX and those sequences are stunning.  The film’s centerpiece is the action sequence filmed at the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.  Cruise’s character, Ethan Hunt has to access the computer room from the exterior.  My palms are sweating as I type this just thinking about that footage.  Note to Hollywood, stop filming so many movies that don’t need to be in 3D and film more in IMAX.

Another thing that makes Ghost Protocol work is that it’s not what it seems.  The footage that you see on the previews is not the climax of the film.  I hate previews that you can determine the pacing and plot of the movie by watching the trailer.

The Mission Impossible franchise may have burned some bridges with the audience by making movies that were too predictable.  I swear, if they use that damn ‘face mask’ in another one of these movies I’m walking out.  Gone is most of the crew that made up the earlier MI movies, with only Tom Cruise and Simon Pegg as Benji left.

Pegg has lots of dry lines that help bring levity and comic relief to the film.  The MI films always took themselves a bit too seriously.  Ghost Protocol strikes a very good balance between tension, action and character development.

Ghost Protocol was initially put out there as a lead-in for Jeremy Renner to take over as the lead character.  The back story between Renner’s character and Hunt is a bit tiresome, but you’re not really going to see MI for the plot, are you?

 

The stunts have very little noticeable CGI and are great.  The filming locales are beautiful.  The actors are all beautiful (more Paula Patton please…).  Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol is a very good popcorn movie that will effortlessly take you away without making you think too hard or feel too stupid.