Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol Review

Now this is what you call versatility. No, we aren't talking about the 'Mission: Impossible' franchise or the dare devil escapades that Tom Cruise indulges in (yet again). Instead, we are talking about Brad Bird, the film's director, for whom this is his first Live picture. His earlier 'missions' include animation films like 'Ratatouille', 'The Incredibles' and 'The Iron Giant' which only makes one wonder aloud that how 'impossible' it would have been sounded when he was appointed as the chosen one for this film. Well, the results are out now and all one can go ahead and tell Brad is - 'Well done'!

Brad's command over a hitherto unexplored genre (for him) does come into picture (pun intended) at the very beginning when a quick chase results in the sudden assassination of a mysterious man. Whether he is on the good or the bad side is revealed a little while later but not before a fabulously choreographed jail break sequence (involving Cruise) ensues. Of course the ingredients are pretty much intact. There is a big time computer hotshot who knows the drill (Simon Pegg), a lady who knows how to kick the butt (Paula Patton) and an agent with a lethal combination of intelligence and power (Jeremy Renner) joining in later.

Meanwhile it is time to save the world as the quartet goes about it's mission to ensure that a nuclear weapon (with it's codes intact) doesn't fall in the hands of wrongdoers. There is a bad guy, a female contract killer and a code reader who are just some of the obstacles in the way even as Cruise and his team suffer a bigger blow with the Government of USA declaring 'Ghost Protocol' on IMF. After all, this was pretty much expected, what with nothing less than Kremlin getting blown away by terrorists and the Russians believing (quite naturally) that Americans are behind the deadly act.

While it is time now for the quartet to set the world right, it is Cruise and his team that get into quite some globe trotting as they rush from Moscow (Russia), hop over to Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and then target Mumbai (India) as the final frontier. Different locations mean different textures and this is what brings the fun elements to MIGP. Whole technology pretty much comes into play as the quartet intrude Kremlin, it is sheer bravura at display at Burj Khalifa in Dubai with some seductive charm coming into play at a fort in Mumbai.

Of course with such situations being created for the world-savers here, there are quite a few sequences that turn out to be genuine edge of the seat affairs. The one that tops the list is Cruise's 'glide' over Burj Khalifa and even though most of it is visibly 'studio stuff' in the making, you don't quite mind that as it has an edgy flavour to it. In comparison the tense conversation that happens at two floor spaces inside the building is far more engaging as the conversation threatens to explode into something bloody any time.

While one is reasonably engaged during such pieces that make you appreciate technology, wit and presence of mind resulting in a deadly combination of a few fun (if not heart stopping) moments, there are parts of MIGP where you not just feel that the action is overdone but also miss that adrenalin rush. At the top of the list is the sequence involving blazing cars during a sand storm that just doesn't leave a desired impact. Ditto for the climax sequence in a multi level car parking which doesn't quite excite and then also ends a rather abruptly. Frankly, one is left a tad dissatisfied at that point.

To compensate for such minor blemishes, there are some genuinely entertaining moments that do make you come back to MIGP. Camaraderie between Cruise and Pegg brings in some genuine fun moments while the fact that Patton is much more than just eye candy is a welcome relief. Moreover her seductive act alongside India's import Anil Kapoor has it's moments as the versatile actor does what he has been doing so very successfully in Bollywood films for over three decades. Fortunately he doesn't try to change his act for his Hollywood venture and comes up with a brief, but worth remembering act, without any pretence.

'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol' (MIGP) may have turned out to be just another good-looking-entertainment-guaranteed action thriller had the makers decided to make the best use of it's dollar churning capabilities. Well, the film will indeed make it dollars but the fact remains that it will also earn some good following for itself, something that will remain even after the film's run is through. That's because the film doesn't just unfold as a routine action affair. It has good level of intelligence incorporated as a part of the screenplay that makes one think along even as a certain Ethan Hunt proceeds with his escapades.

Rating: **** 4/5