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Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)

Director: Brad Bird

Time Out rating

Average user rating

20 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

When it was announced that Brad Bird, director of ‘The Iron Giant’, ‘The Incredibles’ and ‘Ratatouille’, would make his live action debut with this fourth instalment in the blockbusting spy caper franchise, expectations were high. Could Bird build on the solid foundations laid by previous ‘M:I’ instalments to create the series’s first all-round triumph, a film which offered not just the spectacular gadget-fuelled action audiences expect, but a real sense of character and heart?

The answer is a disappointing no, but that doesn’t mean ‘Ghost Protocol’ is a flop. It’s just another enjoyable, unambitious action movie, sure to satisfy fans of the first three, but unlikely to convert those for whom the prospect of Tom Cruise climbing things and shooting people is of scant interest.

We find rogue American spy and rhyming-slang victim Ethan Hunt (Cruise) languishing in a Moscow jail. The reasons for his incarceration remain obscure but irrelevant, as it’s not long before he’s busted out by his IMF cohorts, who include a peppy Simon Pegg, a surly Jeremy Renner and a rather inconsequential Paula Patton, and tears off on on the trail of yet another madman bent on nuclear war (Michael Nyqvist).

‘Ghost Protocol’ plays it strictly by the book: the characters are bland, the plot is over-familiar and the action sequences are resolutely old school. But animator Bird relishes the chance to play with real people – the central suspense sequence, in which Hunt scales Dubai’s Burj Khalifa one-handed, is dizzyingly effective, particularly in IMAX – and the pace rarely slows.

Author: Tom Huddleston

Time Out London Issue 2157

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User reviews of this film

Gee said...

Posted on Jan 29 2012 14:21 I went to see this because I was bored one day and I quite enjoyed the last one. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and I am going to take my teenage son to see it. It is action packed Simon Pegg is an excellent addition it out Bonds James Bond best film I have seen this year and I see at least 2 a week

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Lachlan said...

Posted on Jan 29 2012 05:33 Thank you for destroying the MI name, and making me feel physically sick. Typically what happens when Americans go too far... (star wars 4 5 6)

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ethan hunt said...

Posted on Jan 17 2012 09:42 i did well in my stunts i think. 5star cause im in it :)

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jan said...

Posted on Jan 16 2012 04:52 i hate movie critics who give away the movie before people see it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Ando S said...

Posted on Jan 11 2012 12:21 It was ok. Fun at the time but silly and Simon Pegg is a wasteful comic-refief...it feels like he's crashed the movie, wondered on set in its prequel and stuck around when no-one else wanted to work with Big Tom. Still, some awesome effects and stunts, but mostly it was forgettable. Worth an Orange 241 or a rent on Blu-Ray with a pizza.

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philsee said...

Posted on Jan 08 2012 19:49 Third rate action, third rate humour, stupid plot. Boring.

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Veronica said...

Posted on Jan 07 2012 09:51 M:I = Mission Implausible. Too many gadgets at the cost of a plausible storyline. Made me yawn from start to finish.

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Mike said...

Posted on Jan 05 2012 07:30 Yep - Victoria, you're right - "Hurt Locker" - no excuse, clumsy typing - I was as eager to post my review as I was to leave the MI film. I just wish I'd chosen a better seat and could have left earlier in the film, as I saw two others do.

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victoria said...

Posted on Jan 05 2012 00:49 I was a big fan of the MI series and I think these MI movies stick pretty much to the character of the TV series. When the series first appeared we were not so tech savvy. Now we are overrun with action tech movies and this all seems humdrum. But Tom dangling on the side of that bldg was great to watch. By the way, it was The Hurt Locker not Hurst Locker or was that a slip?

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Mike said...

Posted on Jan 04 2012 23:28 I’m tempted to say this film is more of the same, but it’s not really. Okay, so you know Ethan’s going to pick up his next mission at some obscure location, and the instructions will self-destruct in 5 seconds. That said, this MI film is gadget obsessed to the point ridiculousness - the original aims of the mission are constantly overlooked for the sake of more gadget keywords. Simon Pegg must have thought he’d struck it big time with this movie, as he plays the equivalent of the Bond films’ “Q” and with an IT budget that would make Bill Gates envious. Sadly, Pegg plays his “Q” character with an equal degree of toe-curling just-for-laughs cheeseyness as John Cleese did.
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Other miscastings include Jeremy Renner, looking very out of place in such a lightweight film (hard to imagine he was Oscar nominated for “The Hurst Locker”), and Michael Nyqvist from the original “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo”. Both these two are exceptional actors, but are completely wasted on this nonsensical story that’s full of loopholes, cheesey dialogue, mediocre acting, and continuity flaws.
So what’s the link between last week’s rubbish film (Fincher’s remark of “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo”) and this MI film? No, not Michael Nyqvist who played Mikael Blomkvist in the original TGWTDT. The link is that these two films are plain rubbish.
Beware, if you choose to see this movie your brain will self-destruct in 5 seconds.
1 star. Not recommended.

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victoria said...

Posted on Dec 31 2011 03:59 I loved the movie. Thought Tom was great. Audience offered outloud gasp on some of the action packed stunts.

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scrumpyjack said...

Posted on Dec 30 2011 11:33 Watched again at local (medium screen) holds up well but happy not to see it for 2 or 3 years now so on reflection 7/10

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ARCHGATE said...

Posted on Dec 30 2011 09:26 Jolly good fun ..... but surely the franchise has run out of steam. Tom is developing a nut bum ... but he can still run very fast, he can drive a car at speed ......he can double kick with a broken leg ..... and he can give comedians the chance to act with the big boys and bring the film down to a degree of levity which is totally unacceptable considering the dire situtations these dudes are placed in. I award a mark of 6.5/10 ... Loved the little car. what make was it?

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flora said...

Posted on Dec 30 2011 00:23 Not the best MI movie in my opinion. Plot is very thin and movie is overlong .... sto ry drags!

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kirreos said...

Posted on Dec 29 2011 13:15 Excellent film! Watching Tom Cruise dangling off Burj Khalifa made my jaw drop- I have been to Dubai and that building is amazing. Watched it at the Vue cinema in Westfield. Fantastic! Only thing is I would have liked more of that classic Mission Impossible music. Anil Kapoor's appearance was hilarious. It's a film that is definately worth watching!

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