MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE- GHOST PROTOCOL
starts with an IMF agent (played by Josh Holloway of LOST fame) who is being chased and ends up getting killed by a female
assassin. Soon IMF agents Benji Dunn and Jane Cater are breaking Ethan
hunt out of a Russian prison. He is given a mission to break into the Kremlin
to get the identity of a person of interest code named Cobalt who wants stolen Russian missile codes. Before Ethan knows, he and his team are set up for the bombing of the Kremlin and the whole IMF is
disavowed through Ghost Protocol (and Ethan branded as a traitor). Ethan
and his team in addition to a former field agent, William Brandt, are racing against the clock to prevent nuclear war and
clear the name of the IMF. They are on their way to such locales as Dubai
and Mumbai.
MISSION:
IMPOSSIBLE- GHOST PROTOCOL is an energetic action film. It flows like visual
poetry mixed with some dashes of humor. I like the team dynamic is
there even more than the last MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE film. The sequences in Dubai are the action highlights of the
film and the climax in no way tops that. MISSION:
IMPOSSIBLE- GHOST PROTOCOL is an excellent live action debut from Brad Bird (who previously directed three animated films). Cruise is at ease and in his element when the action scenes are flowing while
Simon Pegg is welcome comic relief. It is sad that Josh Holloway (Sawyer
on LOST) has only a small part in this movie.
MISSION:
IMPOSSIBLE- GHOST PROTOCOL is every bit as good as the last MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE
film. If a fifth film is made and as good as this one, I eagerly await the fun
and the action of that film. It is rare for a fourth film in a series to
be as good or as better as the films that came before it, but MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE- GHOST PROTOCOL delivers the good and comes
closer and closer to the dynamics of the IMF team in the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE TV series.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
MISSION
ACCEPTED-
SUITING UP IN PRAGUE- a look at the stunt work and various details they filmed in Prague. This featurette and the other features loads of behind-the-scenes footage and
interviews with cast and crew in addition to how it is directing a MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE
film (and why Tom Cruise wanted Brad Bird for the fourth film).
HEATING UP IN DUBAI- J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk dreamed of shooting a movie in Dubai. Tom Cruise had the same idea and he wanted to do a stunt on the tallest building in
the world. this featurette covers the various prep work and safety precautions
that the crew and cast took while filming at the tallest building in the world.
VANCOUVER FISTICUFFS- shooting on soundstages in Vancouver and a shipbuilding hanger (for the car garage sequence during the
climax)
IMPOSSIBLE MISSIONS- These 11 additional featurettes could have been edited into the other behind-the-scenes material. They cover the difficulties shooting in IMAX, the process of loading and unloading
film, a very detailed look at the prep and shoot of the sandstorm sequence and the car crash that didn't go as planned that
they had to restage it days later, and the recording of the music score.
THE RUSSIAN PRISON-
SHOOTING IN IMAX-
ART DEPARTMENT
A ROLL OF FILM
LIFE MASKS
STEPPING INTO THE STORM
THE SANDSTORM
DUBAI
CAR CRASH
LENS OF THE BURJ
PROPS
COMPOSER
Also included on the second Blu-ray disc
are eight deleted scenes (15 minutes in total) with optional commentary by director Brad Bird.
All of the scenes were either cut for pacing reasons or didn't fit into the finished flow of the film Rounding out the disc extras are the two theatrical trailers (one has too many quick cuts while the second
trailer could have used a little of the footage from the first trailer which means the best trailer could have been a combo
of the two trailers). Also in this three disc set is the DVD version of
the film and a code to get an Ultraviolet digital copy of the film for streaming and download.
FINAL ANALYSIS- MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE GHOST PROTOCOL is one of the best in the series.
The action sequences are quite awesome to watch, but the film never tops the middle act where the film is at its best. The Behind-The-Scenes material is quite interesting to watch and provides insights
into the process of making this sequel. The film is available in three
versions- the two disc combo, the three disc Best Buy exclusive, and the DVD single disc.
Even if Tom Cruise freaks you out, this is one of the best action films from 2011.
this review is (c)4-20-2012 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission. send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com