Thursday, December 22, 2011

Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol - C+

In theaters. Rated PG-13, 133 minutes. Trailer.

Despite being somewhat of a film snob, I've generally enjoyed the Mission Impossible series, so the addition of Jeremy Renner and the direction of Brad Bird (The Incredibles) made the 4th installment seem promising. Unfortunately, this film is really just a boring slog with a few cool action scenes and very few funny lines. The plot is typical and the stunts and gadgets way too unbelievable for me, and the storyline involving Renner and Ethan Hunt's (Tom Cruise) wife is way too underdeveloped. Some of the scenes (especially the sandstorm) are cool, and Cruise is a magnetic star, but it is not entertaining enough to make up for the lack of plot or character development.

1 comment:

Priest said...

B+ for me. The best MI since the first, the visuals here are stunning and the set pieces, innovative. My biggest complaint is that Bird seems to think he's still making animated pieces. Even given the elastic laws of physics (and biology) allowed in action films, this film pushed through the suspension of disbelief too many times. Cruise takes more concussion shots to the head than Troy Aikman his rookie season, yet keeps on coming, and falls of 20 feet onto metal and concrete are survived without the slightest repercussions. This flaw is also one of the strengths of the film, as Bird, accustomed to getting any shot he wants from animators, demands the same fluidity and framing in live action. Highly enjoyable if completely vacuous.