SYNOPSIS: Blamed for the terrorist bombing of the Kremlin, IMF operative Ethan Hunt is disavowed along with the rest of the agency when the President initiates “Ghost Protocol”. Left without any resources or backup, Ethan must find a way to clear his agency’s name and prevent another attack. To complicate matters further, Ethan is forced to embark on this mission with a team of fellow IMF fugitives whose personal motives he does not fully know.

REVIEW: “Light the fuse!” Yeah baby, light the fuse to ignite the fourth and hopefully not the last Mission Impossible. What a ride! Just when you thought it was all over for major blockbuster productions for this year especially after the huge summer movie season, BAM, Tom Cruise, J.J. Abrams, Brad Bird and company come out with this beast of a film. It is fast, non-stop action and plot with plenty of classic Mission Impossible feel. It is very hard to look away from the screen for fear of missing anything. The story is pretty good too. The title says it all: Ghost Protocol. This mission has to be done almost completely on their own without the support of IMF and as fugitives themselves. What a twist, what a mission, and what a story. It was a lot of fun to watch. Calling the gadgetry used in the film high tech is not enough. It is more like intense tech. The cinematography and filming locations were also intense. Another star of this film was the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. The building is truly surreal and the scenes involving it were over the top. There was also a very special BMW vehicle used that out ranks any prototype you’ve ever seen in an Auto Show. So, yes, there is plenty of eye candy but used tastefully. This would also include a particular cast member that I believe is underutilized in the world of cinema. Paula Patton is a gorgeous woman that draws attention and can act too. The movie also has a good injection of humor, most of which in the charge of Simon Pegg . . . who better for this kind of role in this kind of movie. This is his second appearance in an MI movie and a much larger role which he handles very well. This time around we have the addition of one of the more in demand actors of the big screen today. The presence of Jeremy Renner gives the movie more edge and compliments Tom Cruise so much that they almost compete. But make no mistake, the movie is all about Tom . . . and oh yeah, his stunts. Tom’s still got it and I’m glad he is still doing it. Of the four Mission Impossibles, I would say that this is my favorite team. So where’s Ving Rhames you ask? Yes he appears but only a brief cameo. I was a little disappointed about that. He’s Ethan’s right hand man; I mean what’s up with that? 

Part of the excitement of this latest MI installment is that it is the live action directorial debut for Brad Bird of The Incredibles and Ratatouille fame. So we know he can put a movie together, only now it’s with real people. He did just fine. Granted, having producers like Tom Cruise and J.J. Abrams in your corner as well as dealing with the firmly established franchise that is Mission Impossible, well it would be hard to steer wrong. This MI is at least as good as the others so if you liked the previous three, you will not be disappointed at all by number four.