Press-Republican

Movie Review

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE — GHOST PROTOCOL

Grade: A-

Starring: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton

Rated: PG-13 (for sequences of intense action and violence)

Running time: 133 minutes

Related Photos

  • Steve Ouellette

    ouellette.jpg

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.
comments powered by Disqus
December 29, 2011

'Ghost Protocol' best 'Mission' yet

Press-Republican

With all the big blockbuster movies opening up at Christmastime this year, why should anyone go see the latest sequel in a tired 15-year-old action series?

Because "Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol" is the best film in the "Mission: Impossible" series and one of the best action movies of the year.

Director Brad Bird, the man behind animated hits "The Incredibles," "Ratatouille" and "The Iron Giant," takes on live-action for the first time and surpasses all expectations. His "Ghost Protocol" provides energy, humor and thrills — and simultaneously gives Tom Cruise back his action-star mojo.

Cruise, whose own personal eccentricities, more than anything else, short-circuited the box office for 2006's very solid "Mission Impossible III," is back and better than ever as super-agent Ethan Hunt.

This time around, Hunt and his IMF team are implicated in a little mishap at the Kremlin and are disavowed by the American government. They're cut off from any support and left on their own to foil a terrorist plot involving stolen nuclear launch codes.

Simon Pegg ("Shaun of the Dead") earns a larger role in this sequel as Benji, the team's tech genius. He enjoys some nice back-and-forth with Cruise, and gives the film most of its much-needed light moments.

Paula Patton ("Precious") gives an above-average performance as Jane, the requisite sexy female leg-breaker, and Jeremy Renner plays Brandt, an enigmatic analyst thrust into the field out of necessity.

Michael Nyqvist, star of the Swedish version of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" (the Americanized version, with Daniel Craig, was also released this past week), plays the off-kilter terrorist who matches wits with the desperate IMF agents.

Cruise performs most of his own stunts in "Ghost Protocol," and most of them are doozies. The film's set pieces are spectacular, including some innovative chase scenes and a breathtaking stretch outside the glass walls of a Dubai skyscraper.

The plot isn't very heavy and the actors aren't asked to deliver much in the way of nuance, but Bird puts the movie together coherently, easing off the throttle just long enough to make the next action sequence jump off the screen.

Though it's rated PG-13, "Ghost Protocol" doesn't have objectionable sex, profanity or gore — it's probably OK for 10-year-olds and up, if they can stand some death and inspired mayhem.

Most action movies promise edge-of-your-seat thrills, but "Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol" is one that delivers on the promise.

Rental Recommendation: Much like "Ghost Protocol," the last (latest?) entry in the Jason Bourne series, "The Bourne Ultimatum," was the best. Grade: A

Email Steve Ouellette at: ouellette1918@gmail.com

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Movie Review
  • ouellette.jpg 'Battleship' goes overboard on big and dumb

    Film as loud and nonsensical as you think it might be, Steve Ouellette writes.

    May 24, 2012 1 Photo

  • ouellette.jpg 'Bully' emotionally powerful, painful

    Film tells the stories of five families who have been affected to varying degrees by bullying in the school system, trying to make sense of a situation that we're told touches 18 million American students every year, Steve Ouellette writes.

    May 17, 2012 1 Photo

  • ouellette.jpg 'Avengers' delivers on most of its promises

    "The Avengers" melds together the egos, powers and box-office appeal of several comic-book heroes into one colossal film, Steve Ouellette writes.

    May 10, 2012 1 Photo

  • ouellette.jpg 'Pirates!' delivers family fun

    "The Pirates! Band of Misfits," an oddball parody of swashbucklers, delivers just enough chuckles to please the whole family, Steve Ouellette writes.

    May 3, 2012 1 Photo

  • ouellette.jpg 'Cabin in the Woods' fiendishly clever

    It's a classic schlock horror movie setup, but "The Cabin in the Woods" is far from typical horror fare, Steve Ouellette writes.

    April 26, 2012 1 Photo

  • ouellette.jpg Updated 'Three Stooges' hits the spot

    The new Stooges accurately mimic the look, the expressions, the voices and the timing of the original trio, Steve Ouellette writes.

    April 19, 2012 1 Photo

  • ouellette.jpg 'American Reunion' not half-bad

    The film, which pulls together the entire original cast of "American Pie," manages to address grown-up problems and relationships while still throwing its characters into numerous juvenile situations involving the pursuit of sex, Steve Ouellette writes.

    April 12, 2012 1 Photo

  • ouellette.jpg Most kids will enjoy 'Mirror Mirror'

    Reimagining of the Snow White story will likely leave parents unimpressed, but children should be pleased with the story, Steve Ouellette writes.

    April 5, 2012 1 Photo

  • ouellette.jpg 'Hunger Games' offers universal appeal

    Film based on popular novels has romance, teen angst, a strong female role model, moments of brutal violence, political intrigue and wisps of science fiction, Steve Ouellette writes.

    March 29, 2012 1 Photo

  • ouellette.jpg Mocking TV remake wins at humor

    "21 Jump Street" has enough laughs to win most of the skeptics over, Steve Ouellette writes.

    March 22, 2012 1 Photo