Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol Review

This was not one of the best Mission Impossible movies that has come out. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol had a lot of anticipation and hype around it but several key elements hindered it from living up to the hype.

Tom Cruise reprises his role as Agent Ethan Hunt and the film starts out like several of the other Mission Impossible movies. Hunt is held captive in a prison and manages to battle through several guards to break free. He is helped by Agent Benji Dunn, played by Simon Pegg, and Agent Jane Carter, played by Paula Patton.

It is a typical set up for the beginning of the movie but the story gets choppy from this point. The film fails to create any emotional connectivity with the characters and scenes and there are several inconsistencies within the plot. Unlike the last Mission Impossible film, Ghost Protocol does not create any reason for the audience to feel connected or feel emotion for the characters. As a result, it makes it difficult for the audience to care about some of the scenes going on and does not create much emotion in the movie.

In addition to lack of emotional connectivity with the characters, there are several inconsistencies in the script. There are several moments in which sequences are inconsistent with previous plot points and there are a couple of characters that played absolute no role in moving the story. At times, there is no explanation as to why Hunt and his agents are after certain characters.

Cruise manages to keep the character of Ethan Hunt consistent with the previous films and Jeremy Renner, who plays agent William Brandt, is a great addition to the cast. Pegg is believable and adds comic relief but Patton's performance leaves a little bit to be desired. Patton's character as Agent Jane Carter is not very believable throughout the film.

It would not be a Mission Impossible movie without great special effects and action sequences and this film has plenty of them. There are several good chase scenes in the movie and several key objects and gadgets are introduced. Though the gadgets may not seem as revolutionary in real life, they do make the scenes interesting and make for great special effects.

Ghost Protocol had a good idea in mind but without the prescence of emotional connectivity with the characters and inconsistent plot points, it is not a memorable film.

Grade: C