Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011)

Mission Impossible as a format has been around for ages, ever since the TV series was airing regularly in the 60s. The film franchise began in the 90s with a terrific action thriller starring Tom Cruise, which was followed by two painful sequels, which even went so far as to not feature the famous Mission Impossible theme music. After a hiatus of several years, this is the fourth movie in the series, which was created under the guidance of director Brad Bird, who is most famous for his animated films. This is his first live-action action film, with his only previous one being the wonderful Pixar flick The Incredibles. Despite his lack of experience, Bird proves that he has sure hand in creating intense pictures, with this film being one of the finest modern examples of its genre. I'll go so far as to say that this is probably the best action movie since Casino Royale. If the hero's name had been James Bond instead of Ethan Hunt, this would be one of the undeniably best 007 movies.

I am not a huge fan of action movies in general, nor any genre that has a fixed mold that all films within that genre follow. Virtually all of the biggest movies of the past several years have been action movies because people love to be thrilled, never mind if the they've already seen the movie hundreds of times before. Ghost Protocol can be called anything but ordinary. From the opening credits on, it is clear that this is the real thing. Action fans could not possibly be disappointed, as there are some really superbly directed sequences certain to thrill, from a chase scene in a sandstorm to the much-advertised scene of Cruise crawling outside the world's tallest building like Spider-Man (An interesting fact about the making of the film is that Cruise did not use a stunt double here, although he was securely attached to wires at all times.). But there is nothing mindless or cliched about anything that goes on here (Except for, perhaps, the obligatory inclusion of evil Russians, which you would think would be considered politically incorrect by now.). Often action movies melt into a confusing mass of close-up violence that is sickening and erratic. This film is appropriately glossy and only complicated for the good of the story's careful evolution. I am still amazed at the creativity that went into the creation of some of these moments, as they repeatedly prove how cinematically sound action can be when handled with the right care.

I mentioned the Bond movies earlier as no coincidence. There is an eccentricity to this movie that separates it from the almost annoying realism other movies decide to show. Agents do things in this movie that defy all logic and use gadgets that almost move into science fiction territory, yet we never question the validity of these devices. There is, quite simply, a spark of enjoyment this movie possesses that is not similar to any other I've recently experienced. It is fun, exciting, and best of all, intelligent. If you're looking for a great afternoon at the movies this season, this is your answer.

9/10