When you have an established movie franchise, fans have certain expectations. “Harry Potter” fans want to see the book on screen. “Pirates” fans want to see Jack Sparrow. “Twilight” fans want to see the love story unfold. “Mission: Impossible” fans want to see action, intrigue and gadgets.
In this latest edition of “Mission: Impossible,” subtitled “Ghost Protocol,” Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) finds himself in a Russian prison. Fortunately for him, his IMF crew is outside and they bust him out.
Jane (Paula Patton) and Benji (Simon Pegg) were involved in an operation that went bad and an operative died. The bad guys also got the launch codes for Russian nuclear weapons. Now the good guys need to find out who needs the codes. To do this, they must break into the Kremlin.
Their mission is going well until a non-team member voice says they are awaiting team leader orders to strike. The IMF team realizes it is in trouble and aborts the mission. As they try to escape, a corner of the Kremlin is blown to bits. Ethan is caught in the blast and wakes up handcuffed to a hospital bed.
Later, he is picked up by a U.S. official and told that his team has been disavowed by the president. They are now acting on their own and if they are caught, they will be labeled terrorists. Unfortunately for Ethan and the IMF group, their mission is just beginning, but they have no support from home.
“Ghost Protocol” is not as dark as the other “Mission: Impossible” films that Cruise has done. In fact, this one feels more comedic than the others. Of course, Simon Pegg contributes a lot to that, as does director Brad Bird — yes, the one who directed “The Incredibles” and “Ratatouille.”
This somewhat lighter mood does not mean there is less action. There is plenty of that. There are also many gadgets.
One problem with this film is that there are too many coincidences to believe, such as a chase through a sandstorm where Ethan just happens to have a pair of goggles in his pocket.
Another problem is that the villain doesn’t really have a good back story. There wasn’t enough explanation as to why he wanted to start a war between Russia and the U.S.
Because it is an action spy film, the good guys and the bad guys do a fair amount of fighting, and there is some blood. There are quite a few guns and car wrecks.
One other car scene finds Jane changing her clothes, but she keeps her underclothes on. If you see this film on IMAX, be careful. The shots on the outside of the world’s tallest building can be intimidating.
The action and at times the comedy make up for any shortcomings of “Ghost Protocol.” The question now is, will Cruise be back in a fifth “Mission: Impossible” film? That answer may be far off; after all, this franchise dates back to 1996. After seeing the end of this film, one can only wonder.
Shawn O'Neill is the Family Man Movie Reviewer on BYU Radio. His reviews can be heard on BYURadio.org and on SiriusXM Channel 143.