“… the threat in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is more of an abstract thing; but I’ll be damned if Ethan Hunt doesn’t kick its ass.”

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is amazing. I feel like I don’t have to say much more than that, but at the same time I can’t stop gushing about how good this movie is. It is the Fast Five of the Mission: Impossible franchise. It takes an already established base and injects it with high-octane action the likes of which we couldn’t comprehend before the release of this movie. Everything about it is an improvement over past films, as well as precedent-setting for future ones.

Released five years after the last movie, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol has director Brad Bird at the helm and is a non-stop joyride. Seriously, the movie managed to create an environment that is so much fun to watch and experience, while also maintaining the air of intensity that make the stakes high and the risk palpable. There isn’t one moment in this movie where I felt bored. The entire thing is a testament to how you should make an action movie. Seriously the insane action set pieces, the amazing fight choreography, the engaging story; there isn’t one part of this movie that is slacking.

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol also did a lot to build the universe of these movies as well. Introducing new characters to deepen the lore of the world, making the story seem as though it is ongoing even in between movies; it’s all done so well. And one thing I love about the Mission: Impossible franchise as opposed to say something like The Fast and the Furious is that the outrageous stunts and gadgets make sense. They are essentially given a pass to do whatever they want and they use it well. When Vin Diesel jumps a car from one building to another in a supercar you have fun, but you know that what you are seeing is bullshit. When Ethan Hunt hangs from the side of the world’s tallest building with magical magnet gloves given to him by his secret government agency that has the money and power to develop such things there’s no way you can’t be 100% invested.

If I was forced to pick one negative about Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol it would be that the movie doesn’t really have a villain. I guess it would be difficult for literally anyone to follow Phillip Seymour Hoffman, but the guy we got wasn’t even close to being up to snuff. But this problem kind of sorts itself out becasue there is a villain: the threat of nuclear fallout. Just like in Rocky IV when the villain was Russia, the threat in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is more of an abstract thing; but I’ll be damned if Ethan Hunt doesn’t kick its ass.

Overall Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is an amazing movie from top to bottom. The action is high stakes, the interactions are fun, and there is never a dull moment.

I give Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol an A