Ensign Lestat's Film Night reviews conclude.
After successfully catching 'Sherlock Holmes', we instinctively knew we wanted to watch another film. We went through our options and finally chose a rather late-ish screening of 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol'.
MI4 was much talked about last year, as shooting was taking place where I live. Many a newspaper column was dedicated to chance encounters or sightings of Hollywood star, Tom Cruise.
One can therefore easily understand why the theaters were still running packed even though the film was showing for its fourth week. In fact, when we had our ticket checked, the checker actually asked us if we were attending our second viewing! And let's just say, it was apparent at one point that there were several people who were indeed taking in a rerun.
The film starts off in typical exhilarating fashion as we watch an unnamed agent (Josh Holloway of 'Lost' fame in a cameo) fleeing some bad guys. We are then transported to a prison breakout in Moscow where we are quickly introduced to MI newcomer Paula Patton's Jane Carter and re-introduced to Benji Dunn, played by the fantastic Simon Pegg and of course, star of the Mission: Impossible series, Ethan Hunt.
The prison breakout is followed by another mission in the Kremlin, in which Hunt has to work with Dunn and Patton. Unfortunately for them, the mission is aborted, but not before disaster strikes and Hunt's team receive the blame for it. Hunt is then informed that the entire IMF is going into 'Ghost Protocol' mode (shut down). This is when we are introduced to analyst William Brandt (Jeremy Renner). Brandt is unwittingly dragged along with Hunt and the other two as they attempt to get to the bottom of the Kremlin disaster.
Their hunt leads them to Asia - this time to Dubai in the U.A.E and to Mumbai in India.
This is undoubtedly the most entertaining film of the franchise. Where the first one was innovative, the second a dud and the third a little too clever for itself (especially after watching this one), MI4 is well-plotted and nigh perfectly executed. It is entertainment and it knows that. There were some parts, however, that I felt could have been tackled differently- these were the back story bits. To me they felt a lot like time-outs from the general pace of the film, and the information from these scenes could have been included in a different fashion. But barring that, the high-octane activity of this, thankfully, small crew is fairly consistent pace- and story-wise.
The most talked about sequence, of course, has been the part in the Burj Khalifa - the tallest building in the world. The sequence does not disappoint. We were on the edge of our seats, hearts pumping as much as those of the characters'. It made me wish the 3D Imax version was still playing because it would have been worth watching. The writers and director take full advantage of the building's enormity. The only place the sequence faltered was with the introduction of the massive sandstorm. Dubai wouldn't be where it is if it was hit by such sandstorms on a regular basis. But it was a fascinating scene in the film, so I shan't complain about it too much.
Mumbai plays an important role in the film as well, which should make lots of Indians happy. What I found impressive is how they used the quirks of the city as plot devices, and that I think is essential to a film. Why else would any producer fork out hard-fought cash, if Mumbai was as generic as the next city? I was, however, very surprised by the casting director's choice for the 'playboy' from whom Carter has to appropriate information. Anil Kapoor is a Bollywood veteran, but I would never have thought of him as a quintessential rich guy in a Hollywood film. But then, that is probably the exact point the filmmaker is trying to make.
What I liked about the film was that Tom Cruise appeared to be enjoying himself; he's getting older, no doubt, and he lets the rest of the cast bask in some of their own glory, but he still has the best stunts to perform, and, what can I say, the man is fit, and he is beyond convincing doing his own stunts. Paula Patton gets a little work to do, which is good considering how often lone female cast members just do nothing. She is refreshing after Maggie Q, anyway. But, in my opinion, the piece de resistance has to be Simon Pegg and Jeremy Renner and their brilliant banter. They are hilarious. Pegg I knew would be funny, but Renner! Seriously? I have never seen Renner in a proper role before (yes, that means I have not seen 'The Hurt Locker', but that shall soon be rectified), so I was pleasantly surprised when his quips had me in splits. He was the cherry on top of a wonderful cake. I was only disappointed by Anil Kapoor's take on his character - I felt he was over-the-top and was trying to hard to induce laughs. But that's just me, maybe Indian playboys act exactly like that.
The conclusion of the film had me torn. It's probably the most essential way to give the franchise a chance to continue, but, I think, psychologically, one of the characters may not see everything as being quite as rosy as it is made out to be.
Having said all that, this film is really worth a watch. It is entertaining and engaging, and probably for the first time in the MI series, let's the viewer into its world. The gimmicks, tricks and technology used is sparing which gives it that much more of a real world feel.
After successfully catching 'Sherlock Holmes', we instinctively knew we wanted to watch another film. We went through our options and finally chose a rather late-ish screening of 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol'.
One can therefore easily understand why the theaters were still running packed even though the film was showing for its fourth week. In fact, when we had our ticket checked, the checker actually asked us if we were attending our second viewing! And let's just say, it was apparent at one point that there were several people who were indeed taking in a rerun.
The film starts off in typical exhilarating fashion as we watch an unnamed agent (Josh Holloway of 'Lost' fame in a cameo) fleeing some bad guys. We are then transported to a prison breakout in Moscow where we are quickly introduced to MI newcomer Paula Patton's Jane Carter and re-introduced to Benji Dunn, played by the fantastic Simon Pegg and of course, star of the Mission: Impossible series, Ethan Hunt.
The prison breakout is followed by another mission in the Kremlin, in which Hunt has to work with Dunn and Patton. Unfortunately for them, the mission is aborted, but not before disaster strikes and Hunt's team receive the blame for it. Hunt is then informed that the entire IMF is going into 'Ghost Protocol' mode (shut down). This is when we are introduced to analyst William Brandt (Jeremy Renner). Brandt is unwittingly dragged along with Hunt and the other two as they attempt to get to the bottom of the Kremlin disaster.
Their hunt leads them to Asia - this time to Dubai in the U.A.E and to Mumbai in India.
This is undoubtedly the most entertaining film of the franchise. Where the first one was innovative, the second a dud and the third a little too clever for itself (especially after watching this one), MI4 is well-plotted and nigh perfectly executed. It is entertainment and it knows that. There were some parts, however, that I felt could have been tackled differently- these were the back story bits. To me they felt a lot like time-outs from the general pace of the film, and the information from these scenes could have been included in a different fashion. But barring that, the high-octane activity of this, thankfully, small crew is fairly consistent pace- and story-wise.
The most talked about sequence, of course, has been the part in the Burj Khalifa - the tallest building in the world. The sequence does not disappoint. We were on the edge of our seats, hearts pumping as much as those of the characters'. It made me wish the 3D Imax version was still playing because it would have been worth watching. The writers and director take full advantage of the building's enormity. The only place the sequence faltered was with the introduction of the massive sandstorm. Dubai wouldn't be where it is if it was hit by such sandstorms on a regular basis. But it was a fascinating scene in the film, so I shan't complain about it too much.
Mumbai plays an important role in the film as well, which should make lots of Indians happy. What I found impressive is how they used the quirks of the city as plot devices, and that I think is essential to a film. Why else would any producer fork out hard-fought cash, if Mumbai was as generic as the next city? I was, however, very surprised by the casting director's choice for the 'playboy' from whom Carter has to appropriate information. Anil Kapoor is a Bollywood veteran, but I would never have thought of him as a quintessential rich guy in a Hollywood film. But then, that is probably the exact point the filmmaker is trying to make.
What I liked about the film was that Tom Cruise appeared to be enjoying himself; he's getting older, no doubt, and he lets the rest of the cast bask in some of their own glory, but he still has the best stunts to perform, and, what can I say, the man is fit, and he is beyond convincing doing his own stunts. Paula Patton gets a little work to do, which is good considering how often lone female cast members just do nothing. She is refreshing after Maggie Q, anyway. But, in my opinion, the piece de resistance has to be Simon Pegg and Jeremy Renner and their brilliant banter. They are hilarious. Pegg I knew would be funny, but Renner! Seriously? I have never seen Renner in a proper role before (yes, that means I have not seen 'The Hurt Locker', but that shall soon be rectified), so I was pleasantly surprised when his quips had me in splits. He was the cherry on top of a wonderful cake. I was only disappointed by Anil Kapoor's take on his character - I felt he was over-the-top and was trying to hard to induce laughs. But that's just me, maybe Indian playboys act exactly like that.
The conclusion of the film had me torn. It's probably the most essential way to give the franchise a chance to continue, but, I think, psychologically, one of the characters may not see everything as being quite as rosy as it is made out to be.
Having said all that, this film is really worth a watch. It is entertaining and engaging, and probably for the first time in the MI series, let's the viewer into its world. The gimmicks, tricks and technology used is sparing which gives it that much more of a real world feel.
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