REVIEW: MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE-GHOST PROTOCOL

3/5

Cruise control.

Starring: Tom Cruise, Paula Patton, Jeremy Renner & Simon Pegg. Director: Brad Bird. Screenplay: André Nemec & Josh Appelbaum

Your mission…should you choose to accept it, is to throw away your inhibitions and ideas of reality for a few hours and enjoy some of Tom Cruise and his O.T.T. world. Yep that’s right ‘Mission Impossible’ is back for its fourth go-round and this time with no Bond and Bourne in sight it looks to be the big budget, Boxing Day, box-office, blockbuster smash that Tom Cruise needs to remind the general public that he’s still part of the Hollywood elite.

‘Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol’ begins explosively with, dead-agents, bombings in Russia and the shortest cameo from a British actor ever resulting is Cruise’s IMF team being disavowed (Maggie Q and Jonathan Rhys Meyers from ‘Mission: Impossible 3’ seems to have made that absentee list too unfortunately) and left to fend for themselves and their country on their own. So Cruise’s Ethan Hunt character is left with the girl who stole a scene in 'Hitch', the next 'Bourne' and Scottie from 'Star Trek'. Or should we say the more than capable hands of the sexy and slick Paula Patton, the next big-thing in Jeremey Renner and Hollywood’s latest, favourite, comic Brit Simon Pegg.

This unique ensemble makes for an equally one-of-a-kind movie, thrilling and exciting, but never taking itself too seriously. Thanks to guys like Pegg and some old friends the corniness is kept in relative check, while the action is allowed the no-holes barred freedom. What results is some exciting, epic, stunts scaling Dubai’s biggest hotel the Burj Khalifa, a Bond meets Hollywood sandstorm chase, some state of the art car park fighting and some incredible, blink and you'll miss it hand-to-hand combat that is as awesome looking as the special effects and could even leave Matt Damon floored. It really does look like Jason Bourne is left in the safe and quick hands of Renner. A born star.

Cruise is again Cruise, and on fine-form leading this picture, but even with his star-power, Simon’s pegged gags and Renner’s appeal, it's Paula Patton that steals the show somewhat…and she even wins the looks battle with a Prada model in this picture. Patton shows she’s more than Mrs. Robin Thicke by showing she has the acting smarts to kick the ass of the notion that she’s just here for her beauty (but she sure is the best looking thing about this movie). Cruise and Holmes better watch out. Patton and Thicke may be the new power couple in Hollywood.

Still for the moment it's this film that is in full-force this fall. From the gorgeous gadgets to the sensational set pieces and the lavishing locations to the classy cinematography that offers even more awe-inspiring, real-world depth on IMAX (to go along with 'The Dark Knight Rises' prologue...if your lucky). This supped up spy thriller goes hard and is as hot as the films threat of nuclear war.

Breaking through and burning bright after the redeeming third installment-that recovered from the sensational sequel slump to the outstanding original-'Ghost Protocol' and Cruise let the hair down, but thankfully there are no 'Terminator' leather jackets or slow-motion motorbikes in sight. Instead what we see is a movie outfitted with enough action and excitement for it to be the most entertaining movie to end this year and begin the new one. This latest mission, accomplishes the incredible. It's clear this franchise isn't going to self-destruct for some time. TIM DAVID HARVEY.