The first Mission Impossible film disappointed me very much. I was a fan of the original MI TV series. I thought the first MI film stripped everything good about the TV series and made it a one-man show for its star, Tom Cruise. So much was my disappointment that I did not even care to watch the second and third installments. However, the trailers for this fourth episode, with its exploding Kremlin and the hi-jinx on the Dubai glass skyscraper captured my attention. Also, the presence of Jeremy Renner as a new co-star also added to my interest to see this one. I am sure glad I did.
All the action promised in the trailer were delivered in high style, and more! Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team (Simon Pegg, Paula Patton and Jeremy Renner) were accused of blowing up the Kremlin, and were thus left high and dry by the US government. As they move on their own to prove their innocence, at the same time they had to avert a nuclear catastrophe that would bring about another world war. This plot took the audience from Budapest to Moscow to Dubai and to Mumbai as Hunt and his team follow the trail of mad nuclear terrorist Kurt Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist).
Tom Cruise does show signs of age here already, but he is as invincible as ever. Pegg is entertaining as the computer nerd, and comic relief. Patton I have never seen before, but she is an exotic beauty and realistic Amazon. Jeremy Renner adds another feather to his impressive acting cap since "The Hurt Locker." With "Bourne Supremacy" and "The Avengers" ahead of him, this guy Renner has one happening career.
Aside from the Kremlin and Burj Khalifa scenes I have mentioned, there were also exciting foot and car chases throughout the film, particularly impressive were those shot in a huge sandstorm. There were also old- fashioned fist-fights thrown in to balance out the hi-tech computer stuff. Of course, I had to suspend disbelief for a lot of the stunts pulled off which seemingly defy the laws of Physics. But they looked very good and breathtaking on screen, especially those on the Burj!
Director Brad Bird ("The Incredibles") was able to achieve his animated-style vision into startlingly-convincing live action. This is Bird's first live action feature, and he shows them how to do it! This MI will surely more than satisfy any action movie fan, as it did me. This time, the teamwork required to achieve their mission was clearly showcased front and center, up to the very end. That renewed my faith in the franchise and now I look forward to their next adventure.
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