Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol - 9 stars out of 10

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol - 9 stars out of 10

"Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" has finally found the perfect balance of action, intrigue, and comedy that the series has been searching for since M:I 2.  Although I cannot say that it is as good as the original (whose plot and twists will probably never be matched), this film is better in a few ways.  The original relies completely on mind-games but this fourth edition in the Mission: Impossible series continues the awesome mind games while adding stunning special effects and heart-pounding action sequences.  Our HD culture doesn't hurt when it comes to filming these exotic locations.  It differs from previous installments by basically splitting the story into three definitive chapters - Moskow, Dubai, and Mumbai.  The previous films have had a very linear feel from start to finish but this format works as this mission makes us feel the step-by-step process that this crew goes through when things go wrong and they have to revamp their plan.  While the enormous, monster twist does not involve the villain like the previous films, there are a ton of little twists and unexpected events that make this film the opposite of predictable and will keep it from ending the way that you expect.  Tom Cruise is excellent in this one and I also liked Paula Patton's spunky performance.  Jeremy Renner wasn't nearly as good as in "The Town" and I also think that Michael Nyqvist fell short of my expectations because of his performance in the original "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" series.  Actually, the performer that I enjoyed the most was Lea Sedoux, who I think was severly underused in this story.  Of course the gadgets were cool, particularly the moving screen and the BMW.  This film focuses on the gadgets more than Missions 1-3, but I didn't mind the Bond-esque feeling that these gadgets created.  The Dubai sequence is my favorite of the film, from the complexity of their plan to Tom Cruise scaling the side of the tallest hotel in the world (in real life!) and the explosion at the Kremlin.  I could go on about other awesome scenes (like the prison break and the sandstorm car chase), but that's the joy of this film: every single scene is good.  There really isn't a single boring part in this entire film.  While we are used to the cool gadgets and unexpected twists, the effective use of comedy is what sets this film apart from the others for me.  Simon Pegg is so funny, and yet his jokes come at all of the right moments and never seem like a momentum-killer.  With this subtle comedy, the film adds a new facet of entertainment value.  It's just a well-rounded film and there are only two negative comments that I have.  First, some of the injuries are a bit far-fetched.  Granted, I appreciate that they actually show the characters being affected by their injuries, but nobody could get up and run around with this much physical trauma.  Also, the last 5 minutes - an incredibly important explanation that creates an enormous twist - are rushed.  It almost seems like the characters on-screen are speaking too fast for us to comprehend the twist that they are trying to leave on our minds.  Yes, the movie is over 2 hours long but don't rush through the most important dialogue of the entire film!  Despite these two short-comings, it is easy to give this film such a high rating because it was truly awesome and had my adrenaline pumping from start to finish.  This is a great accomplishment for an already successful series and I really hope to see a new Mission: Impossible in the near future!