Does Mission Impossible IV: Ghost Protocol, return Cruise to Top Gun status, or do further damage to his once legendary reputation? Click on the jump to find out!
For those of you who remember Tom Cruise before
"The Couch," before the strange marriage to Katie Holmes and his
weird fascination with Scientology, you are lucky. From Risky
Business and Top Gun, to A Few Good Men and Jerry
Maguire,Cruise owned the movies. Then came that interview with Oprah,
and that plus a string of flops (Minority Report, Collateral) sent
audiences running. Mission Impossible III, now 6 years in the
mirror, failed to draw audiences, and even the very good Valkyrie failed
to attract much attention. Any actor would love that sort of filmography
attached to their name, but the mystique Cruise created for himself has
understandably kept audiences away. So, does Cruise he redeem himself
with MI:IV?
The Movie – 4.5/5
The answer is an enthusiastic yes. MI:IV is
a terrific film, complete with amazing stunts, great character development,
fresh faces, and the always necessary cameos, with one that supposedly never
materialized (read further for more). Cruise once again performs his own
stunts, and he has the face to prove it; his age is starting to show, but
it's given him the "I just got out of a bar fight" look, ala
Daniel Craig in the Bond movies, and I'm ok with that. When Ethan
Hunt is scaling the windows of Dubai's Burj Khalifa Tower, that's really Cruise
up there. Acting as both general and soldier when he's on screen, Cruise is in his element here, but willing to
step aside when it's necessary to further the story.
When Ethan Hunt and fellow IMF agents Benji
Dunn (Simon Pegg, Star Trek) and Jane Carter (Paula Patton, Deja
Vu) are implicated in an attack on The Kremlin, the President initiates
Ghost Protocol, basically disavowing the entire IMF corps. Agent Hunt and
his team escape after a deadly attack and learn that the event in Moscow is a
deadly prelude to a more sinister plan. Rather than learning how each
piece of the puzzle works, which was the problem with MI: I and III, we
are presented with goals/benchmarks that our players must complete in order to
reach the next 'level.' Think part video game, part weekend garage
project. This doesn't get in the way of the film's character development,
nor does it interfere with the large action set pieces that make up some
of the movie's best scenes. There are several side stories that I won't
bore you with, but it's safe to say that many of our actors come with some sort
of secret agent baggage when Cruise re-assembles them after The Kremlin.
Even Cruise's marriage from MI: III is discussed, which helps
to create a sense of continuity that was lacking in the other films.
Dialogue is funny without being silly, and tense moments are not overly
emotional. Although the action is totally unrealistic, perhaps that's
what we should expect from our heroes. You are forced to suspend belief
anyways with these large action pieces, so the toughness of our heroes is to be
expected.
I've gone on here without talking about Jeremy
Renner (The Town, The Hurt Locker); his arrival as analyst William Brandt is just what Cruise and the
franchise needed. Renner, the perfect rough-hewn
protagonist, is exciting to watch and cut from the same fabric as
Daniel Craig, Matt Damon, and Cruise himself. Brandt is one part
straight-laced paper-pusher, another part mysterious. His past directly
involves Hunt, but the movie doesn't tip that hand too early. Renner
bears a lot of weight in this film, filling in nicely when Cruise isn't
around. The long term plan is to make Renner the centerpiece of the MI films,
which I personally support. Simon Pegg is good, as is Paula Patton -
she's part of a good cat fight that I wish had continued a while longer.
There's not much to say about the bad guy here, except to say that he's,
well...not around that much. But this movie doesn't rely on a baddy to
say baddy things too much - he's more like a mouse to Hunt's
cat. I'd like to see Hollywood in general embrace bad guys over
several films, giving audiences a chance to really 'hate' one (think Darth
Vader) before taking him/her down. The lack of one here doesn't reduce
the effectiveness of the film. Director Brad Bird (Ratatouille,
The Incredibles) makes a seamless and elegant transition from the
animated world to that of live action. Several of his sequences are
sweeping, but he doesn't get lost in them. Bird is tightly focused
in action scenes and allows the film to breathe when it needs. There
are a couple of cameos in the film (and one that should have been there), and fans of the
franchise will silently laugh at the way this film makes fun of itself at
times; again, the comedy is welcomed because it doesn't bog down the 133-minute
runtime, which is enthralling from the opening scene.
The Video – 5/5
We have seen great examples of Paramount’s home
entertainment line this year, and MI:IV is no different.
Simply put, this is the best transfer I have seen in 2012; it is in a word,
stunning. The film is presented in MPEG-4 AVC, which delivers a picture
that will look amazing on any HDTV. Colors are crisp and do not bleed
into others, shadows and blacks in alleys mix just well enough to make you want
to look over your shoulder. Sweat and blood stand out along with hair and
skin tones. Stitching in suits and wrinkles in dresses are detailed as
well, and exterior scenes (such as those in Dubai) are beautifully colored and
clear. Again, it’s an excellent transfer.
The Audio – 5/5
Again, Paramount’s acumen in transferring their
films to home entertainment is apparent here. MI:IV is
presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, which creates an immersive experience in
nearly every scene. Explosions, gunfire, and hand-to-hand combat are loud
but very clear. Each hit is as bone-jarring as the next. As Cruise
arrives at a fashionable party, you can hear just-barely audible side
conversations; as he climbs the Burj Khalifa Tower, you can hear the sound of
flesh on glass. Low-end doesn’t get in the way of dialogue, which keeps
one from having to play The Remote Game to hear conversations. Michael
Giacchino’s (Alias) soundtrack is rousing in certain moments, but (like
the IMF itself) operates best in the shadows. In tone and impact, this
audio release is remarkable, and represents one of the best of 2012.
Supplements – 4.5/5
If you are a supplements
whore like me, you’ll want to pick up the Best Buy Exclusive, which I used for
this review. Although strangely lacking a director’s commentary, the
three-disc set makes up for it by delivering all of the following in HD:
- Mission Accepted -- Suiting Up in
Prague (17:58): Director
Brad Bird, Tom Cruise, and J.J. Abrams discuss various aspects to the
production side of the film.
- Mission Accepted - Heating Up in
Dubai (17:36): The
city of Dubai is featured here, along with its centerpiece, The Burj
Khalifa.
- Vancouver Fisticuffs (12:01): Shooting in the city of Vancouver is front and center,
along with other elements.
- The Russian Prison (11:49): A Czech prison is featured here.
- Shooting in IMAX (3:33): If you saw this film in IMAX, learn more about the
process.
- Art Department (2:56): Prague is transformed into Russia during this
featurette.
- A Roll of Film (2:33): If you love the technical back story of making a film,
watch this one with Post-Production Coordinator Robby Stambler.
- Life Masks (1:40): Trust me, a stone mask of your face is out there
somewhere.
- Stepping Into the Storm (2:02): The sand storm sequence is discussed.
- The Sandstorm (3:06): More information of how the sandstorm was shot.
- Dubai Car Crash (8:15): Another nice featurette about the car crash scene
involving a couple of BMW’s.
- Lens on the Burj (0:57): Burj Khalifa is featured again.
- Props (3:07): I wish I had a house filled with movie props like
these.
- Composer (10:42): Composer Michael Giacchino is featured.
- Deleted Scenes (15:02): Alternate
Opening: Hendricks
Practices His Speech, Mission on the Train, Confusion in the Van, Benji
Almost Caught in the Kremlin, Hendricks and Leonid in the Hangar, Arrival
at the Burj -- Original Version, Ethan and Jane in the Jet, and Wistrom and Chips. You can choose
to hear Brad Bird’s commentary for each.
- Trailers (1080p): Theatrical
Trailer 1 (2:24) and Theatrical
Trailer 2 (2:30).
There are several versions
of the film available, but again I suggest the Best Buy Exclusive. It’s
got an embossed slipcover and a 3-disc Combo Pack inside.
The Final Word – 4.5/5
People have slammed Tom Cruise over the years,
and with good reason. It's time however to give the guy his credit and
perhaps let him back into the party. Cruise delivers a solid,
comeback-film performance in Mission Impossible IV: Ghost Protocol,
and the transfers are simply amazing. Add to that a nice set of
supplements, and you have a release that's a first-day purchase to be sure.
Highly recommended.
