5 Things...That Make Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol a Great Action Flick

Bloggers Note:  New feature!  5 Things... will be a regular feature on Critical Error.  It will consist of 5 Things about something that make it something.  For instance, 5 Things that Make Grey's Anatomy A Pretty Terrible Show.  I will then list those five things.  Got it?  Good.  Proceed.


My wife and I recently took in the latest installment of the Mission Impossible franchise, subtitled Ghost Protocol.  Do you realize the first one came out 15 years ago!?  Think about that for a second.  A child born the year after it came out is now driving.  Blows my mind.  Anyway, here are 5 Things...^TM that make Mission Impossible:  Ghost Protocol a Great Action Flick.

1.  Gadgets/disguises:  This is the kind of stuff that makes a movie like this that much cooler.  Who doesn't love spy gadgets?  Magnetized suits, false limbs, contact lenses that do facial recognition and photocopying, lasers that cut glass, reversible jackets that are Marshall Zhukov on one side and Fonzi on the other, retinal scanners, secret computer terminals hidden inside old Eastern Bloc pay phones, nuclear brief cases, the list goes on.  Oh, and the coolest iPhone/iPad apps ever.

2.  Tom's Tower Stunt:  If you've seen any of the trailers, you've seen glimpses of Tom Cruises scaling the worlds tallest building in Dubai, the Burj Khalifa.  This is an amazing feat of stuntery.  Yes, it's pretty amazing that Cruise did the stunt himself, but even more amazing at whoever figured out how to make it work so ol' Tom didn't plunge to his grisly death.  Though I imagine that it wouldn't actually be that grisly as falling from that height the body would probably break up in the earth's atmosphere or vaporize once it hit the pavement.  That or he may just get caught in the towers gravitational pull and Tom would spend the rest of his days orbiting it like a Maverick shaped moon.  That would probably appeal to the Scientologist in him.  Anyway, to see it on the big screen is incredible.  It's so dizzying, my wife literally got sick.  Like, threw up into her bag of popcorn.  Ok, not really but that does provide a nice segue into...

3.  My Wife's Reactions:  Watching an intense action movie with my wife is entertainment that rivals what's on the screen.  No, she didn't vomit into her popcorn bag, but she was visibly dizzied from the scene.  Her gasps at each death defying leap and fall were pretty hilarious.  At the end of it she held her head in her hands and finally exhaled.  A few other scenes had her face palming and jumping in her seat.  She actually gets stressed out.  We should all surrender ourselves to the power of cinema in this way.

4.  Tom Cruise Running As Fast As He Can:  I am convinced they could make a movie that is nothing but Tom Cruise running as fast as possible for an hour and a half and it would be the year's top comedy.  Tom, make this happen.

5.  Actors Who Can Act:  I think a question that deserves deeper thought is, what separates a good action movie from a bad action movie?  Is it the size of the explosions?  The quality of the kung fu?  Certainly not the plot?  Some, would make the case that its that you care enough for the characters that the action sequences that put them in peril cause you to emote a greater concern for their well being, thus ratcheting up the tension and excitement.  Maybe.  But, without really giving it much thought, I do think it has a lot to do with the actors, though less in how we care for their characters than in how convincing they are in doing whatever it is they are supposed to be doing.  Not just the action sequences, but the in between stuff too.  You know, like the 15 minutes of total dialog. So, its not so much that you care for the characters, but you believe them.  Yes, it does have to do with the quality of the action also.  The editing, sound design, and all the technical aspects play a major roll, but let's be honest, a lot of great looking action movies have been lousy snoozefests (I'm looking at you Avatar).

So, back to MI: GP, it had quality actors.  Cruise, for all his weirdness, is good.  Jeremy Renner is terrific and Simon Pegg is comic relief that is actually comical.  No ones going home with a statue or anything, but it works.

Conclusion:  Another winner from JJ Abrams, producer.  The movie was directed by veteran animation director Brad Bird, who directed the best of all the Pixar movies (which is saying something), The Incredibles.  Fun, exciting, thrilling, everything going to the movies should be.