Missing is the emaciated model wearing a couture trash bag, a half-naked man draped over a vintage motorbike, and a python, because everything else about Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol feels like a Eurotrash fashion spread.
Standing super-coiffed, but not too precious, at the centre of this glossy frame is aging action hero and one-time boy wonder Tom Cruise - a man with a mission of his very own.
Circling the scrap heap of outdated stars seeking one last shot at greatness, Cruise needed to reignite the afterburners of his career after the stalled performance of Knight and Day. He also needed to put the couch-jumping episode behind him once and for all.
This 4th Mission: Impossible movie goes some distance in helping Cruise get his action mojo back, but for all the crafty gadgets and gorgeous locales, there's something off in this Vancouver-shot spectacle - and it's more than the fake Seattle street signs.
It's the undeniable feeling that Tom Cruise has lorded over every single shot to make sure he looks good. Whether it's the right eye light to accentuate his azure blue irises or the casual toss of his perfectly treated hair, Cruise's appearance is so manicured, it's distracting.
At one point, it's even laughable, as we watch Cruise and co-star Jeremy Renner check into the Burj Khalifa hotel in Dubai wearing tailored silk suits and sunglasses. We're used to seeing super-spies in fine apparel with deluxe accessories, but Cruise kicks it up a notch, ensuring all the surrounding décor, including his co-stars, sets off his look.
Skyscraper scenes live up to their billing, and even sitting safely in a comfortable theater seat it's hard to watch Cruise swooping around at 2,700 feet without feeling queasy. But there's not a ton of time for Spider-Man antics, as there are plenty more action scenes and exotic locales to jump around in, including an underwater shootout and a fight in a car park where the levels, and the parked cars, slide around just to make things more difficult. The film was partially shot with IMAX cameras, and numerous scenes take full advantage of that format.
Don't stop to question the plot too closely -- Hunt can beat up an entire Russian prison but struggles to best one gray-haired villain (Michael Nyqvist), and the team magically happens to find all the puzzle pieces to stop a nuclear launch in the time it takes most folks to grab a shower. But enjoy the supporting cast, which includes Simon Pegg as the comic relief computer whiz, Jeremy Renner as an analyst with a guilty secret, and Paula Patton as the lone female agent, who switches between seduction and butt-kicking with aplomb.
Director Brad Bird's first live-action undertaking -- you may know him from "The Incredibles" and "Iron Giant" -- and it's fun to think that maybe his animation experience helped him guide Cruise and pals as they swoop around like cartoons. J.J. Abrams of "Lost" is one of the producers, and he reunites with Josh "Sawyer" Holloway in a pivotal role.
One rumor had Cruise retiring from the franchise after this film and Renner taking over, but Moviehole reports that Cruise, Bird and Pegg are all open to returning for a fifth film. Why not? Cruise will be 50 in July but for a guy who famously did some of his own Burj Khalifa stunts, he has the verve of a action hero half his age. Should he choose to accept it, audiences will likely be happy to follow him on another Mission.
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