It's weird to think that Mission: Impossible III, the one instalment directed by J.J. Abrams, wasn't produced in any capacity by Bad Robot. Its sequel, however, Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol, was - and what a doozy of a sequel! Directed by Brad Bird, the guy behind animated classics like The Iron Giant and The Incredibles, Ghost Protocol is a relentlessly entertaining, explosive and funny blockbuster that settles for just being a good time at the movies: it's almost impossible to resist as super agent Ethan Hunt, blamed for an attack on the Kremlin, sets out to clear his name. Essentially a rollercoaster ride of fantastically inventive set-pieces, there's a genuine artistry to the way that the action sequences play here - especially when you consider that Tom Cruise did most of his own stunts (is there a more memorably breathtaking moment in modern action cinema than the one that sees Cruise atop the Burj Khalifa in Dubai?). After Mission: Impossible III, most people probably assumed that this particular franchise could only go downhill, but it didn't happen: at the time of its release, this was the best Mission: Impossible movie to date. That is, until the next one came along...
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
