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03/02/2014 10:45 par tellurikwaves

A fun, enjoyable action flick

Author: Marc Unknown from Australia
4 December 2011

I attended a VIP screening of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol last night at the Darling Harbor IMAX Theater in Sydney, Australia. Before the movie started, there was an introduction by Director Brad Bird, and by actor Simon Pegg where they shared how much they enjoyed making the film and shooting scenes in the IMAX format.

I won't get into the story too much as I don't want to ruin it for anyone, but the basic plot is that the Kremlin in Russia is bombed by a terrorist group and IMF is framed for it. Because of these actions, the president decides to activate Operation Ghost Protocol, which essentially means that the entire IMF organisation is disavowed, meaning Ethan and his team are on their own, and like the tagline says "No Plan, No Backup, No Choice".

The story I found to be quite solid. Nothing groundbreaking but enough to keep the interest of your average movie-goer.The performances were generally good all around. Simon Pegg was enjoyable as Benji and Tom Cruise is always great as Ethan Hunt. Jeremy Renner and Paula Patton also gave some great performances. The action sequences are where the film really shines. Not all scenes were great, I thought the bombing of the Kremlin used some very fake looking CGI which made it more humorous then intense.

Also, some scenes seemed a little too far-fetched and made me think that Tom Cruise must be made of steel or something. But if you try not to look into this too much, then chances are you will enjoy the action. The fight scenes were done very well, incredibly brutal and realistic looking. The sound for this film really helped as you could almost feel every punch and kick as well as the explosions. The greatest scene for me was Ethan climbing the hotel in Dubai, the worlds most tallest building.

Shot in IMAX as well, I almost felt like I was right there next to Ethan looking down from above. Huge credit goes to Tom Cruise for performing this stunt himself!Overall, I found the film very enjoyable. I enjoyed it a lot more than the 2nd and 3rd entries, but the 1st has always been the best one for me. I would have given this a perfect 10 but it loses 2 points for the some of the action scenes being a bit silly and unrealistic.

Š-DR-MI6 Le protocole fantôme de Brad Bird (2011) p30

03/02/2014 10:42 par tellurikwaves

Š-DR-MI6 Le protocole fantôme de Brad Bird (2011) p29

03/02/2014 10:40 par tellurikwaves

Excellent: The MI Series Still Going Strong

Author: ccthemovieman-1 from United States
15 June 2012

This was a fun movie to watch; much better than I anticipated. Usually sequels have totally run their course by the fourth time, but not so here. In fact, this might even be the best of the Mission Impossible films.

It has a good mixture of interesting action scenes, suspense, drama, humor, great scenery of Venice, Italy, and fine acting. Nothing is overdone to the point of being too much and, as most MI films go, it has the normal espionage-type intrigue to figure out.It's just plain entertaining. Kudos to all: the director, the actors and the special-effects and cameraman. A superb job done all around.

Š-DR-MI6 Le protocole fantôme de Brad Bird (2011) p28

03/02/2014 10:37 par tellurikwaves

Š-DR-MI6 Le protocole fantôme de Brad Bird (2011) p27

03/02/2014 10:35 par tellurikwaves

Š-DR-MI6 Le protocole fantôme de Brad Bird (2011) p26

03/02/2014 10:31 par tellurikwaves

Š-DR-MI6 Le protocole fantôme de Brad Bird (2011) p25

03/02/2014 10:03 par tellurikwaves

Film of the year. Believe it.

Author: markdroulston from New Zealand
14 December 2011

Is there anything Brad Bird can't do? Interest was certainly high when it was announced that the animation director would be making his live- action directing debut, choosing to tackle the third sequel in the Mission: Impossible film series. Brian De Palma's first, while it hasn't aged well, is a tense 70s style thriller, John Woo's M:I 2 increased the action but lowered the intelligence, and in 2006 JJ Abrams reinvigorated the franchise with the exciting and highly enjoyable M:I 3. But all of the previous films have been completely left in the dust by Bird's Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, a strong contender for film of the year and perhaps one of the finest action films ever made.

To have pulled off such a feat is somewhat remarkable for Bird. While certainly an immensely talented director (best known for The Iron Giant and The Incredibles, two films which would rank highly on any respectable list of greatest animated movies of all time), the ability to transfer his skills to live-action on the scale of M:I – GP with such flair sets him apart as a filmmaker with immeasurable gifts, and one of the most interesting directors working today.

So what is it about M:I – GP that works so well? Tom Cruise, returning as IMF agent Ethan Hunt, once again puts everything he's got into his role. This franchise is clearly Cruise's baby, and the famously passionate star characteristically doesn't shy away from the more perilous stunt work. The level of commitment shown by Cruise is staggering, whether he's clinging to the side of the worlds tallest skyscraper (130 floors up!), or throwing himself down several levels of a parking garage. Say what you will about his eccentricities, but the man takes a pounding at every turn of this film only to rise and face down the next challenge, the very definition of a fearless performance.

Also of note is Simon Pegg making a welcome return in a much larger role than the last film, and his wisecracks and facial silliness provide much needed relief from the relentless suspense of the narrative. The story is somewhat familiar as Ethan and his team fight to stop a psychopathic genius (Michael Nyqvist) hell bent on starting world war three, but what could be a fairly standard affair in less capable hands is turned into something wonderful by Bird.

As you can probably gather, the real star of M:I – GP is Brad Bird. From a dialogue perspective, the film is surprisingly minimalist, as the director boldly lets his spectacular visuals speak for themselves, rather than relying on too much exposition from his characters. Likely because of his background in animation, where the visual style comes literally from the hands of the artist, Bird's compositions and framing are so meticulously crafted, particularly in some of the more pulse- pounding set pieces. The aforementioned skyscraper climb is one of the most exciting sequences I have ever seen in a film, but it's merely one of several fantastic scenes constructed by Bird and his team.

Even in the quieter moments, seemingly unimportant small gags (Hunt shedding a disguise for example) add so much to the film, like the delicate icing on a huge, many-layered cake. As welcome as a new animated film from Bird would be, the astounding quality of M:I – GP suggests that anything he chooses to do from this point will be hotly anticipated. Whether his Pixar compatriot Andrew Stanton can pull off the same transition with next year's John Carter remains to be seen, but for now, Brad Bird seems to be a director who can do no wrong.

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Š-DR-MI6 Le protocole fantôme de Brad Bird (2011) p24

03/02/2014 09:56 par tellurikwaves

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03/02/2014 09:54 par tellurikwaves

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03/02/2014 09:51 par tellurikwaves