I was trying to come up with a “picture this” experience to start this review to give you an idea of just how big the 4^th installment of the Mission: Impossible series is, but everything is just dwarfed in comparison.  It is that intense.

Usually there comes a point in an action film where you just have to stop and say: “Ok, I could believe everything so far, but this?  Really?  You surfed a plane down through a lightning storm while trying to catch the detonator to a bomb that will destroy an entire alien planet that is destined to someday bring peace to Earth with their pilgrims if it manages to survive until then?”  Ok, maybe I could come up with something for my intro…  The point is, the suspension of disbelief can only go so far.  Then you put “Impossible” in the title and suddenly every crazy idea you can come up with is on the table.  Not saying it will be in the film, but no one will think you’re an idiot for mentioning it.

To carry out the impossible this time around, Ethan Hunt is once again tasked to save the world by a self-destructing message from the IMF (Impossible Mission Force).  However, things go horribly wrong and suddenly the team is marked as terrorists and forced to carry out their mission without having any government backing.  Which means they’ll have to rough it.

Well not really, instead of roughing it old school style, the only downside is that they can’t call in for help.  Plus, a large percentage of the ridiculous future gear and computer hacking from vans is no longer available.  With that said, they’re still able to make off with a bunch of gear from the last safe house they will ever visit.  Granted maybe it would have been better had they not packed their bags.  Maybe it was just horrible luck, but all of the stuff they choose to use on their mission must be in the prototype stage because everything, and I mean pretty much everything, is highly likely to malfunction.

Then again, had everything been working correctly MI4 would have probably only ended up with a B from me.  The odds are just stacked so high against them that even the ridiculous that should be annoyingly over-the-top still earns a jaw drop because of a willingness to believe this team, and especially Tom Cruise, can do anything.  Fall from a few stories up to slam his head on a car?  He’ll bounce back from that (in more than one way).  Can’t get through a locked door?  Why not free climb upward from your window that is already higher than 100 stories up?  He is the man that will not stop, and definitely doesn’t have the word “can’t” in his vocabulary.

But best of all, on top of the physical and situational comedy added thanks to the malfunctioning equipment, Cruise is surrounded by some of the best choices in actors for these rolls.  Jeremy Renner surprises with a few laughs earned as another operative, all the while showing just how capable he would be as the lead of a series like this.  Simon Pegg might not be able to claim the same, but he still manages to be the favorite member of the team because of his comedy chops, bringing the always appreciated humor as a newly appointed operative who is a little green, and often reacts as the audience does with the question: “Wait, you can’t be serious?”

If I had any complaints about Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, it would be that I do not agree with the final seconds of the film, so much so that I am still a little angry at a certain character.  But rewind a minute or so and everything up till then is practically as close as we can get to a perfect action film.

Final Grade:  A-     Follow @BewareOfTrees