Film review: Ghost Protocol - Cruise control

With Ghost Protocol, director Brad Bird has in a sense achieved a filmmaker’s mission impossible, by making the fourth film in a movie franchise feel fairly fresh and quite watchable. This is no mean achievement especially considering that this is Bird’s first live-action film, as all of his previous works were animated films like Ratatouille (2007) and The Incredibles (2004).

It is perhaps due to his inexperience in working with human actors, that Ghost Protocol’s, characters lack the necessary emotional impact, even though it excels in other areas. In fact — and I can’t believe I am saying this — for inspiration, Bird had to only look back as far as Fast Five (2011), an action film which created actual emotional stake for its characters.

The ‘framed spy out to clear his name’ plot of the film, similar to the Jason Bourne series, feels tired and isn’t particularly noteworthy here. Fortunately, the cast of the film, including Tom Cruise (framed team leader Ethan hunt), Jeremy Renner (William Brandt, the agent with a secret), the lovely Paula Patton (vengeance seeking agent Jane Carter) and the always amusing Simon Pegg (inexperienced field operative Benji Dunn) do provide strong performances. However, regrettably, not all of the acting is top notch: Anil Kapoor (Brij Nath), overdoes his comic role as a rich and seductive playboy, and comes across more as a rapist than a provocative ladies man.

Having said that, Ghost Protocol, is a very slick looking and highly energetic film, which features some compelling action sequences, including a brilliant vertigo inducing climb by Tom Crusie (who is said to have performed his own stunts), on one of the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. The movie also features the signature facemasks, sleek futuristic cars and hi-tech gadgets, all of which have now become staples of the franchise, making Ghost Protocol a visually stimulating thrill. Ghost Protocol is a throwaway film, quite similar to the cool disposable facemasks, a highly efficient technical marvel but still limited to one-use at best.

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, January 8^th, 2012.