I’m not a big fan of action flicks.  I think they are very predictable, follow the same plot line, and mostly aren’t much more than eye candy.   So whenever one of these franchise pictures come out I tend to evade them;  if a regular action movie is predictable, imagine a sequel?  We get to see the same gimmicks and stunts but in different scenarios, most things happen in the same way that in the last movie, so you feel familiarized, and have a new twist here and there to make it feel new.    Mission Impossible has something going for it that caught my eye, it has stunning action sequences in the Burj Hotel in Dubai.   I don’t know, but I have a thing for record setting things, like mountains, rivers, buildings, structures, lakes, etc.   The Burj Hotel is the tallest building in the world, and it’s a fascinating construction that has me craving for some travel time in the Arab city.   The trailer, plus some rave reviews here and there made me pull out my wallet and pay to watch this movie.   I also happened to watch it in the new 4Dx theater here at home, a new experience that brings in movement, air, vibrating seats and even some bursts of water to make you feel more in the movie (More on that later), so was it worth it?   Let’s find out:

Tom Cruise is getting old, he doesn’t look the same as in the previous Mission Impossible movies, and somehow is starting to resemble his old self (Cocktail Version) with this new hairstyle (Is it new?).     I don’t know why I thought of this every time he appeared; maybe it’s the new HD camera that is just showing us more and more of the tiny blemishes in the faces of the actors.    But well, putting that aside, the movie starts out as I expected, putting us in the middle of an action sequence in Budapest, introducing the main characters and getting us right in the plot line.    Introduces us to new characters and gives us a surprise or two just to start off.

I love the fact they’ve included Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) in this movie.  His overall intensity takes us to another level of fierceness that is needed in order to makes us feel more tense (something Mission Impossible is known for).  This is the kind of actor that makes a difference in a cheesy movie like this one, brings some seriousness to the table.    Paula Patton is also a pretty good actress that fits pretty good in her role as an intense agent.   Benji Dunn also does a ratter swell job as the movie’s comic relief, he actually made me laugh a couple of times with his gags.   I tend to be against this kind of character, I never understood why you have to have one in a movie, but well, I know it’s some kind of cliché that Hollywood Production love to have, and if he does his job right i’ll just ignore the fact I hate it.

Visually, the movie is stunning.  Dubai looks so awesome I wanted to book a flight right through my mobile phone while I was watching the movie.  They did a great job in capturing every setting.   Budapest looks every bit as it is in real life, just  as well as Mumbai.    Sound effects, music and visual effects are also of the highest quality, I wouldn’t expect any less coming from a Tom Cruise franchise movie.        Action movies live in the die with their villains; if he isn’t evil and naughty enough, the movie fails.    MI4 doesn’t have the evilest, baddest MF in the world, but his intentions are as bad as any, so he makes the cut.  I won’t say he made me hate him, but he does the job even thought he is a little bit of an old chestnut.

Plot wise, we have all the ingredients that usually mark up this kind of story, confusing you at times, over explaining itself and sometimes, incredibly, under explaining some important stuff, something that just leaves me scratching my head.     We get the usual Terrorist attack, destruction of a world heritage site, the infiltration scene, the dark secret scenario, the secret life of the villain, well, you get the point.  If you come to this movie expecting a nominee for best screenplay, you’ll be disappointed.    But if you come as I did, expecting the regular Action Plot, you’ll be satisfied.  That said, Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol is a fun, light hearted, explosive action flick that demands you to watch it at a movie theater.   Good winter fun.

Score: 7.5 out of 10.0

4DX: For those that have this kind of theater available in your city, I should say that it’s a welcomed different experience that may be worth the extra bucks.    To me it’s just another way of luring in people that tend to watch movies at home,  to the theater.    It gives you a unique experience that is hard to replicate.    Seat motion, vibration effects, air, and even some sprinkles.     I would choose an adequate film for this kind of experience first, as it’s not for everyone or every movie.   The moving seats can and may get you a little bit dizzy as well as you can start feeling a little bit cold with the air.   Overall I found 4Dx technology to be underwhelming and not necessary at all to watch Mission Impossible.