Midweek Mumble – Mission Impossible : Ghost Protocol – 20 Minute IMAX Preview

Although not a fan of the franchise Tom Bielby was lucky enough to get to see a 20 minute preview of Mission Impossible : Ghost Protocol, Here are his thoughts…

I’m going to have to confess that I have never seen Mission Impossible 2 or 3, and whilst I am a fan of the original, I have stayed away from the sequels fearing the worst. Despite this, I was not going to turn down the opportunity to take a look at two scenes from Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol that have been filmed using IMAX cameras and were being previewed over a month in advance of the film’s general release. It seemed strange heading to the cinema just for twenty minutes, and I was baffled that some people had stocked up on drinks and popcorn, (where would they find the time to finish their extra-large combo?) but I was glad that for once I didn’t have to worry about needing the toilet half way through the film.

Brad Bird has taken up the helm for this fourth outing, which may seem questionable at first seeing as his previous films have all been animations, but there is no denying that they have all been fantastic films and he definitely has a flair for imagination and creativity. If he can transfer these skills to his first live-action film then there is no doubt that he will deliver a high-octane thriller that should live up to the rest of the series.

Before we were shown two scenes from the film, a short introductory clip from Brad Bird was screened in which he set up the back story for these scenes. To cut a long story short, Ethan and his crew are in deep shit and we were about to witness their attempts to navigate through some very dangerous situations on the incredibly large IMAX screen, which stands at approximately eight storeys high, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t even a tiny bit excited at this point.

As the action rolled, we were introduced to Cruise’s team as they are travelling towards the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, located in Dubai. It is not long before they infiltrate the building and ascend to a dizzying height, with the very impressive camerawork bringing this experience to life on the IMAX screen, and at one point, as the camera circled the building overhead, I gripped my arm rests very tight as I was convinced I was going to fall out of my seat! We were then treated to a number of immensely satisfying shots as Ethan attempts to scale the building from the outside and nearly plummets to his death on several occasions. Nothing brings action to life so well as an IMAX screen, and Mission: Impossible -Ghost Protocol is perfectly suited to the enormous size of the screen, with the aerial views of the Burj Khalifa likely to instill vertigo in even the most hardened thrill-seekers amongst the audience.

Tom Cruise will reach the tender age of fifty next year, and the ‘dad run’ we witness as he attempts to chase someone on foot during a sandstorm  in the next scene is confirmation that his age will soon be difficult to cover up. Action stars seem to have an incredibly long shelf life these days, just take a look at the cast of The Expendables; it’s hard to believe that actors in their late fifties and mid sixties are still churning out action films, and with this in mind I doubt that Tom Cruise will be willing to relinquish his crown as an action star just yet, but he definitely needs to work on his run.

The sandstorm scene was astonishing to say the least, it culminates in an incredible car chase and left me with no doubt that putting Brad Bird behind the helm was an excellent decision. As for the rest of the cast, we didn’t get to see Jeremy Renner flexing his action chops, with Cruise taking centre stage but Simon Pegg seemed perfectly suited to the role of comedic relief. Much like Renner, Paula Patton, who plays the female member of the elite team, was not at the forefront of the action in the preview scenes but from the clips in the trailer, it looks as if they will both be giving Cruise a run for his money,

If the story is anywhere near as enthralling as the action scenes, then there is a lot of potential for this film to be as good as the original, and I for one will be eagerly anticipating its release on 26th December.

Tom Bielby is a long time film fan and aspiring film writer. HE writes his own blog named The Film Bantha 

Are you looking forward to this film? Are you a fan of Mr Cruise? Comment below…