Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – Film Review

By the time Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol hit theaters in 2011, Tom Cruise’s spy-thriller franchise had already carved a distinct identity—thrilling, stylish, and deeply devoted to practical stunt work. But with the fourth installment, the series was unexpectedly reenergized. Director Brad Bird, making his live-action debut after critically acclaimed animated hits like The Incredibles and Ratatouille, injected new life into the franchise, elevating it from a dependable action series into a sleek global juggernaut. With an audacious visual style, a tightly wound plot, and some of the most nerve-shredding set pieces of the decade, Ghost Protocol doesn’t just meet expectations—it launches them off the tallest building in the world.

Ghost Protocol opens with a bang—literally. The Kremlin is bombed, and the blame is placed squarely on Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team. As a result, the U.S. government initiates “Ghost Protocol,” disavowing the entire IMF. Without backup, and with only a skeleton team at his side, Hunt is tasked with clearing the agency’s name and stopping a nuclear extremist known only as Cobalt (played with icy resolve by Michael Nyqvist). What follows is a race across the globe—from Moscow to Dubai to Mumbai—against a ticking clock of world-ending consequences.

What separates Ghost Protocol from its predecessors is how it balances continuity with reinvention. Gone are the overly convoluted double-crosses that bogged down earlier entries. In their place is a crisp, forward-driving narrative that allows the characters and the spectacle to shine. Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec’s screenplay smartly strips the story to its essential bones—wrongfully accused spies trying to stop a megalomaniac—but uses that simplicity to build momentum and tension rather than cheapening the stakes.

Of course, no review of Ghost Protocol is complete without discussing its signature set piece: Ethan Hunt scaling the Burj Khalifa in Dubai—the tallest building in the world—with only a pair of malfunctioning suction gloves. Filmed with IMAX cameras and relying almost entirely on practical effects, the sequence isn’t just thrilling; it’s transcendent. Cruise’s real-life daredevilry, paired with Bird’s masterful sense of spatial geography and timing, creates an experience that’s as immersive as it is stomach-turning.

Brad Bird shoots action with clarity and flair, emphasizing wide shots and letting stunts play out in real time. Unlike the rapid-fire editing of lesser blockbusters, Bird trusts the audience to absorb the physicality of the actors and the danger of the situations. The result is a visual style that feels both old-school and revolutionary—clean, kinetic, and undeniably exhilarating.

One of Ghost Protocol‘s greatest strengths lies in how it deepens the emotional and professional bonds between IMF team members. Unlike past entries that largely revolved around Ethan Hunt as a solo operative, this film is a genuine ensemble piece. Simon Pegg returns as Benji Dunn, now promoted to field agent, bringing comedic levity and unexpected heart. Paula Patton, as agent Jane Carter, is fierce and focused, motivated by revenge and responsibility after the death of a fellow agent. Jeremy Renner’s William Brandt adds an intriguing layer of mystery, introduced as an analyst with secrets of his own.

This commitment to character doesn’t slow the film down; instead, it enriches the action. Every mission, disguise, and gadget-fueled deception is underscored by emotional weight. A simple extraction turns into a reckoning for Jane. A daring heist in Mumbai isn’t just about access, but about redemption for Brandt. These are not invincible operatives; they’re people with ghosts—haunted, determined, fallible. That human vulnerability makes their victories all the more satisfying.

At the center of it all is Cruise, who seems to defy both gravity and time. At nearly 50 years old during filming, Cruise remains a physical powerhouse. But what makes this performance more compelling than previous turns is the emotional restraint. His Ethan Hunt isn’t the wide-eyed daredevil of M:I-2 or the vengeful dynamo of M:I-3—he’s older, warier, more calculated. There’s a quiet sadness in his eyes that hints at the emotional toll of his years in espionage. Cruise wears that history well, grounding the character while still going full throttle through high-speed chases, sandstorms, and vertigo-inducing climbs.

Cinematographer Robert Elswit (There Will Be Blood, Michael Clayton) brings an elegance to the visuals that elevate the entire film. From the cold blue hues of Moscow to the golden haze of Dubai’s desert storms, the film’s color palette and lighting create a sense of place that enhances the international intrigue. The decision to shoot major sequences in IMAX wasn’t a gimmick—it expands the film’s scale and plunges the viewer into the heart of each location.

Michael Giacchino’s score, meanwhile, pays homage to Lalo Schifrin’s iconic themes while updating them with a muscular, propulsive energy. The music surges at just the right moments, lending tension and grandeur without overwhelming the narrative.

If Ghost Protocol falters at all, it’s in the somewhat underdeveloped villain. Michael Nyqvist’s Cobalt is chilling in concept—a nuclear strategist driven by nihilistic belief in evolutionary destruction—but he’s given limited screen time and dialogue. His motivations are sketched rather than explored. Compared to later franchise villains like Solomon Lane, Cobalt feels more like a puzzle to be solved than a genuine adversary to be feared.

Still, this is a minor quibble in a film that rarely puts a foot wrong. The pacing never flags, the set pieces escalate logically, and the final act in Mumbai cleverly avoids a generic explosion-fest by relying on hand-to-hand combat, suspense, and ingenuity.

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is not only one of the best films in the franchise—it’s the one that redefined what the series could be. It laid the groundwork for the more cohesive tone, team-driven dynamics, and jaw-dropping stunts that would define the subsequent entries (Rogue Nation, Fallout). It was also a gamble: handing over a massive action franchise to an animation director and re-centering its focus on team synergy and visual grandeur. The risk paid off.

Even more impressive is how Ghost Protocol managed to feel modern and classic at the same time. In an era dominated by superhero fatigue and CGI overload, it reminded audiences of the raw power of practical stunts, international espionage, and a good old-fashioned ticking clock.

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is an electrifying achievement—bold, brilliantly paced, and visually staggering. Brad Bird’s direction is a revelation, Tom Cruise is in peak form, and the set pieces rank among the most iconic in modern cinema. Though it stumbles slightly with a thinly drawn villain, it more than makes up for it with intelligence, craftsmanship, and sheer audacity.

For a franchise four films deep, Ghost Protocol should have been a high-quality retread. Instead, it soared. And in doing so, it redefined what “impossible” could mean.