You will believe a man can fly....off a building to his death

The Global Op went extra nerdy last week, taking in the Thursday evening IMAX  preview showing of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. As mentioned before, he had been cautiously optimistic, but still, going in, he could not have predicted how he would react.

Put simply, the movie worked. As far as action movies for the year it was near the top. Attack the Block would of course continue to reign above all else. But still, Mission Impossible had done its job and managed to elate the doggedly sour Global Op for the duration of its running time, and then some. As he saw it, two main things were the culprits here: assured direction by Brad Bird, and the rediscovery that action needs comedy(AKA the Murtagh needs Riggs principle).

As to the first point, more directors should start in animation like Brad Bird did. The need to literally draw and construct every shot seemed to instill an appreciation for well planned out sequences. All too often in movies lately, action sequences were marred by quick cuts and changes in perspective. Like the woman in the short dress meant to distract the guard from the robbery occurring behind her, these were the techniques of amateurs  substituting flash and bang for an actual plan. Sure it got the job done, but it was no fun to watch. The sequences in Mission Impossible were a delightful contrast to this. Each one had clearly been planned out, and as such the perspective was always in aid of the viewer. Most if not all shots were designed to enhance the viewers enjoyment, not to mask the director's lack of vision, and this paid off extremely well. In particular, the Dubai tower sequence was a testament to this. It was not often that the Global Op squirmed in his seat, and even less that he worried about the safety of Tom Cruise, but damn that scene made him fret like an addict two days in without a fix.

Which brings us to the Global Op's second point. The whole Dubai tower sequence was punctuated by moments of comedy. Though by no means necessary, these laughs served as great cathartic moments that both allowed the audience to exhale briefly while also accentuating the danger on screen. Comedic intrusions were present throughout the whole movie and their impact cannot be underestimated. Each moment helped sustain the tone of "action movie", and for the most part they all succeeded in both elevating the tension of the scene in question as well as reminding the audience what sort of ride they were on. Furthermore, these comedic moments helped insulate the film from criticism because while the viewer was cognizant of the numerous plot holes and inconsistencies, the comedic instances signified the film as "entertainment" and therefore somehow less needing of scrutiny.

So while Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol may never be remembered as a classic action film, it deserves great credit for reminding audiences not only how nice it is to be able to see what is going on, but also how effective a well placed laugh can be.