Why See This...Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol [2011]

      Ghost Protocol being the fourth addition to the Mission Impossible series that started way back in 1996 has an interesting history to it.  The four film series has had four different directors and four very different receptions.  The original Mission Impossible, directed by the movie violence master himself Brian De Palma, was well received as a standard Hollywood action film with spurring star Tom Cruise as its lead.  Audiences liked it for what it was while critics seemed to be in the same boat.  Unfortunately M:I 2 could not follow down the same path.  This time the series fell into the hands of notable Kung Foo director John Woo.  Continuing box office success, many people felt that the movie was too corny and over the top with its action sequences.  Ethan Hunt wasn’t just a highly specialized secret agent but apparently a macho superhero as well. The highly stylized action choreography seemed to be a better fit for a Bruce Lee flick, not Ethan Hunt.  In other words, M:I 2 could not compete with the original.  Likewise, the third Mission Impossible directed by JJ Abrams continued downward but for different reasons.  This third film again tried to fall back on the successes of the first film but could not match it.  Those who were looking for a similar type of action from the second film were thrown off by the sometimes too intense sequences, especially the death of Ethan’s wife.