REVIEW: Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

The Mission: Impossible series has been hit or miss over the years, but it’s been getting better since the last installment that JJ Abrams took the helm on. Between the last installment and the choice of director for this film, my expectations were sky high. Brad Bird has directed some of the best films I’ve ever seen, from The Iron Giant to The Incredibles, he has a lot of potential and a lot to live up to.

And I have to admit was that this film met my expectations.

Was the story as good as the rest of the films in Brad Bird’s filmography? No. But it was completely adequate for what this film was. They needed to stop a nuclear war and that’s the goal. Everything else is inconsequential.

The way this film was assembled is second to none. While Brad Bird wasn’t necessarily flexing his story muscles with his live-action film debut, he was certainly showing off his understanding of craft. Each sequence in this film is so neatly fit together and each level of it raises the stakes on the action and the intensity so much that, at times, you can get dizzy if you’re not careful. Or afraid of heights.

This was just an incredibly well put-together film with action sequences that put the rest of the action sequences we saw in 2011 to shame. Particularly the fight scene in the automated parking garage in India. That was incredible to behold. And it was put together with the eye of an animator, someone obviously accustomed to putting together every single shot with care.

The other thing about this film was that it wasn’t just the Tom Cruise hour. There was an entire team of IMF agents on display and each of them brought something to the table, though none more hilarious or witty than Simon Pegg.

This movie is definitely worth your time and I have to say: See it in IMAX if you can.

One thing I only barely noticed in the film was the shoes.

The shoes? Yes. You’re as surprised by me saying that as I was when I got an email from Giorgio Brutini asking me if I’d like to review a pair of the shoes featured in the film.

I said, “Why not?” and they sent them right out to me.

I’ll admit that I didn’t notice them in the movie, but the shoes they sent me (pictured above) are way cooler than I deserve. They’ve been incredibly comfortable, stylish looking (as though I know what that is), and just all around solid.

I’m not accustomed to being complimented on my shoes. In fact, before this pair of shoes, I’ve never been complimented on my footwear. They seem completely durable and if you’re looking for a really solid dress shoe, these might be the ones for you. As I’ve worn them in over the last week, they’ve actually become more comfortable than when I first put them on, which was surprising to me.

You can check out their website and pick them up if you’re interested. They’re a steal at $65.

You can do what I did: wear the shoes to the movie. It won’t make the movie better, but it’s an odd and hilarious story to tell people.