Looking back at Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol: The film that transformed Tom Cruise's career

When mentioning Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, fans surely cannot forget the scene where Ethan Hunt dangles outside the Burj Khalifa, one of the most memorable moments in the franchise's history - Photo: Paramount

More than a decade later, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol still impresses with its large-scale action sequences; it also marks a significant turning point in the journey that made Tom Cruise and Ethan Hunt nearly inseparable names.

However, the appeal of Ghost Protocol lies in more than just its stunts. The film also demonstrates how the Mission: Impossible franchise continues to reinvent itself with each installment, this time under the guidance of Brad Bird—the director famous for animated films like The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and The Iron Giant.

Following J.J. Abrams' Mission: Impossible III, Ghost Protocol continues Ethan Hunt's story but opts for a lighter, more entertainment-focused approach. While the third film attempted to explore Ethan's private life, love, and desire for a normal existence, Ghost Protocol largely sets those elements aside to return the character to his role as a super-spy.

At the very beginning of the film, Ethan is broken out of a Russian prison. Shortly after, a bombing at the Kremlin leads to the dissolution of the IMF, leaving Ethan and his team without government support. 

To stop an extremist scientist intent on inciting a nuclear war between the U.S. and Russia, Ethan must assemble a team of reluctant agents and operate outside the law. This structure gives Ghost Protocol many similarities to the original 1996 film. However, instead of a cold, tense atmosphere, Brad Bird delivers a version that is more colorful, humorous, and performance-driven.

Brad Bird places particular importance on the cinematic experience and advocated for shooting a portion of Ghost Protocol with IMAX cameras. This approach helps the film maximize its strengths on the big screen. Skyscrapers, vast deserts, high-speed chases, and death-defying action sequences are all crafted as spectacles designed for the theater.

Michael Nyqvist's villain, Kurt Hendricks, is a character who wants to plunge the world into nuclear war, but he leaves little impression in terms of personality. The relationship between him and Ethan is also not deep enough to create a sense of personal rivalry - Photo: Paramount

But it is here that the limitations of Ghost Protocol appear. Compared to the first film or Mission: Impossible III, the movie lacks a strong enough internal narrative to connect Ethan with the antagonist. The ending is therefore considered less impressive than the action sequences that precede it. The film features spectacular performances, but the story behind them sometimes feels thin and lacking in depth.