Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Director- Brad Bird.This is where the series really took off. Until now, it had been trying to find itself and come into its own, but with this, it has finally found what works and never looked back.The visual tonality is also similar from here on out due to a set colour grading. The film is the only MI to not be directed by Christopher McQuarrie, but was written by him (uncredited). This could explain why they all feel similar.This time around, we got a banger start with Ethan Hunt being in jail. The film never told us how he got there, which makes it more intriguing. The opening sequence with a lit fuse is a banger too.The infiltration of the Kremlin is well choreographed and shows us a great sequence of them walking slowly with the use of a screen with the image of the hallway. That scene is what defined MI partly for what is to come for me, as it is espionage, resembling the first part. Though this one doesn't have a Hitchcockian feel to it.The bombing in the Kremlin is incredibly well shot and must have been a treat to see in a theatre.The other part is his stunt on the Burj Khalifa. Till now, Tom has done several stunts in other parts too, but the scale of this one is on a whole other level. This became the benchmark for MI films later on.From the climbing to the insertion of the pendrive to his return, everything is on a time crunch with how it needs to play out. This makes the viewers gripped in their seats. The way the film's backdrop allows us to understand the personal stakes of one of his teammates is brilliant, as it also sets up a conflict about whether she will kill the culprit before they succeed or not.The inclusion of Jeremy Renner in this part is awesome. I read somewhere that this was supposed to be the last part with Cruise, and the reins were going to be given to Renner, but the reception of this part made him return to the helm.The fight sequence in the parking lot with the moving ramps was awesome and one of the film's highlights. The innovation in it is astounding. The time crunch in that scene, too, makes the scene much more gripping. The scene when the electricity is turned on by Renner, the girl pushes the cartridge inside, and Ethan presses the button in succession is brilliant.I also loved how this is used in its sequel, directed by McQuarrie.The setup for how Renner and Cruise's characters are connected is awesome, as he was the one who failed to protect Cruise's wife, his only failed mission. He isn't able to let it go. His character growth comes full circle as we find out that she is alive and well, just separated from Ethan, as she isn't safe with him.I can see several scenes in this that were used in the latest part of the series. Such as the post saving the world scene and the missile disarmament scene.Overall, this is one awesome film, and I sincerely hope this gets a theatrical rerelease someday, and I am able to catch it. With this, I am four down and two more to go. I hope I love both of them as much as this, too.