It takes something special to lure a group of film bloggers and critics out of their cosy confines at 9am on a Monday morning. So when the Sydney film review community were invited to catch a sneak peak of selected scenes from the forthcoming Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol at IMAX Darling Harbour, Matt’s Movie Reviews was there with anticipated glee.
After all, Mission: Impossible III was a cracker of an action film which saw Tom Cruise at his action hero best as super spy Ethan Hunt and Philip Seymour Hoffman stealing scenes as a truly despicable villain.
While M:I III director and fanboy favourite J.J. Abrams has opted only to produce …Ghost Protocol alongside Cruise, his replacement has many waiting with baited breath as Pixar stalwart Brad Bird (The Incredibles) ventures into the world of live action, and boy does he have something in store for us if these scenes are any indication.
The first of two clips begin with Ethan and his new crew – among them Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton and Simon Pegg – preparing for a bit of espionage trickery in the Burj Khalifa tower, the worlds tallest building located in Dubai.
With tech man Benji (Pegg) unable to tap into the buildings security system from the inside, it is up to Ethan to climb out of the building (they are on the 150th floor!) and scale 11 floors up the tower and break into the security room. ‘
Now for those who suffer from vertigo, this nerve racking scene on a normal sized theatre screen alone will have you sweating bullets. As shown on IMAX it is an almost unbearable sequence with Cruise pulling off a bat-shit crazy feat of stunt work, sure to make the most strident Cruise hater give him props.
The second clip focuses on a chase scene during a sand storm. Ethan is after someone, using the latest navigation technology to weave his way through the barely visible streets of Dubai as sand pelts down upon them from all directions. The sequence ends with Ethan playing a game of chicken with his adversary as they race towards one another in near zero visibility.
On top of being nail chewing, thrilling sequences sure to appease the most hard-core of action junkie, the two …Ghost Protocol clips (which were shot with IMAX cameras equalling 20 minutes in total) also prove Bird’s worth as a live action director and IMAX as a more than better alternative to 3D when it comes down to engrossing visual spectacle at the movies.
The photography displayed is phenomenally sharp, the action choreography of top quality, and the performances - especially from Cruise – a thing of action movie glory.
If this is an indication of things to come, than December 15 is too long a wait for Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol. Especially in IMAX.
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