Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

**Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol takes an already great formula and upgrades it with bigger stunts, more character development, and an expanded universe.** Ghost Protocol tops the list of best Mission Impossible movies and sits near the top of best spy films. Ghost Protocol ratchets up the action, the stunts, the comedy, and the allure while still delivering a compelling and entertaining story in ways the franchise hadn’t mastered before. The world of the IMF expands beyond its star agent Ethan Hunt by showing agents on other missions and giving Hunt’s team backstories and development. Brad Bird’s Pixar charm rubs off on the film with fun, quirky moments punctuating the incredible action set pieces and providing a little breathing room in the intense face-paced plot. The quality of new characters and the pedigree of the actors playing them seems to prepare the franchise for spin-offs or even a changing of the guard (if Tom Cruise ever wanted to pass the movies on to a new lead). Ghost Protocol sets a new bar for the Mission Impossible series that causes its successors to thrive as they reach for its level of excellence. If you didn’t want to watch all 6 (and soon to be 8), Ghost Protocol wouldn’t be a bad place to start.

This is when the franchise started to shine. Keeping the same core cast and allowing them to grow really helps the film take off. The familiarity, the backstory, the connection lends itself to more time in the story and action and less with backstory and building an environment. The set pieces are fantastic and the connection between the two lead male agents really makes it a compelling story. This movie hits all the spots it needs. It has humor, suspense and action all while staying true to the mission impossible franchise. And the stunts are exactly what made this franchise become a long running entity.