Iffy for 13+
Spy franchise returns for more action-packed thrills.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that the fourth installment in the popular Mission: Impossible franchise has all the hallmarks that made the previous incarnations successful: a twisty plot, a motley crew (led by Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt) on a spying mission, and lots and lots of jaw-dropping stunts and high-tech gadgetry. Expect tons of thrilling-but-violent action sequences, including assassinations and weapons that maim, bomb, and kill. The body count definitely adds up, but blood is minimal. There's also some swearing (including "s--t"), as well as some kissing and flirting, social drinking, and smoking.
- Families can talk about action movies. Does this kind of movie need violence in order to be thrilling?
- How does the filmmaker handle the violent missions? Are they glamorized? If so, what effect does this have?
- Is Ethan a role model? Why or why not?
The good stuff
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Messages: This is a pretty straightforward good-versus-evil story. Teamwork is what really makes Ethan's team successful; they all watch one another's back and are loyal to the group. Another notable takeaway: Gadgets can fail, so human relationships and resourcefulness matter more.
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Role models: Ethan is definitively on the "good" side, though there are allusions to him having gone off-mission and killed six men. He appears to be a dedicated guy, though clearly one with a few demons. Everyone on his team is pretty well-intentioned and principled. There's a strong female character on the IMF team.
What to watch for
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Violence: Plenty of action/thriller violence, with high body counts resulting from gunfights, bombings, hand-to-hand combat, and the like. There's an assassination, and characters end up bloodied, maimed, and killed. One spy is shot point blank. Some of the fight scenes make you wince. Some characters refer casually to having killed others. The villain wants to detonate a nuclear missile.
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Sex: A lingering kiss; a spy attempts to get information from someone by flirting with and seducing him.
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Language: Infrequent use of words including "s--t," "hell," "ass," and "damn." Also "my God," etc. as exclamations.
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Consumerism: Brands/labels in the movie include Ford Motors, Porsche, Maserati, Dell, LG, and plenty of Apple products, including the iPad and the iPhone.
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Drinking, drugs and smoking: Social drinking at parties; some characters smoke.
Fan Reviews provided by
5
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol by Jason Freytag
I have to admit the reason I first went to this movie was to check out the new theater in town. But it was a very good movie. Tom Cruise always does an excellent job with whatever role he's given all the actors did a very good job though. The special effects were just amazing. The shots were so amazing that it will leave you wondering how they did it. It's easily the best out of the MI movies. I would reccomend it for families too. No bad language, some violence but no more than you may see on the evening news.
4
it's a GO by rashadxll
Personally I'm a fan of all the Mission Impossible movies. In views of the directing a producing it was caught just like the last ones. An I like that fact that the people making keep it close to the original and don't deviate so much. Sometimes the tech guy who helps them with all the computer stuff, tries to be funny but isn't. With him it's a hit or miss I imagine for most viewers. I would say the movies is for 13 years an above. Don't have to worry about those awkward sex scenes coming out of no where. But the movie is a good watch. The stunts are original and I haven't seen them in any other movie or MI movies from the passed. So I think its a "go," for all those old and new MI fans.
Rashadxll
4
Absolutely Awesome by cyberjew2
I'm a fan of the series, but this is by far the best installment. You can tell that all effort was made to create a pulse-pounding action movie with stunts that look so real, you won't believe it... not like those that looked very fake in previous Mission Impossible movies.
Amazing acting and tense action. Good plot, storyline, and character development. You can't go wrong here!
5
awesome action flick by Davinciluv
I have seen each ot the MI flicks. 3 was my fave. This one takes a different approach but is easily the best action flick of the 4 films.
Nowhere near the love story for the ladies. But tons of stuff for the fellas. N the female lead is def easy to watch.
I dont wanna give away the plot but I will def be adding this my movie collection. Even though i dont currently own any of the series. This one is must have.
5
INCREDIBLE!!!! THOROUGHLY ENTERTAINING!!! by romankoke32
I solemly swear....this is one of the BEST ACTION MOVIES EVER MADE!!!!! And believe me...I'm not one who usually even writes reviews about movies, but this is a movie of a different caliber all together...
First of all, I think Tom Cruise is somewhat of a weird guy in real life, but the man knows how to make some good movies. He does his own stunts.This movie has it all...action, humor, suspense, and a few you-were-almost-ready-to-cry moments.
I was thoroughly impressed....it was a hell of a movie. Tickets cost $13 in NYC, but I think I might just see it again before it leaves the theater!
YOU MUST GO!!!!!!!
5
A great thrill ride! by Tero44
Visually stunning and packed with action. The characters were strong and well defined. With a compelling story. Paula Patton's character Jane Carter was a delight to watch. Whether she
a team member struggling to contain her rage. Conducting multi-million dollar transactions. Ensnaring a billionaire playboy. Or holding her own in a fight.
3
Entertaining, action packed, but overly long, with cartoonish characters by eden vale
Unimaginatively and formulaic-ally directed by Brad Bird ("The Iron Giant"/"Ratatouille"/"The Incredibles"), in his live-action directing debut, and cartoonishly written by Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec. At its best, a lightweight second-rate 007-like thriller, filled with gadgets and plenty of bang-bang action that offers an visually entertaining travel tour that takes us from Budapest to Moscow to Dubai, and finally Mumbai.
The characters are all one-dimensional, especially Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist), a mad scientist, who is given no personality and no apparent reason for wanting to start a global nuclear war except some BS about destroying the world so it can start to evolve again.
The film's humor emerges around the feats of brawn over the reliance on high-tech and its frequent breakdowns, with the almost non-stop action sequences used to keep us entertained in a high voltage style and dazzling set pieces to keep us visually pleasured.
At best a C+
4
End-To-End Action, A Bit Short On Plot. by Alon Patterson
Fans of the M.I. film series will welcome this latest installment which as promised, delivers stunts worthy of Hollywood history. It's very obvious no expense was spared in the making of this (manufacture of this) blockbuster. It's film production by the numbers, spoon-feeding its audience a careful mix of violence, visuals and action. Short on dialogue and even shorter on plot, it won't disappoint most who see it because its target audience is the 18-25 male demographic, who the film industry is convinced only likes testosterone charged big-budget extravaganzas filled with action, sex and violence, and around which they can market merchandise, video games and product placements before passing the movie on to the after-market, pay TV. Still, if you're paying for an action movie, you'd be hard pressed to find one as well made as this. Just don't expect a solid story and dialogue because you won't find them here. See it though. For the most part, it's far from disappointing.
5
Good action movie! by Stevaroni
MI 4 has good action scenes, story, and humor. My favorite is MI 3, this episode is easily one of the best action movie for the movie fan.... GO see it!
4
You'll get your money's worth by RandytheMovieFan
This movie has lots of great action, nice uses of technology, decent acting and a script that serves up a few laughs and some touching moments amid the mayhem. The story is your basic mad scientist trying to destroy the world, but it's done well and the action moves fast enough that you don't have time to dwell on the plot holes. Oh, and Tom Cruise still looks great at almost 50. Guaranteed to generate another movie in the franchise.