Movie Review - DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES...

Earlier today, I watched the action-adventure fantasy Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves at AMC theaters.

I never played the Hasbro game that this film is based on, but I will say that Honor Among Thieves itself is both a fun and funny film!

The story is about a pickpocket named Edgin Darvis (Chris Pine), who set out to take back his daughter Kira (Chloe Coleman) and the 'tablet of awakening' from Forge Fitzwilliam (Hugh Grant) after Edgin entrusted them to his friend after a heist went awry two years before.

Edgin wasn't alone in his journey...as he had Holga Kilgore (Michelle Rodriguez), Simon Aumar (Justice Smith), Doric (Sophia Lillis) and—albeit briefly—Xenk Yandar (Regé-Jean Page) to help him carry out his plan.

The reason why Edgin needed to reclaim the tablet of awakening was to resurrect his wife Zia (Georgia Landers), who was killed by the blade of a Red Wizard before Darvis eventually met Holga, Simon and company. It didn't help that Forge was now in cahoots with Sofina (Daisy Head)...another Red Wizard who was responsible for getting Edgin and Holga sent to a dungeon after the ill-fated heist.

I won't spoil the rest of the story for you (except to say that the climax paid a hilarious homage to Hulk thrashing Loki at the end of 2012's The Avengers), but I will point out that this is personally the best Chris Pine movie I've seen since he first played Captain Kirk in 2009's Star Trek! His on-screen chemistry with Michelle Rodriguez worked in Honor Among Thieves (no, nothing romantic happened between them during the movie... Only great comedic timing in their scenes), and you believed the camaraderie that Edgin and Holga formed with Simon, Doric and Xenk during their adventure.

And just like his role in the recent Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, Hugh Grant played the wealthy smooth-talking criminal in Dungeons & Dragons...though unlike in Operation Fortune, Hugh Grant's character eventually had to atone for his mistakes in Honor Among Thieves.

Daisy Head was great as Sofina—a villain who would feel right at home in a Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and even Star Wars film. Speaking of Lord of the Rings, Honor Among Thieves took place in some beautiful locales as well...but in areas shot in Iceland and Northern Ireland, not in New Zealand.

I would have to say that Paramount Pictures did a great job turning Dungeons & Dragons into such a hilarious and fun-filled flick! Hasbro should be proud.

Though ironically, the 2012 movie Battleship—which was also based on a Hasbro board game of the same name—wasn't as well-received by critics over a decade ago. That's a shame considering that Battleship was a decent sci-fi action film; it would've gotten a different response had Universal Pictures not associated the movie with an old kid's game.

Going back to Honor Among Thieves, Bradley Cooper had a hilarious cameo in this film. Go see it in theaters now to find out who he played in the movie...

Two thumbs up for Dungeons & Dragons!

ROGUE ONE Update: Check Out This Teaser to the Movie's Next Trailer!

Earlier today, Lucasfilm released a 15-second preview for the next Rogue One: A Star Wars Story trailer that will be unveiled during NBC's TV coverage of the Rio Olympics this Thursday. The teaser shows the Rebel U-Wing starfighter in action, as well as new glimpses of Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), Captain Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), Baze Malbus (Wen Jiang), Chirrut Îmwe (Donnie Yen) and K-2SO (motion-captured by Alan Tudyk). Hopefully, the general public will get to see what lucky attendees at last month's Star Wars Celebration in London saw by featuring a glimpse of Darth Vader in the next preview. To quote Spock from Star Trek (sorry), it's only logical.

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INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE - The Review...

So last night, I went to the Cinemark theater in Orange County to catch a double-feature screening of 1996's Independence Day (ID4) and the newly-released Independence Day: Resurgence (IDR). ID4 was still as patriotic, feel-good and cheesier as ever...with President Whitmore's (Bill Pullman) Area 51 speech and David Arnold's music being memorable 20 years later. As for Resurgence, all I can say is— It was both exciting and disappointing at the same time. It was exciting in that, despite the absence of Will Smith's character Captain Steve Hiller, the other characters were as lively as in the original, and the story was more intriguing than in ID4. Resurgence was disappointing in that David Arnold didn't score the movie this time around. With no disrepect to IDR composers Thomas Wander and Harald Kloser (who began conducting the scores for most of Roland Emmerich's films after the director had a falling out with Arnold due to creative differences over 2000's The Patriot...which was eventually worked on by John Williams), Arnold would've added the same patriotic and melodic fervor to IDR like he did in the previous film. It might be my nostalgia talking, but the best moments in IDR had the classic music motifs from ID4 playing in the background.



In regards to other aspects of Resurgence, the visual effects were stunning...although the same critique made about the Star Wars prequels (the CGI was excessive) can also be applied here. The arrival of the so-called "Harvester Ship" was cool (though once again, it would be much cooler if the ominous music playing in the background was scored by Davi— Ah, nevermind), yet it still somehow lacked the punch of the 15-mile-wide alien destroyers arriving above Manhattan, Los Angeles and other cities in the first film. The Harvester Ship is supposed to be 3,000 miles-wide (compared to 500 miles for ID4's Mothership), but the fact that the vessel was created via CGI as opposed to using a practical model prevented it from having the same impact as the destroyers did in 1996. As for the new alien attackers in IDR (once again, it's my nostalgia talking), these fighters didn't have as memorable a design as the manta ray-shaped spacecraft that Steve Hiller and company battled in ID4. Also, the engines on the new attackers didn't have a cool screeching sound like their 1996 predecessors had. Nor did the laser guns on the new ships sound as interesting as those fired by ID4's killer UFOs.



The one thing that I really looked forward to with Independence Day: Resurgence was seeing the alien exoskeletons in action for the first time. Weta Digital (the company that worked on The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Peter Jackson's other films) did a great job animating the murderous extraterrestrials. It was cool to see the Harvester Queen suit up inside her biomechanical armor and wreak havoc on the humans once she set foot on earth. The Queen's movement echoed the behavior of the monsters seen in the J.J. Abrams movies Cloverfield and Super 8...and watching her take on the alien hybrid jet fighters piloted by Patricia Whitmore (Maika Monroe) and company was a cool sight to see. One person who sat behind me at the theater yesterday complained after the movie ended that Resurgence felt too futuristic compared to the more grounded, realistic world depicted in ID4. On one hand, he is completely right. On the other hand, it is understandable that this would happen...seeing as how 20 years have elapsed and it obviously makes sense that we would apply alien technology to our weapons, vehicles, and every other applicable thing that we used in our daily lives. That, and most of Earth's major cities were wiped out in 1996...so that gave Emmerich freedom to interpret how a rebuilt Washington, D.C. would look post-ID4.



And lastly— The story in IDR was intriguing, to put it mildly. Not to spoil anything, but the ending paves the way for a third film if Resurgence makes enough money at the box office (it won't be 2016's highest-grossing film the same way ID4 was in 1996, that's for sure) to convince Twentieth Century Fox to give Emmerich the go-ahead to shoot another installment. I doubt a third film will be made...seeing as how Independence Day 3 will essentially become Star Trek, 2013's Ender's Game and every other sci-fi space flick due to the premise introduced right before the end credits. Also, IDR killed off two beloved characters from the original film—so the presence of at least one of them will be missed in a third movie. All-in-all, Resurgence had so much potential...but it didn't quite live up to it. Just like the 2014 comedy Dumber and Dumber 2 (which came out 20 years after the first film did), IDR was released in theaters several years too late to have the same impact as that of the original. Back in 1996, ID4 was called "the Star Wars of our generation." You really can't say that about Resurgence now when four new live-action Star Wars films (with a fifth movie, Rogue One, arriving in December) were released since then! But I am definitely onboard if Roland Emmerich and David Arnold finally set their differences aside...and Arnold graces us with another patriotic and energetic music score in Independence Day 3 if it ever gets made. That is all.

3 out of 5 stars. ***

Get Ready For Transformers 5!

With a little over a week before Transformers: Age of Extinction hits theaters nationwide, it has been reported online that Paramount Studios has officially greenlit Transformers 5! While there are no reports as to whether or not Michael Bay will return to helm the fifth Transformers live-action flick, there is no reason to believe that he would forego making millions of additional dollars by not directing another installment in the fighting alien robots franchise. Transformers 5 is targeted for release in 2016...the same year that Captain America 3, Independence Day 2 (a.k.a. ID Forever), Star Trek 3, Avatar 2, the first Star Wars spin-off flick and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice gets released in cinemas everywhere. And I thought 2015 was gonna be an action-packed year for sci-fi and comic book-loving moviegoers...

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit...

Earlier today, I watched the latest installment chronicling the cinematic exploits of Tom Clancy’s popular CIA analyst, Jack Ryan. Directed by Kenneth Branagh (who also plays the movie’s main antagonist, Viktor Cherevin) and featuring Chris Pine as the title character once portrayed by Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck, respectively, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit revolves around a rogue Russian cell trying to wreak havoc on the United States through economic and terrorist means. Along with making a passing reference to the September 11, 2001 attacks, Shadow Recruit also has a theme that plays on insider trading and other shady acts by Wall Street that helped start America’s Great Recession six years ago. Factoring all of this together, Shadow Recruit is a smart espionage and action thriller that is almost on the same level as previous Clancy-inspired flicks like Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger.



There wasn’t any major gripe I had with Shadow Recruit, except maybe for Keira Knightley as Jack Ryan's girlfriend, Cathy Muller. Performance-wise, she was great... However, despite the fact she pulled off a nice American accent in the movie, I couldn’t help but think of Knightley suddenly speaking in a British drawl that obviously defined her characters in such movies as the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy and the 2005 action-crime flick, Domino. Other than this, Knightley was commendable, and Chris Pine was as adept to playing the well-known government spy as he was portraying Captain Kirk in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek films. Even though Tom Clancy is sadly no longer around to churn out great military literature from which these movies can be made, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit shows that as long as the series is in the capable hands of a filmmaker like Branagh and a cast that features talent like Pine, Knightley, Kevin Costner (as government agent Thomas Harper) and Branagh himself, Jack Ryan will continue to be an enthralling agent on the big screen. Maybe not as enthralling as a certain British spy who goes by the code number 007, but riveting nonetheless.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire...

I watched the latest action-adventure flick starring Jennifer Lawrence earlier today, and in the same vein that The Dark Knight was an improvement over Batman Begins (which was still very good) and The Empire Strikes Back was a worthy successor to Star Wars, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire was more intense and cerebral than its 2012 predecessor. As Katniss Everdeen, Lawrence did a great job conveying the anguish that the character experienced throughout the majority of the film...especially after President Snow (Donald Sutherland) was so bent on eliminating Everdeen that he had all former winners/survivors of The Hunger Games (who were previously exempted from taking part in the barbaric competition ever again) participate in another savage battle royale one last time. Philip Seymour Hoffman added intrigue to Catching Fire as Plutarch Heavensbee...President Snow's Head Gamemaker who wasn't all that he's cracked up to be by the final scene of the movie. Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) was apparently the Han Solo of Catching Fire; you'd have to watch The Empire Strikes Back and the finale of The Hunger Games sequel to know what I'm talking about.



Other noteworthy aspects of Catching Fire were the redesigned suits of the Peacekeepers, who looked like a cross between the competitors of Tron (Tron: Legacy to be exact) and Imperial Stormtroopers. The aircraft that the Capitol used to send participants to The Hunger Game arena (and retrieve the corpses of unlucky warriors during the death match) looked pretty cool—and were definitely reminiscent of the ships you'd see in Star Wars and Star Trek. I'm looking forward to how the revolution against the Capitol begins in The Hungers Games, with Part 1 of Mockingjay getting released in theaters next November and Part 2 being unleashed in cinemas during the Year of Avengers: Age of Ultron and Star Wars: Episode VII. I'm referring to 2015, of course. That is all.

Star Trek Into Darkness...

Check out this cool illustration depicting the USS Vengeance crashing down onto San Francisco in the climax of last May's Star Trek Into Darkness. What a great movie...looking forward to buying it on DVD this September 10. (And no, I wasn't paid by Paramount Pictures to say that.)


Photo courtesy of Star Trek Fan Page - Facebook.com

Star Wars: Episode VII Shooting on 35mm Film...

On the same day that the world found out that Ben Affleck was the new Batman, it was revealed that J.J. Abrams will be shooting the next Star Wars movie on celluloid. This is great news! One problem with the prequels was that they were not visually consistent with the Original Trilogy (which was shot on 35mm Kodak stock) since George Lucas filmed Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith (as well as parts of The Phantom Menace) with digital cameras. Heck, Clones and Sith didn't even have the same look as Episode I...which was filmed in 35mm before Lucas decided to treat the next two prequels as mere tech demos as opposed to them being a genuine addition to the Star Wars canon. Even though the third film was an abomination, The Matrix trilogy should be applauded since there was visual continuity among the three flicks. And the same goes with The Lord of the Rings trilogy (and The Hobbit, somewhat) as well as The Dark Knight flicks. (I'd choose IMAX-filmed footage over digital shots, any day). It is awesome to see that Abrams definitely wants to bring the movie magic from the Original Star Wars Trilogy to his upcoming flick. With John Williams aboard to do the music score once more (though we'll still have to wait awhile to see which actors gets cast in Episode VII), how can Abrams go wrong? Don't answer that if you're thinking about the Lost series finale and not this summer's hit film Star Trek Into Darkness.

And while we're still on the topic of Star Wars' cinematography, may Gilbert Taylor, the director of photography for A New Hope, rest in peace. He passed away yesterday at the age of 99.

Early 2014... That's when J.J. Abrams is targeting the start of principal photography for Star Wars: Episode VII. Based on numerous sources online, the Star Trek Into Darkness director will relocate to London later this year to shoot the next flick...which is in tradition with the previous Star Wars movies being shot in the United Kingdom (and Australia) as well.



The big question is: Will Episode VII still be slated for release in 2015? If the prequels are any indication, it takes two years to produce a Star Wars movie (with The Phantom Menace shooting in 1997 for its 1999 release date, Attack of the Clones filming in 2000 for its 2002 debut, and Revenge of the Sith being shot in 2003 for its 2005 theatrical arrival). Unless Episode VII will be light on action scenes (RE: Fewer lightsaber duels and/or space battles than before) or Abrams and Industrial Light & Magic found a way to cut back on cost and rendering time for visual effects sequences, I'll find it unsurprising (though disappointing) if we find out that the sequel will appear at the cinemas in 2016 instead. I hope not.

Transformers 4 update... Just read online that Li Bingbing (of 2008's The Forbidden Kingdom and last year's Resident Evil: Retribution) will make an appearance in Michael Bay's next ass-kicking alien robots flick—out in theaters in June of 2014. Rumored to make an appearance with the lovely Chinese actress in Transformers 4 are none other than the Dinobots, though this one shouldn't be much of a surprise (four movies in, it's about time Grimlock and his boys show up on-screen). I'll be more excited when it's revealed and confirmed that Galvatron will make an appearance in TF4 and kick Autobot ass. Since Leonard Nimoy already lent his voice to Sentinel Prime in Dark of the Moon, how 'bout Star Trek Into Darkness' Benedict Cumberbatch recite Galvatron's dialogue in TF4 (and thus scare the crap out of little kids watching this flick in a crowded IMAX theater)? That would be, to quote Bay himself, awesome.

Star Trek Into Darkness: Movie Review... I saw J.J. Abrams' second installment in the long-running sci-fi franchise today (in IMAX 3-D), and what's there to be said except that the film was totally amazing. Despite being a huge Star Wars fan, I'm somewhat disappointed that Abrams won't be directing a third Star Trek film anytime soon [unless it comes out in theaters four years from now (in 2017...whereas Abrams' Star Wars: Episode VII is currently scheduled for release in 2015)—much as how Star Trek Into Darkness made its debut four years after that of the 2009 sleeper hit]. Didn't notice any lens-flare issue this time around, but what I did notice was that Captain Kirk (Chris Pine), Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto), Nyota Uhura (Zoe Saldana) and company were still as awesome as ever as they take on Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch)...who I'm sure was just as lethal as he was when he first wrought havoc on William Shatner's crew of the USS Enterprise in The Wrath of Khan. According to one of my friends (who's a die-hard Trekkie) that I saw this film with, Into Darkness actually pulls a nice twist on the story of the 1982 flick. Won't go into details, but the events in the Abrams movies further proves that this is indeed an alternate universe from the flicks that die-hard Trek fans all know and love. In case you still didn't know yet.



Special effects-wise, Star Trek Into Darkness was awesome. As with the case with all Trek films, this one was worked on by none other than Industrial Light & Magic (ILM)...which, of course, worked on all of the Star Wars flicks as well. Into Darkness showed that Star Wars fans will at least be in for a visual treat considering all of the cool scenes (in outer space and otherwise) that Abrams conveyed in his new movie. That opening sequence where Kirk and Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy (Karl Urban) flee from those extraterrestrial natives while Spock tries to prevent that volcano from erupting was simply amazing...while that later scene where Kirk and Khan have to dodge space debris while floating towards another Federation starship near the Moon looked spectacular (especially in 3-D). And, in another preview to what we'll see in the next Star Wars film, the vehicles—whether they're Klingon Bird-of-Preys (or a variant of these craft) or a flying car that Spock and Khan have a fistfight on later in Into Darkness—had very realistic and rugged-looking designs that ILM successfully gave to ships in the original Star Wars trilogy. And music-wise, I seemed to gain a greater appreciation for the orchestral score composed by Michael Giacchino (who also worked on the 2009 film)...especially with his classic piano theme for Khan when he's first introduced at the beginning of this movie.



Not to spoil how Into Darkness ends, but it definitely makes me look forward to the "5-year mission" that Kirk and his crew will embark on following their epic encounter with Khan. Even with Abrams not directing (but hopefully co-producing), the next person to helm Star Trek should have a lot of exciting options to work with come the third installment in the franchise reboot. The war with the Klingons is one exciting option, and considering what happened to him at the climax of this movie, we haven't seen the last of Khan. Star Trek Into Darkness was exciting, funny, emotional (Pike's fate. 'Nuff said.) and visually amazing. The creation of the late Gene Roddenberry is in good hands if Paramount Pictures select the right filmmakers for future installments, and the brainchild of George Lucas is in great hands considering what Abrams did with this weekend's newest cinematic release. One wonders when Abrams will begin pre-production on 2015's adventure in that galaxy far, far away...if he hasn't done so already. Since this review is about Star Trek, I'll end it predictably: The needs of the many outweighs the needs of the few. Oh, and live long and prosper.

Star Wars Pics... Don't know when the photo above was taken, but it makes me even more excited to see this cast hopefully reunite for Episode VII. And for those of you wondering, if David Caruso could be made to look decent on the now-defunct TV show CSI: Miami, then Mark Hamill could be made to look like a badass Jedi Master in the sequel trilogy. Just sayin'.

And check out these other cool images that I stumbled upon online.

J.J. Abrams to Direct Star Wars: Episode VII! Just found out earlier today that the man who did to Star Trek what Christopher Nolan did to the Batman franchise will be helming 2015's new installment in the Star Wars saga! That's awesome news... Lens-flare issue aside, it's nice to see one of Hollywood's most gifted producers/directors heading to that Galaxy far, far away—after he originally said that he wouldn't do so. It's cool to know that after Abrams' Star Trek Into Darkness hits theaters this May, he should begin pre-production on Episode VII if he hasn't started work on it already (with filming set to commence next year, obviously). All we need now is confirmation that Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher (as well as Billie Dee Williams) will be reprising their iconic roles in the next film. Do I really need to elaborate on what those iconic roles are?

While it's great news that J.J. Abrams is onboard to helm Star Wars, it's unfortunate that Drew Struzan—the artist who painted the awesome posters for the six current movies (like the ones for Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope below)—will probably not illustrate the posters for the sequel trilogy...since Struzan is retired. I wouldn't make too much of this though. If Abrams can change his mind about going to the universe that George Lucas created, then so can Struzan. 2015 can't come soon enough!

Star Trek Into Darkness... Check out the new teaser poster for next summer's highly-anticipated sequel to J.J. Abrams' 2009 hit film. Judging from the title, methinks that Star Trek Into Darkness will be The Empire Strikes Back (or The Dark Knight) of this new Star Trek series. I'm cool with that.

Star Trek Into Darkness gets released in theaters nationwide on May 17, 2013.

Dredd 3D... I saw the reboot of the 1995 Sylvester Stallone sci-fi action film yesterday, and one thing I need to ask is, was Stallone this badass in the original Judge Dredd? Dredd 3D has Karl Urban (from 2009's Star Trek) as the one-man judge, jury and executioner...but unlike Stallone in the original flick, Urban's identity is concealed by the large, Boba Fett-like helmet for the entire film. And while Stallone's version of "I am the law" sounded funny enough for co-star Rob Schneider to ridicule onscreen in Judge Dredd, Urban's utterance of that line is not to be taken lightly in this new film—especially when he already has his multipurpose automatic rifle in hand. As for Dredd 3D's main villain, Lena Headey (from 300 and the defunct FOX TV show, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) is interesting as the scarred, drugged-out gang leader, Ma-Ma. In fact, Headey is so relentless as Ma-Ma that the final scene between her and Dredd is rewarding because he hands her the verdict and punishment that she so thoroughly deserves. Urban's co-star Olivia Thirlby, who plays the telepathic judge named Anderson, kicks ass once things really start to heat up inside the Peach Trees apartment structure where she and Dredd are trapped by Ma-Ma's gang. I'd say more about this but I don't want to spoil the movie for y'all.



All-in-all, Dredd 3D is an entertaining flick. The 3-D itself is pretty awesome...especially during scenes where Ma-Ma and/or her gang inhale a drug, called Slo-Mo, that gives off the effect of (you guessed it) time slowing down. In one particular scene, Ma-Ma's thugs force a couple of victims to inhale Slo-Mo just before they're thrown off a balcony dozens of stories above the ground. The 3-D plays well as we get a P.O.V. shot from one of the victims as he slowly falls to his death. This is a horrible way to bite the dust in real life, but onscreen, it looked really cool. In terms of Dredd being a reboot, I hope that next year's version of RoboCop and even Starship Troopers will be as interesting as Dredd is. I never saw the new Total Recall, but based on how it fared at the box office this summer, it's safe to say that it didn't live up to Ah-nold's original 1990 flick. Carry on.

Star Trek 12... For those of you who are Trekkies or at least huge fans of the critically-acclaimed film that was released in 2009, the next J.J. Abrams-directed installment—which will also be the 11th sequel in the Star Trek movie franchise—has recently begun production in Southern California. Star Trek 12 is currently filming in Los Angeles, and is set for a theatrical release (in 3-D) on May 17, 2013. Benedict Cumberbatch, who was in the recent film War Horse and will lend his voice as Smaug and the Necromancer in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: There and Back Again (also due to be released at the cinemas in 2013), will have a lead role in Star Trek 12. Other newcomers to the sci-fi film series is the venerable Peter Weller (of Robocop and TV shows such as Dexter, Fringe and 24) as well as the lovely Alice Eve, who will be in this year's Men in Black 3. Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin, Zachary Quinto, John Cho and Bruce Greenwood will be back in Star Trek 12.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL... I saw the latest installment in the 15-year-old spy movie franchise last Saturday, and needless to say, it was pretty good. Directed by Brad Bird, who helmed the Pixar animated hit The Incredibles in 2004, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol conveyed a nice blend of humor, action and drama in its storyline...which was about four renegade IMF (Impossible Missions Force) agents trying to stop a terrorist from launching nukes after he blew up the Kremlin in Russia. Simon Pegg, best known for Shaun of the Dead and being a source of comedy relief in 2009’s Star Trek, also provided a sense of humor as the computer analyst named Benji Dunn. Paula Patton, as the lovely IMF agent named Jane Carter, had a score to settle with a sexy assassin (played by Léa Seydoux, who was also in Ridley Scott's 2010 version of Robin Hood) who killed a fellow IMF agent that was also Carter’s love interest. Jeremy Renner, as the IMF chief analyst named William Brandt, kicked as much ass as Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt did...though Brandt carried a painful secret that involved Hunt and the events that transpired after 2006’s Mission: Impossible III.



As shown in its theatrical trailer and TV ads, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol did not disappoint with the action sequence that took place at the Burj Khalifa skyscraper (the tallest building in the world) in Dubai. It’s amazing to hear that Tom Cruise was actually hanging along the side of Burj Khalifa and doing his own stunts...though it’s safe to say that substantial harnessing attached to Cruise during this scene had to be removed during post-production. I won’t spoil the ending for y’all, but I must also wonder how there could be so many nice and exotic sports cars in the Indian city of Mumbai. (Pardon my ignorance since the farthest country I’ve traveled to was the Philippines—more than 20 years ago). If you’ve already seen M:I:4, then you’d know which scene I was talking about.



Brad Bird gave Ghost Protocol's story and characters as much depth, energy and excitement as he did with The Incredibles. It would be awesome if he directed a Mission: Impossible 5 in the future. And as the rumors suggest, it would also be awesome to see Jeremy Renner take the reigns from Tom Cruise if he’s done with this franchise. But if the final scene of Ghost Protocol is any indication, we may see Dunn, Carter, Brandt and Hunt working together again in M:I:5. That would be cool.