Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol - Blu-ray Review

4.8 Stars (out of 5) Rated PG13

Synopsis

Super-agent Ethan Hunt dangles from skyscrapers and otherwise takes daring to new heights on another operation from the Impossible Missions Force. Helping Hunt get the job done is droll fellow IMF agent Luther Stickel. (Buy Now $21.99)

Listen to Review

Starring:

Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Ving Rhames, Léa Seydoux, Josh Holloway, Tom Wilkinson, Michael Nyqvist, Anil Kapoor

Director:

Brad Bird

Blu-ray Release Date:

April 17, 2012

Subtitles:

English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese

Rating

Overall rating weighted as follows:
Audio 40%, Video 40%, Special Features 20%, Movie - its just our opinion so take it with a grain of salt

Audio 5.0 Stars (out of 5)

Dolby and DTS Demo Discs used as basis for comparison

• Subwoofer – 5.0 Stars
• Dialog – 5.0 Stars
• Surround Effects – 5.0 Stars
• Dynamic Range – 5.0 Stars

English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1, Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1

This is what action movies should sound like. Full of depth, power, and subtlety Ghost Protocol has all bases covered. Gunshots resonate, trains rumble, explosions are deep and wide, and punches land with heavy thuds, and give your subwoofer a decent workout. Rear channels also get plenty of action with whizzing bullets, whipping winds, crashing cars, sounds of heavy traffic, and even crickets. Dialog isn’t ignored and never gets lost in the sounds of spy action. It’s easy to see that Dolby put lots of time and care into creating a top notch audio presentation for this Blu-ray.

Video  5.0 Stars (out of 5)

Spears & Munsil Benchmark Blu-ray Edition used as basis for comparison

• Color Accuracy  - 5.0 Stars
• Shadow detail – 5.0 Stars
• Clarity – 5.0 Stars
• Skin tones – 5.0 Stars
• Compression – 5.0 Stars

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC, Resolution: 1080p, Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1, Original Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1, 1.43:1

Mission Impossible has impressive video performance and presents a smooth detailed picture throughout the film. With clean clarity it’s easy to see tiny wrinkles on faces, fine details in clothing, and textures in bricks and cobblestone. Colors seem a bit cold in a few scenes, but still remain to look natural and help feature the stunning colors like the red walls of the Kremlin, and the beautiful orange colored sand of the Dubai desert. Film grain is light, and very little details are lost to the darkness. This is yet another great Paramount Blu-ray presentation.

Bonus Features 4.0 Stars (out of 5)

• Mission Accepted - Suiting Up in Prague (1080p, 17:58): Behind the scenes while filming in Prague.
• Mission Accepted - Heating Up in Dubai (1080p, 17:36): A look at filming in Dubai.
• Vancouver Fisticuffs (1080p, 12:01): The director leads you into the creation of fight scenes filmed in Vancouver.
• Impossible Missions - The Russian Prison (1080p, 11:49): Behind the scenes in Russia.
• Impossible Missions - Shooting in IMAX (1080p, 3:33): Goes deep into the process of filming in IMAX.
• Impossible Missions - Art Department (1080p, 2:56): Transforming Prague into Russia.
• Impossible Missions - A Roll of Film (1080p, 2:33): A short discussion about discusses what happens to a roll of film after.
• Impossible Missions - Life Masks (1080p, 1:40): Making a "stone representation" of an actor.
• Impossible Missions - Stepping Into the Storm (1080p, 2:02): Making of the sand storm sequence.
• Impossible Missions - The Sandstorm (1080p, 3:06): A look at the two-week process of creating this critical.
• Impossible Missions - Dubai Car Crash (1080p, 8:15): A deep look into of creating the car.
• Impossible Missions - Lens on the Burj (1080p, 0:57): A brief look at the Burj Khalifa shoot.
• Impossible Missions - Props (1080p, 3:07): Details some of the numerous props.
• Impossible Missions - Composer (1080p, 10:42): A close-up look at the work of Composer Michael Giacchino.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 15:02): Alternate Opening: Hendricks Practices His Speech, Mission on the Train, Confusion in the Van, Benji Almost Caught in the Kremlin, Hendricks and Leonid in the Hangar, Arrival at the Burj - Original Version, Ethan and Jane in the Jet, and Wistrom and Chips. With Optional Brad Bird commentary.
• Trailers (1080p): Theatrical Trailer 1 (1080p, 2:24) and Theatrical Trailer 2 (1080p, 2:30).

Movie – 4.0 Stars (out of 5)

Review

Mission Impossible has always been a fun series of movies that are filled with original action sequences and cool gadgets. This film continues the tradition and delivers a fun movie full of action and adventure. Tom Cruise is almost 50 years old, and I was worried that seeing him kicking butt would be a hard pill to swallow. Boy was I wrong, not only did I like his acting performance but, it also made me remember how good of an action star he is. It was also nice to have a woman on the team that could play just as rough as the boys.

The main plot is simple, but it sets the stage for lots of inventive action set picecs. It’s a high paced film that has just the right amount of comedy and drama. This is the first time Pixar director Brad Bird has made a film that wasn’t animated. It seems like his experiences at Pixar helped him create a film that has tight action sequences, a storyline that’s easy to follow, and leaves you anticipating the next mission.