Mission You-gotta-make-it-Possible

************這篇影評可能有雷************

I certainly hadn't expected me to be expecting to see this film, Mission Impossible 4, in the theater after viewing its early previewing in the first place -- "Huh, another cliche of Tom Cruise, who would expect that?!" And I absolutely didn't think I would enjoy this film, the 4th sequel of this renowned series, for the exact way it is, which is different and outstanding from its predecessors.

As we all consciously know in common sense that a spy-themed film is bound to present itself "cool", Mission Impossible 4 is no doubt no exception. But the best, as well as the most gratifying, part is that being "cool" has been encoded into the film in a pragmatic way which not only makes good sense of its plots but also conveys a firm low-profile style. -- Being cool is not a posing, not something strongly intended to show off to wow the audience as many other films would like to apply.

Thanks to the same inception repeatedly from various movies, we've been used to acknowledging that any female character MUST be incredibly beautiful, insanely sexy, easily falling for the male agent, and supposed to be great in flirting with guys especially those as enemy, e.g Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in Transformers 3, Maggie Q in Die Hard 4, to name a few. However, in M:I4, the leading lady thank-god doesn't quite fall into those rules -- She is not THAT attractive in my point of view, emotionally occupied with her own boyfriend who was killed in a mission, thus she can't quite commit herself to or excel in seducing some other guy. -- Gosh, I just love her for being different from her counterparts!

Consistent with the principle of cool, characters are made more "human" than god-like-unbreakable in previous. Although they are highly-trained agents with exceptional skills, they are not tough enough to be perfect. I like the creation that the agents also have their own issues, just like everyone of us, which humanizes them in a good way. -- Agent Jane takes the mission partially to revenge for his passed boyfriend. Analyst Hannoway struggles with his fear in the past.

Actually, to my surprise, Ethan, the character played by Tom Cruise, somehow has earned my genuine respect for being a determined, persistent, strong-willed man who never takes no for an answer in doing his mission even under "impossible" conditions, rather than has won my crush on him for just being physically attractive. Honestly, I'm not a fan of Tom Cruise's who to me appears more like a well-known figure than a personal idol. But I do admit that he does a good job for this film, both as the leading actor and the producer.

Speaking of the cast, the other two are worth mentioning as wel, though out of different reasons. Simon Pegg, the British fun in Hot Fuzz and Run Fat Boy Run, has absolutely won a +1 for this film for being "himself" -- hilarious, nerdy and natural. I gotta say I was indeed very glad to see him involved in this film, and actually paid a bit more attention to him than to Tom Cruise during the rest. Meanwhile, the other, also a surprise, is Jeremy Renner, the Hurt-Locker star. Interestingly, he plays a pretty much similar role to the one in The Hurt Locker, someone who struggles heavily with himself after an accident/failed mission in the past. Well, his performance did lead me to suspecting his character early in the film, which I think he intends to, but my initial suspicion turned out to be technically wrong when it came to the later part. Was it because he over-did it? Or was it his face that actually contained more than it appeared?

It's easily noticed that this film, which might not be the closure of the series, does pay a proper tribute to the previous 3, especially in the near end. As much as I hate how a movie rushes restless to wrap itself up when it comes to the end, I admire those which can close as nicely as it opens up. It's like drawing a circle, where the finishing matters exactly as much as the beginning, if not more. So, M:I4 making a nice circle, leaving possibly a bit plume though, has calmed me in peace and grace.

Let me just finish the circle of this review by stopping right here.