“At one point I thought: just let the bomb go off! It’s too much effort!” joked my friend after watching this film with me. And it’s a thrill ride indeed, full of implausible over-the-top situations, one following the other; there’s hardly time to breathe as you perch on the edge of your seat. Great stuff, thanks to two people mostly – Brad Bird for directing this in a style and pace very similar to the Incredibles, which also had (super) heroes saving the day. His dead pan humour, exposing the flaws of the hero, worked a treat there and does so again here, much aided also by Simon Pegg who provides further comic relief to the ever so serious Ethan Hunt. Self-destructing messages that don’t self-destruct, a team member reluctant to jump, another who nearly breaks the target’s finger, and the list goes on. This is smart, fast-paced, nicely executed action, but it’s the humour that made this film for me. Oh, and it’s also a shameless 2.5 hour Apple commercial. Apparently secret agents get given a new I-phone with each new mission (should they choose to accept it).
