Plot summary (from the studio): Johnny Depp returns to his iconic role of Captain Jack Sparrow in an action-packed adventure that finds him crossing paths (and swords) with the enigmatic Angelica (Penélope Cruz). When she forces him aboard the Queen Anne’s Revenge, the ship of the legendary pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected journey to the fabled Fountain of Youth. Along the way Jack must use all his wiles to deal with the barbarous Blackbeard and his crew of zombies, Angelica, the ravishing “pirate” with whom he shares a dubious past, and the beautiful, enchanting mermaids whose masterful cunning can lure even the most seasoned sailor to his doom.

Warning: Spoilers below!

Liked:

• I’m not a Johnny Depp fan, but I’ll admit that Captain Jack Sparrow has grown on me a bit. He was the only character I connected to in this film and the only reason to watch, IMO.
• The mermaids were an interesting addition. I was definitely freaked out by their “scary” faces.

Disliked:

• This just didn’t feel like part of the “Pirates” franchise. There were so many new characters and the absence of Will and Elizabeth was definitely noticeable. Sure, they had become a bit tiresome and it would have been hard to shoehorn them in, but at least that would have provided the continuity that was lacking.
• I don’t understand the fuss about Geoffrey Rush as Barbossa. I don’t like him or the character, and didn’t think he added anything to the film.
• Speaking of not adding anything, I disliked Penelope Cruz here. Actually, I dislike her everywhere else too, so I guess it’s not surprising that she made the movie suck for me.
• The film was long and boring. I expected it to be long, like the rest of the series, but I didn’t think I’d fall asleep twice due to lack of action. Ugh!

Rating:

I have to believe that Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides made a billion dollars worldwide solely because of the star power of Johnny Depp. There’s no way people saw this for the plot, humor, action, or any of the supporting cast, so kudos to Depp for being such a massive international star. I give this one 2 stars out of 5.

Plot summary (from the studio): Blamed for the terrorist bombing of the Kremlin, IMF operative Ethan Hunt is disavowed along with the rest of the agency when the President initiates “Ghost Protocol”. Left without any resources or backup, Ethan must find a way to clear his agency’s name and prevent another attack. To complicate matters further, Ethan is forced to embark on this mission with a team of fellow IMF fugitives whose personal motives he does not fully know.

Warning: Spoilers below!

Liked:

• Unlike a lot of action films, the plot for this one was understandable and easy to follow. That’s different from being plausible, mind you, but it still counts for a lot in my book.
• Most of the action sequences were fantastic! I absolutely HATE action flicks that consist of nothing but chases, bombs, fights, and shootouts happening in a chaotic fashion from beginning to end. In Ghost Protocol, the action was necessary, and actually led somewhere/meant something. Plus, with the exception perhaps of the parking garage fight, none of them seemed to last overly long.
• My favorite part, by far, was Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) scaling the outside of the Burj Khalifa skyscraper. The scene was necessary, exciting, and above all, INTENSE. Even though I knew there was no way Ethan would die, I was literally holding my breath when his special gloves failed and he had to improvise out there. Those are the kinds of scenes I love in action movies.
• Paula Patton was great as Jane. I’m sick of action movie heroines that are cast for their looks alone without any regard to how credible they would be while fighting or performing stunts. Patton looked believable when she was fighting (or maybe it was her stunt double), and I bought her as a legitimate member of the team.
• I loved the look Ethan gave Brandt (Jeremy Renner) in the hotel room after the code deal went south. He had the exact same reaction I did, which was, “No desk jockey has fighting skills like that!” I also thought it was awesome that Ethan didn’t say anything right away, but instead waited and confirmed Brandt’s field agent skills by point a gun at him and watching Brandt disarm him. That was MUCH BETTER than any straight out exposition would have been.
• The CGI screen in the Kremlin was pretty damn cool. I don’t know how possible something like that would be (as opposed to the metal suit and suction gloves, lol) but it was still cool as hell!
• I don’t remember the last MI film, but were we actually led to believe that Ethan’s wife died? Was the body shown? Did Ethan lovingly set down a floral arrangement on her headstone? I’m just trying to gauge whether or not Brandt’s story of thinking Julia was dead (and blaming himself) was even believable. At any rate, I thought it was sweet that Ethan shared a look with her at the end — but that they still kept their distance.
• I wouldn’t mind seeing this same team take on another mission — as long as Brad Bird is at the helm again. He did an “incredible” job!! (Sorry, couldn’t resist.)

Disliked:

• Breaking into the Kremlin and then trying to intercept Russian nuclear arms codes in order to thwart a missile attack on the U.S. seemed like such an ’80s action film concept. Couldn’t they have come up with something that would feel a bit more current?
• I hate it when actors barely change their expression, despite being in a highly physical fight or whatever. But for some reason, that’s the route Lea Seydoux (Moreau) chose to go when fighting Jane. Consequently, she ended up reminding me of the robot villain in Terminator 3.
• There were a few other minor problems with the film (the Mumbai party stands out as particularly dull), but nothing that really interfered with my overall enjoyment of it.

Rating:
I was very pleasantly surprised by Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol. I was expecting a highly convoluted storyline with a few pretty action sequences thrown in, but actually got a very decent plot, good acting, and AWESOME action scenes. This is definitely one to see in the theater. I give it 4 stars out of 5.