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Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol ***½ (PG-13)

Mark Glass | Dec 23, 2011, 1:13 p.m.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol *½ (PG-13) Tom Cruise heads up his super-secret spy team for the fourth big-screen adventure based on the cherished TV series of yore. Once again, the action is cranked up to high octane levels, as Cruise & Co. dash around the globe trying to thwart a Doomsday villain of Bondian proportions. The story takes them to the Kremlin, Dubai and Mumbai, among other exotic locations, among rich backdrops for some stunning visual effects. Simon Pegg returns as tech nerd Benji for some welcome comic relief. Paula Patton contributes adds eye candy and other skills as a new member of the IMF (not the International Monetary Fund).

The plot details matter little. They’re merely an excuse for the adrenaline rushes of the action sequences. The film may actually peak a little early, since the segment in and around a 130-story hotel in Dubai before the climactic confrontations elsewhere. Nitpickers might also find Cruise’s propensity for long stretches of his running after baddies or from explosions is growing a bit tiresome. But if you liked the other MI flicks, you should be pleased by this sequel, including the dangled prospect of a Round Five. (12/16/11)