At The Movies, December 23 to 29After the presents are opened, the food consumed, and the Eastenders Christmas special depresses everyone, two giant film stars are looking to tempt you from your armchairs to the cinema. Daniel Craig and Tom Cruise go head-to-head in two movies released on Boxing Day, and we’ve got the lowdown on both.
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (12A)
The Cruiser is back for the fourth time as agent Ethan Hunt, but this time there’s no back-up, no plan, and no escape for him and his team. Hunt is broken out of a Russian prison in order to intercept a package from the Kremlin meant for a dangerous arms dealer. However as he carries out the mission the Kremlin is bombed, framing him and America.
The IMF agency is dissolved, meaning Hunt only has his small team, some gadgets and his wits to take on the arms dealer and potentially save the world. It’s bigger, yes, but not necessarily better, as once again the 49-year-old is hanging from building (although admittedly a lot larger than last time), beating several men up singlehandedly and generally coming across as superhuman. It’s all good fun, and for those looking for big explosions, big action scenes and general mayhem this is money well spent.
However, one can’t help but get the feeling that this is all a little too familiar, and hope that the inclusion of the always impressive Jeremy Renner (as a government analyst with a secret) will be a sign that Cruise is ready to hang up his badge and give the franchise some new blood.
Star rating: ***
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (18)
Another movie based on the bestselling books by Stieg Larsson, after the seminal 2009 Swedish film brought his characters vividly to life.
This time Daniel Craig takes the lead as Mikael Blomkvist, a disgraced Swedish investigative journalist who is approached by the head of a wealthy family (Christopher Plummer) to investigate the disappearance of a young girl 36 years ago. The case initially seems hopeless, but Blomkvist begins to unearth some dark secrets, especially once he recruits researcher Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), a misfit computer genius with some secrets of her own.
Director David Fincher (Fight Club, The Social Network) produces a visually stunning and slick adaptation, but one that fails to live up to the expectations of the breath-taking trailer. Starting with a wonderful Bond-style musical opening, it descends into something that is, both in aesthetic and tone, very similar to the Swedish film. There are tweaks to the story, some better than others, and it does contain two very strong performances from Craig and in particular Mara, more than living up to the standard set by Noomi Rapace.
Overall, however, one would expect something more distinct from one of the most unique directors of the past 20 years. If you truly can’t stomach subtitles, see this, otherwise Fincher’s version of the Scandinavian murder mystery has been done better elsewhere.
Star rating: ****
