History YMMV / MissionImpossibleGhostProtocol

* WhatAnIdiot: When Ethan infiltrated the Kremlin to try to get info on someone codenamed "Cobalt", he couldn't find the info. Just then, the guy codenamed "Cobalt", Kurt Hendricks, breaks into the executive armory room, kills a guard by breaking his neck, steals the nuclear "football" briefcase, and hacks into Ethan's team's radio frequency. Ethan then aborts the mission and as he tries to leave the Kremlin he comes across Hendricks.\\
'''You'd Expect:''' Ethan to notice the briefcase that Hendricks (Cobalt) was holding (though he didn't know that he was Cobalt, but still, he ''was'' carrying a ''suspicious'' briefcase) or even the opened door to the executive armory where he got the nuclear football case and maybe turn around after passing him and stop him, and thus averting the explosion of the Kremlin.\\
'''Instead:''' He just passes him, and ''doesn't'' even notice the opened door to the armory, and ends up not being able to stop Hendricks because he then sets off the explosion, knocking Ethan out, and framing the United States and the IMF (Impossible Mission Force), causing the President of the U.S.A. to disavow IMF by initiating Ghost Protocol.

* EvenBetterSequel: This was easily the best-reviewed film of the series, with 93% on Rotten Tomatoes (though ''Rogue Nation'' later matched it). WebVideo/CinemaWins even sums up his review with, "So apparently, no one told Creator/TomCruise or Creator/BradBird or Creator/JJAbrams that this was [[LongRunner a 4th movie in a franchise]] and it's supposed to suck."

** The way [[spoiler: Moreau]] dies. Sure, she ''kind of'' deserves it, but just imagine yourself falling several hundred meters. Her scream is not helping.

* NightmareFuel: The Burj Khalifa climbing sequence. Just the notion that the slightest slip-up meant a long fall down for Ethan makes the sequence ''very'' uncomfortable to watch, especially for those with a fear of heights. Watching the scene in full IMAX just ups the vertigo factor; the sequence is credited with the huge success the film had in IMAX.

* GrowingTheBeard: This film is what took the franchise from "popular, but critically divisive" to "one of the most critically acclaimed film franchises of the decade"

* AntiClimax: TheReveal of Brandt's big secret. The reason behind his secretive attitude? [[spoiler: He failed a protection mission that lead to the DisneyDeath of Ethan's wife.]] Given how common it is for someone to be a DoubleAgent or TheMole, its unusual for someone to simply be TheAtoner for something they ''don't actually need to atone for''. [[TropesAreNotBad Saying that]], it makes him a unique entity in being a guy ''capable'' of action hero moves, [[CowardlyLion but without the usual bravery for it]], who is also far more emotional to be so damaged by something Ethan would have shrugged off after a while.
* EvenBetterSequel: This was easily the best-reviewed film of the series, with 93% on Rotten Tomatoes (though ''Rogue Nation'' later matched it). WebVideo/CinemaWins even sums up his review with, "So apparently, no one told Creator/TomCruise or Creator/BradBird or Creator/JJAbrams that this was [[LongRunner a 4th movie in a franchise]] and it's supposed to suck."

* GenericDoomsdayVillain: Kurt Hendricks has a generic doomsday agenda (provoke nuclear war, destroy planet) without a motivation deeper than being some sort of insane A-bomb mystic. His MotiveRant plus a deleted scene indicates he believes mankind will eventually keep building more and more powerful [=WMD=]s until it destroys itself completely, therefore [[InsaneTrollLogic he wishes to create a "survivable" nuclear conflict to scare the remains of mankind into never doing it again.]]

** Creator/JoshHolloway's [[DeadStarWalking brief role]] in the botched operation [[ActionPrologue that starts the film]] has him using AugmentedReality contact lenses to pinpoint a target-something that his character on #''Series/Intelligence2014'' has as a superpower.

* EvenBetterSequel: This was easily the best-reviewed film of the series, with 93% on Rotten Tomatoes (though ''Rogue Nation'' later matched it). WebVideo/CinemaWins even sums up his review with, "So apparently, no one told Tom Cruise or Brad Bird or J.J. Abrams that this was [[LongRunner a 4th movie in a franchise]] and it's supposed to suck."

** Creator/JoshHolloway's [[DeadStarWalking brief role]] in the botched operation [[ActionPrologue that starts the film]] has him using AugmentedReality contact lenses to pinpoint a target-something that his character on Series/{{Intelligence 2014}} has as a superpower.

* EvenBetterSequel: This was easily the best-reviewed film of the series, with 93% on Rotten Tomatoes (though ''Rogue Nation'' later matched it). WebVideo/CinemaWins even sums up his review with, "So apparently, no one told Tom Cruise or Brad Bird or J.J. Abrams that this was a 4th movie in a franchise and it's supposed to suck."

* EvenBetterSequel: This was easily the best-reviewed film of the series, with 93% on Rotten Tomatoes (though ''Rogue Nation'' later matched it).

* EvenBetterSequel: ''Ghost Protocol'' was easily the best-reviewed film of the series, with 93% on Rotten Tomatoes (though ''Rogue Nation'' later matched it).

** WordOfGod says William Brandt was put in the movie so that he could become the series' new protagonist if Creator/TomCruise ever left. In the end, Cruise stayed on for the fourth movie...but around the same time, Jeremy Renner ''did'' end up becoming Film/TheBourneSeries' new protagonist after Creator/MattDamon dropped out of ''The Bourne Legacy''.
** Josh Holloway's [[DeadStarWalking brief role]] in the botched operation [[ActionPrologue that starts the film]] has him using AugmentedReality contact lenses to pinpoint a target-something that his character on Series/{{Intelligence 2014}} has as a superpower.

** Léa Seydoux, who plays a cold ProfessionalKiller with a personality not too different from a James Bond villain in this film, ends up playing a Bond Girl in the [[Film/{{Spectre}} latest Bond film.]]
** In ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', Brad Bird spoofed this franchise's staple of self-destructing message sent by a secret agency. Years later, he would direct this movie, which is a part of said franchise he spoofed.

* NightmareFuel: The Burj Khalifa climbing sequence. Just the notion that the slightest slip-up meant a long fall down for Ethan makes the sequence ''very'' uncomfortable to watch, especially for those with a fear of heights. Watching the scene in full IMAX just ups the vertigo factor; the sequence is credited with the huge success ''Ghost Protocol'' had in IMAX.

* ANuclearError: Hendricks plan to [[spoiler:launch just one missile to provoke a full on nuclear holocaust]] might have worked a few decades ago, but in these days of consistent second strike capability and communication such a strike would likely just be seen as an act of terrorism rather than the opening shot of World War III. A much more convincing move would have been [[spoiler:multiple missiles at key positions, if the sub he communicated with was capable of it.]]

* EvenBetterSequel: ''Ghost Protocol'' is easily the best-reviewed film of the series, with 93% on Rotten Tomatoes (though ''Rogue Nation'' later matched it).

** WordOfGod says William Brandt was put in the movie so that he could become the series' new protagonist if TomCruise ever left. In the end, Cruise stayed on for the fourth movie...but around the same time, Jeremy Renner ''did'' end up becoming Film/TheBourneSeries' new protagonist after Creator/MattDamon dropped out of ''The Bourne Legacy''.

* EvenBetterSequel: ''Ghost Protocol'' is easily the best-reviewed film of the series, with 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.