Ahhhhhh... long holiday weekends. Good for not being at work, eating too much, throwing off your sleeping routines and going to the movies.

Continuing what has been a recurring theme this year the wife and I decided to check out the 4th movie in the Mission: Impossible series, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, without seeing the others in the series.

Going in blind I was a little worried that I may not know everything that was going on, but unlike the Pirates of the Caribbean series you don't really need the back story when seeing this movie.

The beginning of the movie does a pretty good job filling you in on what is currently going in the world, and what is going to lead to this newest mission. Ethan Hunt and his team are up against a dangerous terrorist named Hendricks who has recently gotten his grubby little hands on Russian nuclear launch codes and is planning an attack on the United States. After a small mishap at the Kremlin Hunt and his crew are forced to go dark and act on their own behalf. The IMF crew is operating under Ghost Protocol which means that they have no backup, no eye in the sky, and no one to help out but themselves.

Tom Cruise (ever heard of him?) reprises his role as Ethan Hunt for the 4th installment in this series. He is joined by new comer Jeremy Renner, who according to reports will replace Cruise as the lead character in future MI movies when Cruise decides he's through. Simon Pegg provides the comedic relief in this action thriller, while Paula Patton provides the beauty.

Just about everyone who is reading this review knows what to expect when you walk into the theater for a Mission: Impossible movie. Lots of action, quality entertainment, and 2 hours of Scientology and short jokes about Tom Cruise. This version is no different from those that came before it. You will certainly not be disappointed by taking 2 hours to enjoy this movie.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Directed by: Brad Bird
Written by: Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec, and Bruce Geller
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, and Simon Pegg
My Rating: 4 out of 5
Would Gene Pick it?: Yes