It's definitely closer to the rest than the first 2.

is the template "have someone in a realistic mask of someone else"?

I know you're joking, but I'd say the template is something like:

-bad guys chase a mcguffin
-Ethan goes rogue
-there's a pretty girl's life at stake
-cool gadgets and lots of running/chasing
-1-3 practical stunts performed by Cruise that are completely insane

Those elements existed in the first couple movies but they seemed to refine it and streamline the pacing of everything starting with III

Re: Ghost Protocol. I really enjoyed the skyscraper free climb scene. Sweaty palm viewing. The looming sandstorm was a nice touch. Léa Seydoux is perhaps the most bodacious MI babe to date. Renner is a very convincing impossible mission man. Simon Pegg's character also comes into his own in this one, which is a welcome development.

Still, it's Mission Impossible, so there had to be some silly shit. Ethan Hunt beats the shit out of half a dozen grizzled Soviet inmates in the opening scene but struggles to dispatch some 65 year old nerd during the missile countdown. Yeah, righto.

How do we all feel about the execution of ChatGPT as the McGuffin/bad guy?

After the opening scene, I was into it. The self-destruction of the sub — presumably so its source code could live on in perpetuity at the bottom of the ocean? — felt like a fun “ripped from the headlines” way to demonstrate the modern paranoia about AI.

The next big AI sequence, in the airport, upped the ante, with the Entity playing mindgames with Ethan’s crew in one of the better MI set pieces I’ve ever seen…

But then it got worse from there. Did ChatGPT actually plan that big party? Did it hire the caterers? All so everyone would be brought together and Ethan would be forced to obligate one of the women to death? This whole destiny vs free will motif got very muddled and corny by the end.

And then Gabriel is wholly devoted to this thing because why? Maybe we’ll find out more in the sequel.

Is Ethan going to become Captain Nemo? Feels like that’s where this is all going.

Yeah he’s gonna have to go to the Sevastopol. The Big Picture posited that he’ll sacrifice himself for humanity but I don’t see it happening.

Luther and Benji will get that rig going so they can all escape the terrestrial world for good.

Will Luther have to get out of his chair because I tell you I don’t see that happening either

I keep wondering how they will try to top themselves once again. I bet Tom will literally go to space and do some crazy stunt outside the international space station or something. He'll probably fly the rocket up there himself.

He'll go up in a Pontiac with Ludacris and Tyrese

Yeah, F&F already did this, so Tom Cruise would be late to the party

Well now I'm worried about what Tom might try to do if outer space is off the table.

They really diminished their position by killing Ilsa. His first wife married Wes Bentley and now Ilsa’s dead. There’s no world where a future love interest has any emotional weight.

I heard they're going to substitute physical weight for emotional weight and cast Melissa McCarthy as his next love interest.

Tommy

This is correct. I’m still mad about it.

No way Ilsa is dead.

She's way dead! They super killed her

She did seem pretty stabbed to death. But now that I think about it, I didn't see anyone check her pulse!

As much as it was a mistake to kill her off, it would be super dumb if they decided to bring her back. They already teased her death once at the beginning of the movie.