From the moment it leaped from the small screen to cinemas worldwide, Mission: Impossible has been a staple of Tom Cruise‘s enduring brand. Far removed from the classic CBS television series that perfectly captured the Cold War era of the late ‘60s, the ensemble-driven franchise became more recognized for the death-defying stunts and spectacle surrounding a lone agent constantly averting worldwide disasters. Then the fourth installment, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, saw Cruise’s Ethan Hunt rely on his IMF teammates more than ever before.

Released in 2011, Ghost Protocol came at a time when Cruise’s films underperformed at the box office. The global superstar was pushing into his ‘50s with questions surrounding his future in the Mission: Impossible franchise in doubt. To avoid the usual beats of Ethan Hunt succeeding in his missions by himself, Ghost Protocol returned to the roots of the original series as an ensemble story.

The Stars of the ‘Mission: Impossible’ TV Series Were Furious About the Tom Cruise Movies

Image via CBS

When the film adaptation of Mission: Impossible hit cinemas in the summer of 1996, fans of the ‘60s series were shocked when Hunt’s IMF team led by Jim Phelps (Jon Voight) were terminated within the first half hour. Original stars Peter Graves and Greg Morris voiced displeasure at what they felt was a letdown to audiences who were strong supporters of their show from 1966 to 1973. Instead of focusing on the team espionage elements that made the ‘60s program a classic, Mission: Impossible became a showcase for Cruise’s daredevil superspy to save the world.

From the inaugural 1996 film to 2006’s Mission: Impossible III, Hunt is presented with two scenarios: either he’s framed for betraying the IMF or he’s assigned by his bosses to the latest impossible mission. Oftentimes, Hunt is on his own or relying in part on a small group of agents, most notably Ving Rhames’ slick computer hacker Luther Stickwell, who grows into his closest friend. Other allies in the series, from Claire Phelps (Emmanuelle Béart) to Zhen Lei (Maggie Q), are either disposed of by the final act or simply background characters lacking real depth. All that changed, however, with Ghost Protocol.

The fourth Mission: Impossible installment sees the entire IMF get disavowed by the U.S. President as a result of a bombing at the Kremlin that Hunt failed to stop. Upon learning that the attack was orchestrated by a renegade nuclear strategist named Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist), IMF Secretary (Tom Wilkinson) quietly assigns Hunt and a new team to track him down before he launches a nuclear attack against America. On their own, with no outside support, Hunt, with teammates Jane Carter (Paula Patton), Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), and William Brandt (Jeremy Renner), travel across from Dubai to Mumbai to use their special skills to stop Hendricks and his allies.

Ethan Hunt Leans on His Team More Than Ever in ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol’

Ghost Protocol was the first time in the franchise’s history where Hunt’s team were not background players but had individual skills that aided the mission. Pegg’s Benji, introduced in Mission: Impossible III, was elevated from office technician to field agent out of his depth amid the action and ultimately comes through when it counts. Paula Patton’s Jane not only echoes the ability to hold her own physically as Barbara Bain’s Cinnamon Carter did in the original series, but she also has skin in the game due to the murder of boyfriend agent Hanaway (Josh Holloway) at the hands of Hendricks’ assassin Sabine (Léa Seydoux). Lastly, there’s Jeremy Renner’s William Brandt, the analyst with superb combat skills who was written in a manner to be a possible replacement for Cruise in the franchise. His intertwining history with Hunt and his former wife Julia (Michelle Monaghan) adds to the intrigue of the tale as well as a satisfying redemption arc.

The original Mission: Impossible TV series was full of so many misdirections and twists that it truly lived up to its title in each episode. Under Brad Bird’s direction, however, there was a serious emphasis on recapturing that spirit by having every plan nearly backfire. In this case, high-tech gadgets from face masks to hologram doorways often suffer technological flaws as part of Hunt’s team being totally off the grid. As a result, Hunt becomes more reliant on his team to complete the mission. One standout sequence recapturing the tone of the series is when Hunt and Brandt pose as cryptographers for a hoax meeting with Sabine to intercept stolen launch codes while Jane meets with the real guys to pass fake codes. The intercutting between both meetings with inevitable slip-ups by the IMF agents creates a level of tension more thrilling than any high-stakes stunt sequence.

The joint effort between Hunt and his teammates allowed the Mission: Impossible franchise to be more than a Tom Cruise production. Though the star remains the center of the ongoing series with the upcoming Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning putting more emphasis on his past and future, the franchise-supporting players, including Luther and Benji, have grown to have a greater emotional attachment to Hunt’s overall journey. Even the leading ladies from Rebecca Ferguson to Hayley Atwell have followed in Patton’s footsteps as individuals rather than disposable damsels in distress. Much of Mission:Impossible’s growth as a movie series can be traced back to Ghost Protocol and its welcome return to the classic show that started it all.

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is available to watch on Pluto TV in the U.S.