Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

What’s it about?

After The IMF is shut down after being implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin, Ethan Hunt and his new team must go rogue to clear their organization’s name.

The facts 

• Directed by Brad Bird (The Iron Giant)
• Starring Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton
• English, Russian, French, Arabic, and Swedish languages
• Runtime: 133 minutes

Why did it get this rating? 

This film was cross-rated by the Film and Video Labelling Body. You can find out more about cross-rating here.

All Mission: Impossible films carry an M rating, but the content can vary, and tends to get stronger as the franchise goes on – our breakdown below is here to help parents and whānau decide what’s suitable for their tamariki or rangatahi.

Violence 

This film contains constant action sequences depicting frequent fighting violence and large-scale destruction where countless people are shot, injured, and killed. The constant risk of certain characters being killed may unsettle or frighten some younger viewers.

Some of the strongest moments of violence include:

• Whilst driving in a car, two men are shot in the head, causing blood to spray as their bodies slump and the car to flip off a bridge and land in a river. The other two passengers survive and try to escape underwater as bullets shoot past them.
• There is a violent prison riot where various inmates and guards punch and kick each other. One guard’s head is slammed into a glass window, which shatters, before two inmates begin to beat him.
• We hear a graphic snap as a man’s limb is twisted by another man, offscreen.

Coarse language

This film contains some coarse language, with words like “a*s,” “sh*t,” and “godd*mn.” The F-word is said in Russian and censored in the English subtitles.

When content stays with you: 

We all have our boundaries, and it’s completely okay if something you’ve watched is weighing on your mind. If certain content lingers with you, consider having a chat with friends or whānau to debrief about what you’ve just seen. But if you’re still feeling affected, please reach out to any of the following helplines for support.  

• 1737
• Safe to talk
• Lifeline
• Youthline

Further information

• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?
• Brain development – how it works, why it matters
• What the M?! (Blog)