We got a look at a leaked, dubbed in French version late last week, but now it's finally time to see glorious HD version of the first trailer for Mission: Impossible--Ghost Protocol. It debuted today at Yahoo!, and is exactly the same trailer as the French one, though I'd argue it benefits significantly being in its native language and, y'know, understandable by English-speakers. You can take a look at it below.



Everything I said previously about the style of this trailer-- the look of the action, the cutting to the tune of the Eminem song, the way they keep the general details of the plot to a minimum-- holds doubly true here. This movie is the live-action directing debut of Brad Bird, who made two of Pixar's best movies with The Incredibles and Ratatouille, and everything in this trailer suggests he's made the transition seamlessly. The trailer goes mysteriously light on shots of Jeremy Renner, the star who will take over the franchise from the aging Tom Cruise, but I'm digging everything we see from him here, including the standoff with Cruise at the end.

In a way this trailer feels old-school, in a way that's appropriate to the born-in-the-90s Mission: Impossible franchise. No superheroes, no plot gimmicks, no style over substance--just crazy action and a plot that's just this side of comprehensible. Mission: Impossible--Ghost Protocol hits theaters on December 16 this year, and I'll be watching this trailer gladly many times between now and then.