Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)

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Some over-stuffed blockbuster actioners boldly boast their explosive and invigorating productions with dynamic glee. Well, the ‘Mission: Impossible’ film franchise echoes this same sentiment, with flashy fifty-something star Tom Cruise still carrying that boyish exuberance that never seems to miss a beat, and can breathe a sigh of relief because the latest chapter will not disappoint in its adventurous, adrenaline-rushing skin. Yes, Cruise is back as IMF super spy stud Ethan Hunt in writer-director Christopher McQuarrie’s power-surging ‘Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation’. Notoriously slick, ambitious, wildly impish and vastly intriguing, ‘Rogue Nation’ incorporates superb direction, writing and, of course, its no-nonsense dosage of non-stop shenanigans to fuel the audience’s escapist palates.

In actuality, ‘Rogue Nation’ is a hyper and hip throwback to the original blueprint for this kinetic movie series that took viewers by storm when it first premiered back in 1996. The minor outcry for the box office sensation that was the ‘Mission: Impossible’ big screen offering back in the late 90s was quite understandable since it did not seem to stay entirely true to the iconic 60s television series thus being dismissed as a volt-driven vanity piece for the high-strutting Cruise. Still, the cinematic ‘Mission: Impossible’ experience did not peter out but steadily built a devoted fan base that wanted to endure the high-flying hedonism of Cruise’s espionage daredevil Hunt and his band of cunning cohorts. It is definitely safe to say that the stellar ‘Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation’ has delivered a bang for its buck in a summertime cinema hunger that thrives for such sleek, innovative spy thrillers that charm more than harm. Maybe ‘Rogue Nation’ will not let anyone forget the exploits of the legendary James Bond spy capers anytime soon but hey…Cruise’s hotshot Hunt has a colorfully distinctive way of promoting his ‘shaken, not stirred’ moments as well.

So how did the collaboration of filmmaker McQuarrie and his chance-taking lead Cruise give ‘Rogue Nation’ its deliciously sinister, overactive pulse? The fact that the overzealous stuntwork (much of it performed by Cruise with daring enthusiasm) is imaginative and the story feels smart and clever certainly has a lot to do with the magnetic appeal of ‘Rogue Nation’. Hey, the TV advertisements even give a generous peek into the pulsating platitudes that the MI universe will swallow with robust anticipation. Watch IMF agent Hunt hang on to a speedy airplane with his dear life in the balance. Watch IMF agent Hunt jump into a deadly spiral of a waterfall. Watch IMF agent Hunt race a piercingly fast motorcycle (or car…take your pick) and enjoy the road raging carnage with poetic prominence. Okay…you get the picture.

The premise in ‘Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation’ has more bounce to it than a basketball during the NBA playoffs and that is not necessarily a bad thing to note. While Hunt continues his mission to stop the team’s latest despicable foe (Sean Harris) and end the operation of the insidious operation known as the Syndicate there are feathers being ruffled because of the federalised threats to shut down the IMF empire through the suggestion of a top-notch CIA director (Alec Baldwin). Naturally, IMF head honcho Brandt (Jeremy Renner) tries to prevent such hasty actions as his team of agents must overcome some of the controversy and confrontations from previous disastrous events that have warranted the threatening hints to shutdown his governmental outfit.

Cruise's Agent Ethan Hunt is leaving on a jet plane and doesn't know how long he'll be back again in the eye-popping actioner MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE-ROGUE NATION.
Cruise’s Agent Ethan Hunt is leaving on a jet plane and doesn’t know how long he’ll be back again in the eye-popping actioner MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE-ROGUE NATION.
One cannot say enough about the ponderous yet action-packed ‘Rogue Nation’ as this exceedingly spry and hyperactive spy caper keeps one on their anxious feet while never letting up for a gasp of air. The exotic locales, showy opera houses, heart-pounding action sequences, innovative chase scenes on wheels, over-the-top baddies, well-choreographed fist fights and, of course, Cruise’s roguish Hunt and his willingness to soak up the mischievousness and mayhem of the proceedings allows this particular ‘Mission: Impossible’ installment to resonate so soundly in its off-kilter, energetic greatness. The supporting players such as Simon Pegg’s Benji and Ving Rhames’s Luther are on hand to contribute to the landscape of the triumphant cloak-and-dagger goings-on. In particular, Rebecca Ferguson is the transfixing tart whose presence as Cruise’s enigmatic female lead is easily a scene stealer. Can she be trusted or not? Who cares? In the long run, Ferguson’s inclusion is almost mandatory just to spice up this first-rate popcorn pleaser a tad bit more. Tom Hollander (‘In the Loop’) adds some flavor in the mix as the unpredictable British Prime Minister.

McQuarrie (who worked with Cruise previously on ‘Jack Reacher’ and helmed ‘The Way Of The Gun’) had a tough act to follow in terms of trying to keep stride with prior ‘Mission: Impossible’ big names in auteurs Brian De Palma, John Woo, J.J. Abrams and Brad Bird. Indeed, that is a tall order to fill. However, as the Oscar-winner screenwriter for ‘The Usual Suspects’ McQuarrie has shown that his take on the fifth edition of the ‘Mission: Impossible’ film franchise with ‘Rogue Nation’ can easily be as defiant and defining as any of his predecessors’ intense, eye-popping outings.

‘Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation’, with its lavish set pieces and sophisticated sense of winding and grinding with the twitchy antics of Cruise leading the pack, is perhaps the closest thing to resembling the elegance and excellence of the indomitable Agent 007.

Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation (2015)

Paramount Pictures

2 hrs. 12 mins.

Starring: Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames, Sean Harris, Rebecca Ferguson, Tom Hollander, Simon McBurney and Zang Jingchu

Directed and Written by: Christopher McQuarrie

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Spy Thriller/Action-Adventure/Intrigue and Espionage

Critic’s Rating: *** 1/2 stars (out of 4 stars)

Everything you can expect from a "Mission: Impossible" movie. The script is not the brightest nor the freshest but works OK. Cruise, Pegg and Rhames keep the franchise afloat while Renner and Baldwin feel unneeded.

Great addition with Ferguson. She takes most of the attention in this movie.

Good work from the direction.

So after all that, I’m pretty convinced that the _Mission: Impossible_ series just isn’t for me. That being said, how many film franchises can say that their fifth instalment was also their best? Probably just this one, and, maybe _Fast & Furious_. There’s actually a lot of parallels between those two lines of movies.

Pertaining specifically to _Mission: Impossible_ though, this one truly is the best of the bunch in my opinion. It has it’s most complete female role to date, in fact, you could say that of any character. This is the first film that doesn’t feel like it entirely hinges on Ethan Hunt’s input. The characters surrounding him are actual people with their own personalities and ideas. And maybe it’s just that I’ve watched him do it five times in the past three days, but honestly I even sort of bought Tom Cruise in an action role this time around.

Crazy.

_Final rating:★★½ - Had a lot that appealed to me, didn’t quite work as a whole._

Perhaps if Uncle Sam had just taken the view that what it doesn't know wouldn't do it any harm, then "Hunley" (Alec Baldwin) wouldn't have managed to get them to shut down the IMF! They do, however, and that casts "Hunt" (Tom Cruise) and his team even more into the shadows. Their timing could hardly have been worse as just at this point, a sophisticated "Syndicate" is out for world domination. They are starting out by innocuously disposing of some key global figures - all looking like accidents, but despite his protestations to the sceptical CIA, "Hunt" remains on the outside and needs to rekindle the gang to thwart their intentions - intentions that have their roots deep within the establishment. Nope, it's not original. Not in the least. This is just another excuse for Cruise to show of his stunt-man skills, for the CGI boys to let rip and for the deadly and nimble assassin "Ilsa Faust" (Rebecca Ferguson) to flirt with menace. I still can't get my head around why Simon Pegg is here (or in "Star Trek") as I find his characterisations linear and annoying, but Ving Rhames brings an amiable bit of less is more and Jeremy Renner also works well as sidekick "Brandt". There's plenty of action, pyrotechnics, gadgets, rubber faces and though the denouement isn't exactly Pulitzer stuff, the whole film moves along entertainingly, if predictably, for just over two hours with an increasingly distinctive British slant to the proceedings. Like all of these, they really do need a big screen to come alive but once there, they are usually quite good - this one is.