An unkillable franchise. But a franchise we don't mind seeing over and over again it seems. We all held our breathes as we saw Tom Cruise hang from a wire in "Mission: Impossible" back in 1996. We then saw him dual wield guns while flying through a room full of doves in "Mission: Impossible II" in 2000. Then Cruise went up against famed character actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman in "Mission: Impossible III" in 2006. And finally, we saw Cruise climb the world's tallest building in "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" in 2012. It seems as if this is a series that gets better and better after each film. In the previous installment, Brad Bird brought his cartoonish sensibilities to "Mission: Impossible" with "Ghost Protocol" and made the most profitable film in the series to date. With his departure and "Jack Reacher" director Christopher McQuarrie coming in to write and direct the 5th installment in the series, is this unkillable franchise in danger of being dead? Thankfully, no.
"Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" stars Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, Sean Harris and Alec Baldwin and is written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie. The film centers around Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) tracking down a rogue organization known as the Syndicate that threatens the IMF and its existence. In order to stop the impending threat, Hunt must gather his trusted team to track down and eliminate the Syndicate. I'm pleased to say that "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" is not only a fun action thrill ride but one of the best 5th film in a franchise ever (to clarify, "The Empire Strikes Back" does not count because it is the 2nd film produced in the series). Everyone from the cast to the director brings their A-game to this film and made sure they made one of the most entertaining film of the summer. You can help but bite your nails and grip your armrests throughout most of the action scenes in the film that are executed and shot brilliantly.
What could be said about Tom Cruise that hasn't already been said. Ethan Hunt is his role and this film franchise is his franchise. He lives and breathes this character. At this point, he could play the role in his sleep and somehow make it amazing. In "Rogue Nation", Ethan is tests both in wit and in strength and Cruise is able to portray that perfectly. His eagerness to do death-defying stunts adds so much to the film and makes for some nail bitingly intense scenes. I really want to thank Cruise for putting his life on the line for our entertainment. Seeing him really do the stunts in the film rather than a CGI dummy or a stunt double brings a sense of tangibility to the film series and makes the experience so much better for the audience. His dedication was not in vain. Truly brilliant.
People forget that Simon Pegg is a pretty good dramatic actor. Thankfully we can see a bit of his dramatic side in "Rogue Nation". Ever since "Mission: Impossible III", Benji Dunn has been one of my favorite characters in the "Mission: Impossible" series and one of the big reasons why he's always been a favorite of mine was because of Pegg's charming and hilarious performance. Like Cruise, he continues to be brilliant as Benji and I hope to see him in more "Mission: Impossible" films in the future.
Jeremy Renner and Ving Rhames, reprising their respective roles from the "Mission: Impossible" series, share a lot of screen time together and their interactions throughout the film are hilarious. They work extremely well together and I'm glad to see Rhames become one of the main characters again. He had a mere cameo in "Ghost Protocol" and that was slightly disappointing. It was great to see him be a core member of Hunt's team.
While Cruise, Pegg, Renner and Rhames were all great, as usual, the one that stole the show was the sexy and badass Rebecca Ferguson. Playing the femme fatale disavowed MI6 agent turned Syndicate operative, Ferguson brought charm, strength and beauty in ever scene she was in. The film's inclusion of a strong, efficient, and fierce female character sets this film apart from other action films of the genre. Ferguson worked well with Cruise extremely well and was a great addition to the ever growing "Mission: Impossible" cast.
Probably one of the my only and biggest complaints about "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" was the main villain of the film. Although he was played by a more than competent actor, he didn't interact or pose an incredible threat against Cruise's Ethan Hunt. However, in "Rogue Nation", Sean Harris plays one of the more imposing and tactical villains Hunt has faced since Hoffman in "Mission: Impossible III". Harris added a sense of dread and menace to the film and we should thank him for it.
Christopher McQuarrie is not a newcomer when it comes to shooting action scenes. With his previous film, "Jack Reacher" (also starring Tom Cruise), McQuarrie has proven that he is able to shoot extremely intense and suspenseful action scenes and it seems he used all of his filming talents in "Rogue Nation". With Cruise's high ambitions and the director's ability to shoot vigorous action scenes, the film has some of the best action set pieces of 2015. The action set piece on the airplane looks beyond amazing. Seeing it in all the promotional trailers and posters didn't take away the experience of seeing the scene in full. And that was only the start. While Brad Bird created exaggerated, exciting, and rather cartoonishly creative action sequences in "Ghost Protocol", McQuarrie brought a Jason Bourne style grit to the "Mission: Impossible" series, which I found very interesting aesthetically. You'll be getting a bang for every buck you spend on this amazing film.
What more could I ask for? Tom Cruise strapping himself onto a plane, Rebecca Ferguson being an extremely alluring femme fatale, Simon Pegg doing his usual hilarious shtick, and more are included in "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" and that is really more than enough. I found myself holding my breath in several moments in the film as the suspense of the scenes just took me. This was just an amazingly made film. Props to everyone who made this come to life. I'm giving "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" a 9 out of 10.
Go see it now!
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