Mission: Impossible, Rogue Nation:
Ethan Hunt is on the run from the CIA, after the Impossible Mission Force is shut down completely. Not only that, but he is trying to single-handedly unravel the conspiracy surrounding The Syndicate, a "rogue nation" of sorts that is essentially an evil IMF dedicated to advancing its' own goals and goals of its' investors through strategic terror attacks made to look like they are connected to other groups. Hunt must team with mysterious newcomer Ilsa and his old teammates Benji, Luther, and William Brandt to clear their names, avoid the CIA, and prove to the world that The Syndicate is real.
Now, this was originally scheduled for a December release, like the previous installment Ghost Protocol, but was pushed forward to avoid box office conflict with Star Wars VII (smart move). This is a film that feels like a rushed release. Released with little publicity for a summer blockbuster in late July, it just felt forced and unnatural. This is also obviously similar to the upcoming Bond film Spectre, in that both focus in on the heroes fighting an evil organization that is a dark reflection of their own agency, and both evil organizations in the films are iconic enemies of their respective franchises.
Tom Cruise is still a very entertaining and formidable action star and is able to put his absolute all into every scene and stunt, which is very admirable; it's amazing how few of his films use stunt doubles. Ving Rhames, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Alec Baldwin, and Rebecca Ferguson make up a strong supporting cast with Rhames and Pegg being the best of them, with Rhames having a smaller but still pivotal role. Ferguson makes a decent newcomer to the cast, but there's something so cliched about her whole femme fatale mystique that detracts a bit from the performance.
Sean Harris plays the film's main mystery villain, whose identity I won't spoil. He is the leader of The Syndicate, and is fairly slimy and creepy, almost reminiscent of Toht from Raiders of the Lost Ark or Le Chiffre from Casino Royale. However, he is nowhere near as strong or memorable as a Bond villain, but is an improvement over the previous installment's slightly underwhelming villain.
However, this is the only thing that Rogue Nation improves on. Despite some impressive set-pieces such as the opening plane sequence (which was spoiled in the trailer and felt rushed in the film, as well as feeling like too much too early), Ethan's escape early on, the fight with an assassin in a theater, the motorcycle chase, and the final confrontation with the villain, the action feels lackluster when compared to the unpredictably excellent sequences in Ghost Protocol. This film just doesn't feel as grand or investing as Ghost Protocol, and feels closer to a run-of-the-mill Hollywood sequel, unlike the last two films.
Christopher McQuarrie has done some good work in the past, especially with Bryan Singer, but surprisingly he doesn't feel as prepared for this as Brad Bird did last time, despite Bird never directing an action film, or even a live-action feature.
Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation is an entertaining and worthwhile spy thriller, though it's not as enthralling or slick as the last two in the franchise, and probably won't be as intriguing or artful as Spectre. 6.5/10 stars.
(Image: Wikipedia)
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