Review! Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015) Directed by Christopher McQuarrie. Starring: Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Jeremy Renner . IMDB Says: “Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet, eradicating the Syndicate – an International rogue organization as highly skilled as they are, committed to destroying the IMF.”

The latest installment of the Mission Impossible franchise is about to come to a theater near you. If you’re anything like me, you’re probably thinking, “gee great, more of the same old thing, Tom Cruise saves the world, blah blah blah” and you’re exactly right, but wait! There’s more!

I’ll freely admit I was a huge fan of the first film, I rather enjoyed the second, the third was fine and by Ghost Protocol I had enough. It wasn’t that it didn’t enjoy Ghost Protocol, it was a fine film, it just felt like a rehash of the same sort of plot and really didn’t need to be made. I tried to leave these preconceived notions at the door when I attended a screening of the new Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation. I tried to go into this as fresh as I could, I haven’t seen a Mission Impossible film since Ghost Protocol and I haven’t seen the original in quite a few years. So I went in with my ticket in hand and a blank slate in my head and here’s what I thought:

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation is a really solid film. I would go so far as to say it stands on its own in the franchise. In fact, and this isn’t a misprint, this may be my favorite film in the series. The film begins with Cruise and team trying to stop a pallet of weapons from taking off on a giant cargo plane. This opening sequence has one of the most jaw-dropping scenes of the film, which they put on full display in the theatrical trailer; and that is Tom Cruise hanging from the side of a cargo plane during takeoff, a feat Cruise allegedly pulled off without the aid of a stunt double or any sort of CGI or other effects. From there we are launched directly into the crux of the story. The CIA wants to disband the IMF due to perceptions that they are causing more harm than good. After that happens, Cruise is left on his own to track down his nemesis, The Syndicate. And the rest of the film falls into predictable action film guidelines right up until the ending, which I felt added a bit of surprise and originality.

To start with, the high point of this film, as you might expect, is the action sequences. The fights are all well-choreographed and from where I was sitting Cruise didn’t seem to be showing his age in the least. The use of practical effects works really well. In fact the minimization of digital effects is one of the highlights of this entire franchise for me, that and Cruise’s penchant for performing his own stunts. Both of these attributes add a little more realism to the film. Peppered throughout is a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor as you might expect from the likes of Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, and Alec Baldwin. The screenplay was well constructed and while portions are expectedly cookie-cutter, it was original enough that it felt like a new film. Honestly, if you had never seen any Mission Impossible films, you would get just as much enjoyment out of this picture as if you had the posters all over your walls. A few other things I’ll just touch on: the soundtrack was really enjoyable. The folks who put it together were able to play with the iconic Mission Impossible theme and use it in creative ways, as well as craft a few entirely new numbers. The technical elements I felt all shined throughout the film. I honestly don’t have many complaints. I suppose my only disappointment was with the lead actress, Rebecca Ferguson. I felt like her role was perhaps under-acted, there could have been more emotion on her part. As it stands, she delivers her lines authentically but with a very straight face, perhaps that was the intention, but for me it sort of took something away from her on-screen dynamic with Cruise.

All in all, this is a very well made film. Beyond that, I believe this film rises to the level of the very first Mission Impossible, and certainly above the level of the other sequels. Each of the individual elements is strong but beyond that, the film is extremely enjoyable to watch. For fans of the franchise and newcomers, this is a thrill ride from beginning to end. This is a film I intend to rewatch at least a couple of times, probably before I would rewatch any of the other MI films. Definitely check it out in the theaters, and particularly IMAX if your budget allows.