This is one mission to the movie theater that you want to accept.
'Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation' follows Ethan Hunt and his team around the world in search of an anti-IMF agency known as, the Syndicate. Tasked with their most impossible mission yet, Ethan must make new alliances and stop the Syndicate at all costs, even if the mission has been deemed.........impossible.
Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames, Alec Baldwin, and the surprising Rebecca Ferguson star in the fifth installment to the 'Mission: Impossible' franchise, and this time it's back and better than ever! With Christopher McQuarrie at the helm of this project, some were a little hesitant due to his last outing, 'Jack Reacher', but rest assured he does a great job all around.
'Rogue Nation' overall is a strong movie, not only in the summer blockbuster category but as a film in general. The stunts are death defying, the action is some of the most intense this year, the characters are strong, the comedy blends in perfectly with the action, the narrative is easy to follow as it never tries to over-complicate itself, and the villain's presence is felt as they(?) lurk in the shadows keeping our main set of characters on edge and always in a hurry. The pace never slows down and is very self aware when it might begin to lose traction and lose it's audience's attention. Thanks to some of the best action set pieces and a strong but simple narrative that 2015 has offered us, 'Rogue Nation' never becomes boring and always keeps us invested. The stakes are high and felt time and time again as we do find our protagonists constantly in the face of danger and peril.
Speaking of danger and peril, Tom Cruise once again does most if not all of his own stunts and they are breathtaking. Whether he's riding the side of a cargo plane taking flight or holding his breath underwater for six minutes you begin to grip your seat as if Tom/Ethan is actually about to lose their life. The action set pieces blew my mind and got better and better one act after the next, McQaurrie did a magnificent job crafting dangerous and believable action. Each scene, whether it's lengthy exposition or motorcycles rumbling through the streets of Morocco, are shot beautifully with engaging close up shots or awe-inspiring wide shots.
Rebecca Ferguson has earned the Star-Lord,"Who?" treatment. After her shining moments and kick-ass punches and leg kicks in 'Rogue Nation' she will no longer be a simple,"Who?" Ferguson stands out not only just because she is the only main female cast member but because she kicks LOADS of ass and her character is intriguing and mysterious. Who is she? What does she stand for? What side is she really on? Are all questions that circulate in and out of your head as the movie progresses and you begin to learn more and more about this peculiar character. But Ferguson delivers and acts gracefully opposite Cruise making their scenes together all that more special, as their chemistry is handled to perfection.
The supporting cast does their job as Pegg, Baldwin, Renner, and Rhames play their roles respectively and further prove why they belong in this franchise. Renner's character Brandt challenges Ethan mentally, Pegg as the always lovable Benji will do anything to help Ethan, Rhames as Ethan's franchise long friend Luther is like a guardian to Ethan, and Baldwin is the newest addition but he knows just how talented Ethan really is. All of their roles were significant one way or the other and they all delivered the comedy when needed.
At this point you're probably asking,"Does this movie even have any negatives?" Well I can assure you that it does, but there aren't many. The movie runs a bit too long in it's final act and you feel the film begin to drag just a bit in it's final moments. The movie has a perfect run-time of 130 minutes but the final act was missing a large set piece, and the absence of a major set piece is what causes the film to skirt to a halt. For all the major action moments during the first two acts I was expecting something super special saved for the final 25-30 minutes. What we did get was some incredibly intense back and forth and that's fine but the loss of cars exploding or constant hand on hand combat sadly dried my thirst for more Tom Cruise hanging off of whatever action set piece they had in store.
My final point belongs to the villain(s?). There isn't much to give away here as I don't want too accidentally spoil a twist or major plot points, but the direction McQaurrie took felt right. I can see why it left people wanting more out of the antagonist but it felt proper and necessary. The villain(s?) served it's purpose well enough for narrative purposes and provided Ethan and his team the toughest challenge yet in this franchise.
In conclusion, 'Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation' is a splendid time at the movies this summer and for having just wrapped post-production less than a week ago the film is most impressive. If you're a huge fan of this franchise, Tom Cruise, or breathtaking action then this movie is the right one for you to spend your hard earned dollars on. You will not leave disappointed, I guarantee it.
I give 'Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation' a 9.3 out of 10.