Review of 'Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation'

mi_rogue_nation.jpg Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is accused of being a rogue agent pursuing for the past year a shadowy organization he calls “The Syndicate” so the future of the Impossible Mission Force (IMF) is called into doubt by Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin) the director of the CIA who vows to bring him in. Ethan accuses the Syndicate, and it's mysterious leader of being behind various acts of anarchy around the world. After being found by the syndicate in London where they kill a fellow agent Ethan is more determined than ever to bring them to their knees. He has the help of familiar faces Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) and, of course, Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) who, sadly, plays only a limited role here. Of lesser certainly is the allegiance of Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) - She appears to be a deep-cover British agent embedded into the Syndicate - Whose side is she on?

Filled with the predictable physical action sequences that Cruise tends to be the center of, we are taken from London to Vienna where there is a plot to kill a high ranking government official at the opera then to Morocco where shades of the first movie see a break-in to an “impossible” computer vault hid under a power plant. Returning to London the ultimate plot is against the prime minister himself…

I have to admit, I found myself slightly overwhelmed by this latest instalment in the Mission: Impossible franchise at the lack of anything really new…Ok, short of the break in the formula that occurs in a listening booth in a London record store. Sure, the stunts are still quite amazing (even more so with the persistent rumour that Cruise does most of them himself…I still can't shake the image of him dangling from the building in the previous movie) but the plot shows not a lot new on the table. There is the supposed tension regarding the potential break-up of IMF but this is a minor aside with very little in doubt as to the outcome (ok, again, a slight surprise at a reveal towards the end). The introduction of the “is she, isn't she” character of Ilsa is of interest but in the end she seems to be largely eye candy to the key focus of the story (Ethan). I did rejoice in the fact that Simon Pegg is much more involved here but his obvious humorous interjections are somewhat tired and clichéd.

Having said all this, I am sure movie-goers are more interested in a good load of fun and action on which score this film delivers fairly well. It will keep the (late) summer crowd happy.

Action: Check. Somewhat obscure plot: Check. Witty banter: Check. Female eye candy: Check. Same again: Check

Rating: “It is OK but I have some issues”

Review Date: 2015-08-31


Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie

Studio: Alibaba Pictures Group

Year: 2015

Length: 131 minutes

Genre: Action/Adventure

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2381249


Other reviewed films by Christopher McQuarrie: