Even Better Than Ghost Protocol

Rating: 9/10 (16 March 2019)

Given the critical and commercial success that Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol enjoyed a few years ago, it was inevitable that Cruise would be back for another instalment of the franchise. And so once again it's up to Ethan Hunt to save the world from international terrorists. And this time he'll be doing it as Washington's most wanted man.
Hardly has the movie even begun before Impossible Missions Force is disbanded and absorbed by the CIA, which promptly declares Hunt a rogue agent and orders him brought in. So with the CIA's best men on his trail, and precious little intel to help him, he has to track down and dismantle the shadowing international terrorist group known only as the Syndicate. A group that knows far more about him than he does about it. These are long odds even for Hunt, but then doing the impossible is his business.
His best hope lies with Ilsa Faust, a former British agent with connections to the Syndicate and a seeming attraction to him. Played by the beautiful Rebecca Ferguson, she is a very interesting character. She's smart, seductive, and very good in a fight, but you never can tell who's side she's on, if anyone's. It's clear that she has her own agenda and it's hard to tell if anything she's saying is the truth. But she's the closest thing Ethan has to an ally, and he can't seem to resist the allure of a dangerous woman in need of help.
The plot is surprisingly smart for a summer popcorn flick, with sudden twists and reversals worthy of a recent Bond or Batman movie. Of course both the good guys' and bad guys' plans are excessively complicated and their success relies on a degree of timing and luck that would be impossible in real life, but who really cares? The action and plot twists are so tautly paced and slickly executed that suspension of disbelief is never a problem. It is a bit tedious how quickly the movie resorts to the clichéd plot device of the incompetent/corrupt CIA, but thankfully that ends up going in an entirely different direction than expected, with major narrative and comedic payoff.
The action is of course excellent, with well-staged shootouts and car chases aplenty, and an opening sequence that would do a Bond movie proud. It also goes without saying that there is plenty of the high suspense the series is known for, especially in the obligatory high tech infiltration scene. And lest things get too serious, the tension is balanced by a great deal of very effective comic relief. Simon Pegg is hilarious as always as Benjie, Hunt's high strung and not entirely field capable tech specialist; his reactions shots during the Moroccan car chase are absolutely priceless. Nor is the movie afraid to score laughs at its star's expense, even poking subtle fun at Cruise's limited stature. With its ever present sense of humor and occasionally self-deprecating tone, the MI franchise is well on its way to establishing itself as the lighter alternative to the current Bond series.
All in all, Rogue Nation is stylish, smart, and self aware, with just the right blend of adrenaline, suspense, and humor. Between this film and Ghost Protocol, I'd say that Cruise, director Christopher McQuarrie, and Paramount have perfected their formula for wildly entertaining spy thrillers. Here's looking forward to the next installment.