Has Now Surpassed Bond In Terms Of Rollicking Action Fun

Rating: 8/10 (25 February 2017)

I'm not usually the type that gets all too excited about action/adventure romp, but for the past, oh, 20 years of my life I've always been excited for the next James Bond movie to come out. My one indulgence in the genre. In recent years, however, that franchise has gone a bit stale, allowing the Mission Impossible franchise, including this "Rogue Nation" installment, to take the crown of best action movie.
For a basic plot summary, "Rogue Nation" sees the IMF being shut down by the CIA Director (Alec Baldwin) right as they are on the verge of taking down the shadowy Syndicate, a network of crime baddies run by the mysterious Lane (Sean Harris). Now more off the books than ever before, the IMF team of Hunt (Tom Cruise), Brandt (Jeremy Renner), Benji (Simon Pegg), and Luther (Ving Rhames) must track down Lane before they are out of time and resources. Lending a helping hand (or is it?) is British double-agent Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), who seems to be playing all sides at once.
Obviously, any "Mission Impossible" movie (especially those still under the helm of JJ Abrams' Bad Robot productions) is going to be judged on how riveting and pulse-pounding the action scenes are. "Rogue Nation" doesn't fail in that category one bit! From the opening scene of the film, which sees Tom Cruise perform one of the craziest stunts I've ever seen in a movie, the action scenes will blow you to the back of your chair. They are slick, have a great backing soundtrack, but also don't go on forever and ever. It never feels like the film is just a few extended action scenes cobbled together. Each action montage has a purpose.
Along those lines, "Rogue Nation" manages to good from "okay action romp" to "really entertaining flick" due to the fact that it's able to weave an actual story into the proceedings. Not only that, but it's a story that will legitimately have you intrigued and guessing as to how everything will turn out. This is where the franchise really separates itself from the recent Bond efforts. Those films haven't had a great story since "Casino Royale", and before that it was "Goldeneye". That's two in about 20 years. Every since Bad Robot took the helm of the MI series, the three films have gotten progressively better.
One final quick note about the MI/Bond comparison: These movies are far better at using female protagonists as well. Whereas the concept of "Bond Girls" is now at odds with the culture at large (unlike the franchise's heyday in the 60s and 70s), the MI films are able to utilize a sexy female lead who, at the same time, isn't just eye candy waiting to be bedded by the hero.
So, despite the fact that Bond movies might still have more name recognition and gravitas behind them, the MI flicks have slowly crept up and taken their place as kind of the action/adventure romp. "Rogue Nation" is slick, smart, funny, a spectacle to watch, and even has a story that will keep you engaged. Hey, isn't that what the Bond franchise used to be able to do?