The best M:I film yet

Rating: Null/10 (1 August 2015)

Out of all the films that have come out this summer "Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation" has been the most hyped up film and early reviews by professional critics have said that this is a great film and the best to come out since the franchise's resurgence. Being a fan since I saw the first film when I was younger, it's easy to be skeptical that the film is really over-hyped and not as great as they make it out to be. Fortunately, I went into the film opening day with high expectations and got exactly what I wanted and more. I can safely say that "M:I Rogue Nation" is the best installment out of the entire "M:I" series to date and even better than "Ghost Protocol"!
Watching this film from the get go you know that this will be an intense and fun ride when the film opens up with one of the most hyped up images this summer of Tom Cruise hanging for dear life outside of an airplane. Watching that scene is heart pounding and intense especially knowing that once again Cruise performed that impossible stunt himself. (No pun intended) The guy can do no wrong when it comes to performing his own stunt work. But that is only the tip of what's to come as there are many other action sequences that employ excellent stunt work that live up to the franchise name of "Impossible"; each of which are high octane action.
In this film Ethan Hunt is tracking down the mysterious Syndicate and its leader Solomon Lane played by Sean Harris. Meanwhile, the CIA is questioning Ethan's sanity and his motives and whether or not the IMF should be permanently disavowed. Throughout the film, Ethan is working with Ilsa Faust played brilliantly by Rebecca Ferguson who we don't know if she is on Ethan's side or not and has ulterior motives. Most of the cast from the previous film reprise their roles along with Ving Rhames as Luther from the first three films. Simon Pegg is back and he has a much bigger role this time and his comic timing is great as always. Jeremy Renner and Ving Rhames share some great scenes together to bridge the gap between the old vs the new.
What even makes this film better than "Ghost Protocol" is the villain Solomon Lane. In "Ghost Protocol", we had Cobalt who had very little screen time or depth and was a very generic villain. But in "Rogue Nation", we have Solomon Lane who is very menacing, intimidating, has dimension to his character and is performed excellently by Harris. (A hero is not as good without a good villain.)
Christopher McQuarrie's direction in this film combines suspenseful spy thriller with high octane on-the-edge-of-your-seat action scenes.
I had a fun time with this film and is not only the best "M:I" film yet but one of the best films of 2015. 10/10 See it!