The twenty year old franchise that still has some legs

Rating: 7/10 (25 August 2015)

Bursting onto the screen, with a barrage of action scenes, flashy transitions, hyped up music, shoot outs, car chases, explosions, daring stunts and Tom Cruise dangling from the Air and that's just the opening credits. No, seriously. In one of its few tributes to the original show, the Mission: Impossible films inject a few key shots from the film you're about to watch into its opening credits. It's like a short film with tonnes of action in it. Reminds me of that episode of The Simpson's where Bart wants the latest and coolest game around 'Bonestorm" Not allowed to have it from his mother, he goes around to his best friend's house to play it, but he's unlikely to share. Bart enters his friend's room to loud noises and flashing lights, where Milhouse sits in front of the TV and excitedly says "This is great. And all I've done is enter my name – Thrillhouse!". It's like that; the start of Rogue Nation I mean.
But before the credits roll is a standout action scene I was expecting to see later in the film. The much hyped and talked about footage that went on line late last year of Tom Cruise hanging off the side of a plane as it takes off, made headlines. Yes, he does hang onto the side of a plane as it takes off, and although brief as its purpose is to open the film with a bang, it's expertly filmed. This sets the tone for the latest instalment in the franchise. After this daring stunt, Ethan Hunt is hanging out in London, being informed of his next mission but runs into a spot of bother Meanwhile in the USA, the IMF fights the CIA, while Hunt is MIA in the UK. Okay?It seems the actions of Impossible Mission Force are too questionable to overlook, especially the incident involving the destruction of the Kremlin (a nice throwback to Ghost Protocol). So, they get shut down – again, and Hunt becomes the his own agencies most wanted man - again. But after his run in with a bad guy in London, he's not about to hand himself over. He gets wind of a secret organisation called The Syndicate, who are equal to our hero's agency in every way; but instead of missions to keep the peace and save the world, they are eliminating IMF agents.
Finding support in the beautiful and mysterious Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson) Hunt must uncover the truth about The Syndicate, whilst establishing a relationship with this British Belle who is essentially his female opposite; she kick's guys butts, has style to spare and works alone, running around the globe hopping from one dangerous spot to another. Not sure if he can trust her or not, Hunt feels a kinship for this agent none the less, even though it's unclear just whose side she is on. While he plays a few dangerous games with her, Agent William Brandt (Jeremy Renner) does what he can to protect the integrity of the IMF as it goes under the knife to be dismembered by a ruthless CIA Agent (Alec Baldwin). No need to go into any more plot, because you've either seen this film already and know what happens, or you're probably just begging the question, "Is it any good?"
This is the fifth film in a franchise that's gone on for almost two decades. In saying that, Cruise is no spring chicken anymore. He's not really old, but for a guy now in his early fifties, he's in super duper shape and once again takes on every stupid stunt on his own, making it all look so easy. But even Hunt has his limits, and comes into some close calls on more than one occasion. Cruise's performance this time around is resemblant of a man who has been doing this for a while, and has grown to care more about the people he works with. There is a strong focus on the relationships between the characters, which keeps us as viewers emotionally invested in what happens to them. Each film, as you would know, had its own visual style and blend of action and Rogue Nation continues that trend. Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, who previously called the shots on another Tom Cruise vehicle, "Jack Reacher", the filmmaker has a brilliant eye for detail and realism when it comes to the movies many, standout action scenes. The opening escapade with Hunt hanging off a plane as it rockets into the air, proudly takes the mantle of this instalments "The Tom Cruise Dangling from Mid Air Action Scene" .What follows is a well built and suspenseful scene at the Opera, followed by an extreme underwater swim where Cruise appears to hold his breath for long, continuous shots, then things leap into a tightly filmed car chase and an out of control motorbike chase, where again Cruise does all the stunts and proves once and for all, he is One Crazy Son of a Bitch – but ultimately, the bravest, most daring and hardest working actor in movies today.