The IMF Team is Back!

Rating: 8/10 (30 July 2015)

Dumb-dumb-dumb-dumb-dumb-dumb-dumb-dumb Dumb-dumb-dumb-dumb-dumb-dumb-dumb-dumb Der-der-der----Der-der-der----Der-der-der-Tur-ner
No way is this latest installment dumb . Is there even any doubt? All the usual M:I narrative elements are here, but they are remixed and served up with renewed vigor. Yes, I choose to accept this mission.
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation doesn't pretend to be what it set out to be - a solid espionage entertainer and nothing more. It doesn't re-invent the wheel, not that it wants to. Going into the cinema I know exactly what I will see - lots of chasing, driving, fighting, shooting, gadget-ing, disguising, double-crossing, triple-crossing, death-defying stunts and that indispensable "let's go to the fortress and get that thing" scene. We get them all here in the 5th entry helmed by Christopher McQuarrie. Kudos to McQuarrie for changing it up so well that it never feels like an old dish.
IMHO there are a few reasons why this is still a winner. First off is definitely Tom Cruise's winsome charisma. At 53 he still doesn't want to act his age. He runs shirtless at one point and insists on doing his own stunts. That's really him hanging outside an airplane at 1500 feet. I read he did that 8 times! Give him da money!! This new entry also continues the recent tone. Gone is that over-emphasis on realism and over-reliance on relevance, in comes a little over the top goofiness. I must confess I laughed out loud the most in Rogue Nation. The camaraderie and chemistry between all the veteran cast is outstanding. It feels like every character here is born to do one thing superbly well and they all have great lines to shine. Also outstanding is a superb supporting turn by a visually arresting Rebecca Ferguson, who more than holds her own in the physical scenes.
The action scenes are amazingly shot and totally thrust me into the action. I abhor motorcycle stunts but I changed my mind about that after seeing how they were so viscerally shot here. There are some magnificently choreographed sequences here and I enjoyed the assassination at the Vienna Opera scene. The action draws counterpoint from the ongoing opera and there are so many captivating elements in play, including Ferguson in a stunning yellow gown... Oh-la-la
Perhaps the only weak spot for me is the villain who didn't get a lot of screen time to cement his villainy. It certainly didn't help matters with the IMF team talking long expositions of him in the third person. Everything else works marvelously well.
Rogue Nation may be the fifth outing but the franchise continues to feel pumped and alive. I love how every entry is directed by a different filmmaker who has his own take. All the M:I films are a great way to illustrate how do you up the ante with the same narrative ingredients stirred up in a different way. Apparently there are many ways to serve up the same dish. Bring on part 6 please (before Tom Cruise's joints start to ache). Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation is one of the best action movies I have seen this year.