Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation is a blast!

Rating: 8/10 (16 December 2015)

Director Christopher McQuarrie continues with the critically acclaimed spy action franchise with Tom Cruise reprises his role as the IMF agent Ethan Hunt, with bigger action, higher stakes, and more fun. With the new director taking the chair every entry, this film series has allowed viewers to experience a new direction in each outing and a constant change of style, for better or worse; but never without the sheer charisma of Tom Cruise in the lead role. In this fifth installment set after the events of 'Ghost Protocol' when the IMF is shut down by the Senate committee by the request of CIA agent Hunley (played by Alec Baldwin) for the collateral damage resulted from their previous missions, while battling William Brandt (played by Jeremy Renner) in court over the unwanted decision. With the only help of agent Benji Dunn (played by Simon Pegg) and a mysterious femme fatale Ilsa Faust (played by Rebecca Ferguson) who appears to be hiding a dark secret, Hunt must go rouge on a globe-trotting adventure to track down Soloman Lane (played by Sean Harris), the leader of a deadly criminal organization known as the 'Syndicate' responsible for an alarming epidemic of terrorist attacks all across the globe.
Similarly to the previous films in the franchise, this film prizes audiences with spectacular action sequences, and eye-popping stunts performed by Tom Cruise himself who much like Jackie Chan, seems to smell fear when it comes to engaging in death-defying stunts. In the previous movie 'Ghost Protocol', Cruise shocked audiences everywhere as they watched him performone of the most jaw-dropping stunts which involved him climbing 2000 ft high on the side of the Burj Khalifa -- the world's tallest building In this movie, Cruise continues his dare-devil persona by takes things up a notch. This all begins in the opening scene when Cruise performs a wild stunt where he is suspended a few thousand feet above the ground while hanging on the side of the airplane with no support but a harness to hold him, and the background shown in the shot ascending from the ground uses no CGI. With the exception of a few securing straps, what viewer's eyes are capturing in this moment is what is really happening, and shows how Tom Cruise is capable of doing his own stunts no matter how increasingly dangerous it can get. Shockingly enough, the opening scene however, is not even the most fascinating moment to come around. Following this sequence comes a smart and engaging plot of Cruise's character Ethan Hunt on a globe-trotting mission to pursue a James Bond-like villain, and the plot unfolds in a pulse-pounding two-hour stretch brimming with dazzling action sequences done with nifty camera work by Robert Elswit, including a reckless, death-defying car chase, and hype-kinetic motorcycle chase to fuel the excitement of film goers.
What is a Mission Impossible flick without a gripping story? Christopher McQuarrie arousing screenplay comes in. The plot kicks off in an shocking sequence featuring the kidnapping of our lead character Ethan Hunt, and the introduction of the villain played by Sean Harris who's performance fits well with the charismatic antagonist. From there on, the plot moves at a generally solid pace with suspense and twists lurking around nearly every corner, and a fistful of energy on lock. Along the way, the film introduces some hot new characters, one of which is Ilsa Faust who is played by Swedish actress Rebecca Ferguson, who makes a stylish portrayal as a fascinating, but highly questionable character who may or may not the good girl Ethan Hunt is hoping to join forces with. Then there is Simon Pegg reprising his role as Benjy in this third film of the franchise. Jeremy Renner and Ving Rhames also reprise their roles as William Brandt and Luther Stickell, though are given rather limited to do other than to serve as key figures in the film's minor subplots. Lastly, there is Tom Cruise who returns as Ethan Hunt, and is more likable and ravaging with energy than ever. The actor remains well-suited as the action star he's been for almost the past two decades. Though he's understandably not everyone's cup of tea, his endurance in his roles as Ethan Hunt over the years are certainly admirable.
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation is a decent continuation to the franchise, and a pleasing treat for action fans everywhere. Tom Cruise is amazing, the action is top-notch, and the plot works well. This movie is simply a blast.