A Great Movie, but a Step-Down from "Ghost Protocol"

Rating: 7/10 (8 August 2015)

I'll start by saying that I'm a big fan of this series. I just think the Tom Cruise "Mission Impossible" films are terrific, the second one being the lone exception.
That said, what we have here in "Rogue Nation" is a great action film that follows closely in the footsteps of its predecessors. You've probably heard about the airplane scene at the beginning of the movie and how Cruise actually did that for the film. That scene goes by fairly quickly, so don't blink or you'll miss it. But like the other MI films, this one features a strong action plot and dynamic effects. On those points alone, this film is fun and great to watch.
The drawback is when you compare it to the other films in the series, it's a step-down. Perhaps that's because "Ghost Protocol" set such a high bar, but my hesitancy to laud the film has as much to do with the relative lackluster character of the script as anything. The operative word in that phrase is "relative", mind you. I'd probably say that this is my fourth favorite MI film, ranking only above the mediocre-at-best MI2. Episodes 1 and 3, along with "Ghost Protocol" are better films than this.
But again, that criticism is only valid when comparing it to the other films in the series. This is still a great action flick if you view it on its own merits. I'm giving it 7/10 stars, whereas I gave the other three that I like in the franchise nine stars each (and four stars to MI2). It's a good movie. It just isn't as mind-blowing as those other three.