Another fun and forgettable mission

Rating: 6/10 (3 August 2015)

Many things in life simply are what they are, no hiding it, no shame in it and forever unchangeable and with this in mind we have the Mission Impossible series. A series which is and hopefully always will be in a simplistically uncomplicated way, a hugely fun and totally trivial thrill ride, nothing more and nothing less.
Since Brian De Palma's first entry into the brand names feature film canon in 1996, movie goers have been treated to five additions (including Rogue Nation) to the franchise and each one has delivered its fair share of big screen thrills and situations that prove Tom Cruise may just be the most danger loving movie star in cinema history.
Where the first Mission Impossible was an espionage thrill ride, the second a borderline fantastical event thanks to the always OTT John Woo, the third a perfect blend of heart and thrills and the fourth a truly eye melting spectacle, this fifth film is a neat balance of thrills and actions spills that start out with a runway bang and end with a curiously low key finale that in between has everything from extreme breath holding through to reminders that Cruise can indeed handle his cars and motorbikes like the best of them.
The series has really always existed to provide us with some heart in mouth moments and the story in Rogue Nation is certainly nothing to write home about with yet another nefarious organisation trying to do evil deeds and Ethan Hunt and his team of cronies' hell bent on preventing them from achieving their goals. In saying this, Usual Suspects screenwriter and now assured director Christopher McQuarrie has a way with words that makes many of Rogue Nation's more suspect scenarios ring truer than they perhaps deserve.
These moments in Rogue Nation do bring the film down and with a great first act and middle act the film does suffer a little from a really downplayed finale. It's refreshing to not have a typically explosive finale but Rogue Nation seems to be set upon setting up a follow up event rather than really ending this particular trip with anything memorable which does seem a little bit of a shame considering the tools at its disposal. It would've also have been nice to have a few more women share the adventure as well as while Rebecca Ferguson is good as Isla Faust, she doesn't get to do to much more than show off her legs and provide eye candy to the intended male audience.
With Cruise on as good as form as ever as the man on a mission and with some well-judged direction by McQuarrie, Rogue Nation is a fun trip to the movies and another solid entry into the near 20 year old franchise that does just enough to make us want to come along for the ride again in a few years' time, but it may just be the last time we feel such sentiments towards a series which provides the goods without reaching grand heights.
3 Halo 5 copies out of 5