Summer Movie Done Right

Rating: 8/10 (31 July 2015)

The Mission: Impossible franchise is a lot like the Fast and Furious, in that the later sequels are better and more entertaining than the early installments. MI3 is my personal favorite in the series, which I think is vastly underrated and pretty much the quintessential action movie. Ghost Protocol, while not as amazing, was still pretty great, with Brad Bird bringing his own charm and sensibilities to the franchise. Rogue Nation continues this trend with some of the best set pieces in the entire series. You'll be glad to know the plane heist, which has been promoted to death in the trailers and poster, is actually the first scene in the film, proving director Christopher McQuarrie has more up his sleeve. And that he does. I don't want to spoil them, but the action scenes are so creative and executed extremely well, you'd be fascinated to wonder what went on in the head of McQuarrie when he had to come up with them.
For example, there's a stunning set piece in an opera house, which brings to mind the climax of Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) in the best possible way. In the sequence, McQuarrie has to juggle a lot of variables, but he pulls it off masterfully. And in my favorite action scene, there's an underwater set piece that could have been taken directly from Gravity. By the time the film has reached its ending, you can't help but feel exhausted. If there's one thing to complain about of the film, it's that it succumbs to the pitfall of being too long. The film didn't really need to be 131 minutes, and part of that has to do with the overlong and slightly disappointing third act. The plot is also a little convoluted for its own good, with a few too many reveals and reversals.
Nevertheless, the ever reliable Tom Cruise brings his A game, reminding audiences why we loved him in the first place. He's the heart and soul of the Mission: Impossible franchise, and fortunately, he hasn't lost his luster yet. Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, and Ving Rhames return for this installment, but apart from Pegg, Renner and Rhames are mostly in the background. Rhames, in particular, is resorted to saying witty one-liners, and that's about it. However, it's Rebecca Ferguson who shines. This is the first thing I've seen her in, and she's right there alongside Cruise the whole way through. Sean Harris is unrecognizable as the film's villain and he gives a good performance, but like most of the villains in the series, he merely gets the job done. Regardless of its shortcomings, Rogue Nation is consistently good with the rest of the franchise, only ranking behind parts 3 and 4 for me. It's an enormously entertaining summer flick that contains some of the best action scenes the year has to offer so far.