Good, but not as good as the earlier films in the franchise

Rating: 8/10 (18 October 2015)

Much of "Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation" feels familiar – not so familiar as to seem stale, but naggingly familiar. One could probably splice together a reasonable approximation of most of the film from the four prior films in the franchise, with a few scenes borrowed from "Lethal Weapon," "Kill Bill II," the latest of the three adaptations of "Casino Royale," "Quantum of Solace" and "Skyfall."
The four prior films offered some really fresh material, such as the rock climbing sequence, the Porsche/Audi collision in M:I2 and destroying much of the Kremlin. The rear projection virtual reality gambit inside the Kremlin was innovative, as was scaling the Burj Khalifa. The centerpiece scene in this movie involves Ethan Hunt hanging on for dear life to a cargo plane as it takes off, but Schwarzenegger and Stallone have done it before in "Eraser" and "Rambo," and did it much better. For that matter, the concept is not much different than the bullet train sequence in the first MI film. Although, to be fair, Ethan Hunt voluntarily leaps into dangerous situations, whereas Kruger and Rambo found themselves unexpectedly hanging onto airplanes in flight.
Much of the plot resembles an amalgam of "Ghost Protocol" and "Skyfall." Alec Baldwin seems to be reprising his role from "Mercury Rising," then morphs into Ralph Fiennes's Gareth Mallory character from "Skyfall" Rebecca Ferguson seems like a dark-haired Kara (Ronda Rousey) from "Furious 7." Once again, they must steal data from an extraordinarily secure computer system using only athletic prowess.
Some of the plotting seems a bit lazy and contrived. There is a flash drive that requires multiple levels of authorization to access its data, but the data can be altered with a cell phone without even plugging the drive into a computer or other power source. Somebody must dive without aqualungs to evade a metal detector, so must hold their breath for three minutes, but nobody considers the possibility of taking a couple of balloons filled with oxygen. A politician refuses to authorize a program, but nevertheless provides essential passwords.
There are so many BMW automobiles and motorcycles that the movie feels like a BMW commercial at points. There's a point where product placements become intrusive and distracting. The winks to "Casablanca" are also a bit obvious.
This installment doesn't feel quite as glamorous. They travel to exotic locations, but much of the time is spent in dingy rooms and back alleys.
This is not to say MIRN is not enjoyable. It has a reasonably intelligent plot and more action than five average films. But prior films in the franchise always seemed to raise the bar. This installment feels as if they've dropped the bar a notch or two and are playing it safe. It's good, but not as good as the earlier films in the franchise.