McQuarrie and Cruise are a great pair.

Rating: 8/10 (6 December 2015)

If I got it right, this was the fourth time when writer/director McQuarrie and Tom Cruise worked together on a film. While not all of them are great, none of them has been a disappointment. This one doesn't disappoint either.
Christopher McQuarrie is probably my favorite Hollywood-type screenwriter. He's got a knack for telling a story very efficiently and surprising the audience without getting pretentious or using forced unnatural twists. To put it simply: he can convey a ton of information and forward several plotpoints in one minute without exhausting the viewer, while making all of it genuinely interesting and adding just enough unexpected humor. I was worried about McQuarrie's capabilities as a director though, as well as the fact that this series has seen too many sequels already. Those worries were put to rest. I still think McQuarrie is more of a writer, but it's certain he can handle directing as well. He knows the beats, has plenty of experience and for him the story comes first.
While this series has seen so many twists, "Rogue Nation" somehow manages to stay fresh. Cruise and McQuarrie are always reliable, but it certainly helps if they're not alone. Turns out that they aren't. I didn't like Simon Pegg that much in the previous movie, but I guess he grew on me, since he felt pretty natural this time. Jeremy Renner is always a very likable presence, and even Alec Baldwin managed to entertain me in a role I've seen him play so many times before. That said, Rebecca Ferguson is very entertaining as the female spy counterpart for Cruise and certainly stands out. She's not just a pretty doll for us to look at - even though she is pretty - but she fits the movie like a glove. Special mentions to Sean Harris and Simon McBurney, both were excellent casting decisions.
So the cast works, as well as the script and directing. How about everything else? The movie is shot well. Many locations and sets (not only the grand ones) are interesting, well framed and lit. Cameras are used in an interesting manner, and the color choices were mostly pleasing to my eye. As far as the action goes, there are plenty of jump cuts as well as some hand-held cameras, but they knew what they were doing. All of it complements the movie instead of being a bunch of forced stylistic choices. This movie wasn't an assault on my senses (like the Bourne sequels were), and I could follow the action quite well. The action scenes are well designed and often wonderfully layered.
I didn't love the music though. I know there isn't much room to differentiate from the classic score, so it did the only thing what it could do for me - not make me bored or annoyed. There was some use of opera I liked, and the pacing/editing of music was handled carefully.
This isn't a perfect movie in every other way either. To keep up with the pace, many of deeper breathing moments for the audience and certain story clarifications are sacrificed. Not that I need to lose myself emotionally in a movie like this, nor do I need to have an explanation for every gadget or transition I see, but these things are sacrificed nonetheless. We don't get a thrilling masterpiece, we get an entertaining ride instead. It's a compromise I can live with, and most likely the only way these movies can work right now.
Tom Cruise is a pro. It's hard to think of something to say that hasn't been said a thousand times already. He's committed, he's entertaining and he makes any movie better for being in it. Such is the case with "Rogue Nation" as well. I just hope he remembers that he doesn't have to out-do himself with every movie on the stunt department, because he also has the ability to make the more quiet scenes work. Oh, and the blu-ray version has a good Cruise/McQuarrie commentary track. I always love it when the star and the director talk about their movie together with such enthusiasm.
To summarize: "Rogue Nation" is not a classic, but it is a fun, smart ride where everyone involved seems to give their very best. It's fast-paced, well-acted, well-written, well-shot and does what many summer action movies can't; it manages to be interesting even when people aren't running, punching and exploding - which in turn makes running, punching and exploding that much more fun.