I didn't think they could top M:I - GHOST PROTOCOL.....

Rating: 10/10 (2 September 2015)

Wow! What an exciting thrill ride this film was! I really did not expect this to top M:I - GHOST PROTOCOL, but I think it may have just done that. I'll need to see it again once it comes out on Blu-Ray to make a final verdict. But even if it hasn't surpassed GHOST PROTOCOL it's definitely as good as that film.
It's funny how this series started out a bit shaky (it was always a box office success but not always with the critics or even with me) but is now a very solid film franchise. The series really does seem to be getting better and better with each film. After M:I-3 (which seemed like J.J. Abrams was filming an episode of ALIAS for the big screen) I thought it was time to put this series to bed. But with Brad Bird's amazing revelation that was GHOST PROTOCOL and now with Christopher McQuarrie's (who he??) wildly inventive ROGUE NATION, this is a series that is really winning me over and I can't wait to see the next one (and I was never a fan of the film series - I was a fan of the TV series). If they keep up this quality they will be giving the Bond flicks a run for their money (I'm a huge Bond fan, you see).
I think making Simon Pegg an integral part of the team (which they did in GHOST PROTOCOL) was a stroke of genius - he and Cruise have fantastic chemistry! It was nice to see Ving Rhames back as Luther (after a cameo in GHOST PROTOCOL) and this beautiful newcomer Rebecca Ferguson is someone to keep an eye on (which surely isn't difficult to do). Sean Harris (someone who is new to me as well) plays the villain in a very understated yet creepy manner - I really liked him. I'll admit that the plot gets a bit confusing - too many twists and turns - but it somehow maintains a high level of suspense and you can't help but really be absorbed by it all. Just an all-around great spy thriller! Much has been said about the plane stunt but what really knocked my socks off was the motorcycle chase!! Wow!! It was one of the most insanely exciting things I've ever seen on the big screen! FAST & FURIOUS - eat your heart out! You'll just have to see it for yourselves to see what I mean.
I also cannot fail to mention an early (pre-SPECTRE) sighting of Blenheim Palace in this film - it's the scene of the charity auction where our guys confront the Prime Minister. I recognized it right away! I had seen it previously in 1999's ENTRAPMENT as the place where Connery and Zeta-Jones steal the mask. I look forward to seeing it again this fall in SPECTRE. It's the birthplace of Winston Churchill, you know?
Another scene that really stood out was the opera sequence in Vienna. There were shades of QUANTUM OF SOLACE but it was done so much better here in this film - everything from the atmosphere to the suspense to the inventive fights was first rate! By all means drop everything and get your pre-SPECTRE dosage of espionage action right now! You won't be disappointed! I sure wasn't.