Another entertaining, intense, and satisfying Mission Impossible, however standard it is.

Rating: 8/10 (31 July 2015)

Fresh out of the theatre I kept saying how cool some of the scenes were, like I did when I was a kid. "Remember that chase," "remember that part when." Mission Impossible, and most if not all other action movies live or die on the quality of their set pieces. From the hook, to exotic car chases, to life threatening situations, to the climax. The better action movies tend to have their set pieces nailed down, but with enough interest between those moments to keep you going. The Bourne Trilogy did this particularly well, one of my personal favourites. Even still, an action movie can be praised and even loved without a good story or characters, but on the action alone.
Thankfully, Rogue Nation is not one such movie. It does have a interesting plot, and it does have old characters we love and care for, as well as new ones to be intrigued by. All of it is glued together by writer/director Christopher McQuarrie, the writer of last years Edge of Tomorrow, and Academy Award winning writer of The Usual Suspects. His experience may sound promising, and his job of writing here was successful, but the plot, along with it's twists and turns are standard, and to be expected. I've seen all of these aspects one place or another.
That's not to say that that takes too much away from the movie. When you watch Rogue Nation, you forget about the clichés and the last movie you saw that in, because everyone who made this movie did it better. The impossible feats that Ethan Hunt takes on are nail bitting no matter how much you've assured yourself he's going to succeed. The constant danger he actively puts himself in only gets better when you see Tom Cruise doing damn near everything. You clench in your chair because you think Tom's going to die in real life, and it makes the situation his character in more intense because of it.
Every chase and fist fight is nailed down to a tee, and is utterly satisfying. In this post-Mad Max: Fury Road world, the editing may be annoying still for some, but if you haven't seen Fury Road, or if you can forget about it, it's some of the best pre-Mad Max: Fury Road action you can find around. The direction and sound are top notch, allowing you feel every impact and see it clear enough.
Tom Cruise does a great job at being Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner does a good Jeremy Renner, and Simon Pegg nails yet another action movie-comic relief role. Most notable is the addition as Rebecca Ferguson as Isla Faust. Her character is the fuel to the fire in this movie, and her smart and sexy performance does as good of a job testing our allegiances as does it Ethan Hunt's. Also worth noting is Sean Harris as the big bad. He doesn't have too much to do because his character has no real depth, yet he finally gives the series a villain worth taking down with a menacing role nonetheless.
Ultimately, what made this movie so great was the superb action. Every set-piece is crafted by a team that knows what they're doing, and they do it very well. Watch the movie for that alone, if modern action hasn't been ruined by the catalyst that is Mad Max: Fury Road. However, if you care for the characters (an easy task), then you will find Rogue Nation not only entertaining, but wholly satisfying as well. McQaurrie used a surprising amount of restraint in some story arcs, particularly in the relationship between Hunt and Faust, that makes the experience much more satisfying, as it doesn't blow the whole movie out of the water with unrealistic and gratuitous "payoffs." Obviously, a certain suspension of disbelief is required for this series, but that plays within the grounds it has since the very first release. I mean, Impossible is the franchise name.
Anyway, go see this movie. It's a smart action movie made by an experienced team that know how to craft amazing action, while not forgetting about what glues it together. What else could you ask for. (other than Mad Max: Fury Road)