worthwhile but tries to do a bit too much

Rating: Null/10 (1 August 2015)

Crucial times lie ahead for the IMF as their superiors question whether the agency is in fact an asset or a nuisance, and pressure is applied from bureaucratic CIA operatives who believe the agency should be disbanded and absorbed. This puts veteran IMF agent Ethan Hunt in a precarious position as he attempts a complex assignment to try and eradicate the Syndicate, an elusive international crime consortium whose capabilities allow them to operate sort of like an 'anti-IMF.' With time running short, Hunt recruits the few loyal members of the IMF to try and complete the task, with lots of unexpected surprises along the way. The cast makes the most of the material but there are so many twists, turns, double-crosses, and cover-ups—which are intended to be slick and suspenseful—but instead just end up dragging out the plot and making it a lot more convoluted than it needs to be. Some key action set pieces, stunt work, gadgetry, and visual effects do make it worth the price of admission, but it never has quite the impact that its immediate predecessor does. **½