Not bad, but a big step down in quality from the last two

Rating: 6/10 (6 October 2016)

ROGUE NATION is the latest MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE and by my count the fifth in the series. Sadly I was hoping it would be as good as the previous instalment in the franchise, GHOST PROTOCOL, and it doesn't come anywhere close to that film's quality; too much of it is filled with unrealistic scenes and humour which really starts to grate after a while.
The film has much in common with SPECTRE in that it sees Tom Cruise and his team going after a mysterious organisation set on controlling the world, although the organisation here seems to consist of one guy, master villain Sean Harris, who is incidentally on autopilot throughout. We get the usual template film, featuring massive action chase spectacle sequences, a heist or two, plot twists and betrayals, and lots of sparky dialogue between the lead characters.
Superficially the film is entertaining; a movie with tons of action like this would be hard pressed not to entertain. The motorbike chase in Morocco is a highlight, and the early plane stunt is great fun, especially as it was filmed close to home. But the script is below par and makes odd choices, like making Simon Pegg a secondary lead when he's not been around much previously other than playing the token geek. Cruise goes through the motions with aplomb, but Jeremy Renner and Ving Rhames have so little to do that you wonder why they bothered showing up. Worst of all is Rebecca Ferguson as one of those irritatingly perfect action women who comes out on top time and time again; she has one stock expression on her face from beginning to end and really got up my nose. ROGUE NATION comes third in my list of favourite MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE films, better than the first two but behind the fourth and third ones.