Tuesday, August 4, 2015

[Review] Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation


M:I is a franchise that has improved with each sequel, perhaps peaking at 2011's Ghost Protocol. And no matter what you think of Tom Cruise's off-the-screen endeavors, his versatility as an action star is undeniable. Rogue Nation is a small step down from Ghost Protocol, but it still brings the slickness.

After being captured and held a tortured prisoner, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) escapes with some crucial help from a mysterious agent named Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson). Then, through some nifty technology, Ethan contacts Benji (Simon Pegg, as expected offers some comic relief) and they team together in order to track down a nefarious terrorist organization called the Syndicate, who are trying to start their own New World Order.

In a questionable surprise, Rogue Nation seems to hold back a bit on its lofty action sequences, chases, and hand-to-hand combat scuffles, and instead provides more of a mix of deception filled espionage thriller, heists, and imaginative yet near-future gadgetry. Don't get me wrong, this is still very much an action film, but the a lot of is deployed at the very beginning and the very end. There's a fight atop theatre rafters early on, as opera music blares in the background. While intense and well-choreographed, the scene can't help but feel like that sort of thing has been done many times before. The film just isn't as fun as Ghost Protocol and it does get a little overly talky at times.

There's no shortage of a charismatic cast, though--from Cruise's physical aptitude to Ferguson's badassery. The surrounding characters are familiar faces in Alec Baldwin and Jeremy Renner, operating in their natural elements. And then there's Pegg, who manages to be the most human and endearing of them all.

Rogue Nation doesn't have the high-octane setpieces of Ghost Protocol, and it isn't as memorable as its 2015 contemporary companion Furious 7, but it's a rather solid outing for fans of this stuff.

7/10

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