Year: 2015
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Ferguson, Alec Baldwin, and Sean Harris
Tagline: Desperate Times. Desperate Measures
Synopsis: When the IMF (Impossible Mission Force) is disbanded, Ethan Hunt and a few loyal colleagues are left on their own to bring down a deadly rogue organization known as the Syndicate.
Tagline: Desperate Times. Desperate Measures
Synopsis: When the IMF (Impossible Mission Force) is disbanded, Ethan Hunt and a few loyal colleagues are left on their own to bring down a deadly rogue organization known as the Syndicate.
Review
Hands down, Rogue Nation is the best action movie I've seen in quite a while. It is certainly the best I've seen this year (sorry Marvel). From start to finish, all I could think was, "Wow." It's everything I want in an action movie.
The highly publicized airplane stunt -- where Tom Cruise is hanging from an airplane that is taking off and flying away -- is how the movie starts. And the action and thrills don't let up from there. The pacing is terrific, giving the audience just enough time to catch their breaths and keep up with where the plot is headed before the next heart-thumping action sequence kicks into gear. I don't want to give anything away; it's just too much fun.
If there were plot holes, I didn't notice them. I was having too much fun keeping up with where things were going, who was loyal to whom, what was actually going on, and how on earth they were going to set everything right by the end. I love a film that can keep me guessing. It's one thing to be on the edge of your seat for the action. It's another to be on the edge of your seat for the story. It's an exciting ride when you get both.
I really like Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise's character). He's an incredible spy who does things no normal person would even think of doing (like hanging from a plane that is taking off). But unlike a certain other spy who always seems so suave and stoic, Ethan feels more relatable. More often than not he has his back against the wall and you can see the flash of panic as he tries to figure out what to do. He's about to dive into a swirling vortex of potential death, and for one brief moment you can see the "what the heck am I about to do?" look in his eyes. Plus, Ethan is loads more fun and has infinitely higher moral standards than that other spy.
There's one bit of cleverness I'd like to point out. One sequence of the film takes place during a performance of Puccini's opera Turandot. That story features riddles to be solved and the final act has a "ticking clock" where one character must figure out the identity of another character before sunrise. The well-known song from Turandot is "Nessun Dorma," which means "none shall sleep." All of that is very apropos for a spy film and this film in particular.
On top of all its action, plot twisting, and geek-out gadgetry, Rogue Nation is also humorous. And it's the best kind of humorous, the kind that comes naturally from the characters and the situations. Saving the world from the Syndicate is serious business. But that's no reason to take everything so straight-faced and dour. By all means, poke fun at the fact you brought a huge four-wheel drive vehicle to a motorcycle chase through a city with narrow streets.
The violence in Rogue Nation is similar to the previous installment. There's a lot of punching and shooting. But there is almost no blood. There might have been some mild language; at this point I don't recall. There was one mildly risque moment. But it is risque by Mission: Impossible standards. I've seen movie trailers for that other spy that were more risque than this film.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to go see Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation. If you enjoy pulse-pounding action, incredible stunts, and spiffy spy gadgetry, you won't be disappointed. This review will [likely not] self-destruct in five seconds ...
*** Spoiler Section ***
The whole sequence with Director Hunley and the British prime minister was simply well played. Bravo IMF. Bravo.
That's as spoilery as I'm going to get. Just see the film.
The highly publicized airplane stunt -- where Tom Cruise is hanging from an airplane that is taking off and flying away -- is how the movie starts. And the action and thrills don't let up from there. The pacing is terrific, giving the audience just enough time to catch their breaths and keep up with where the plot is headed before the next heart-thumping action sequence kicks into gear. I don't want to give anything away; it's just too much fun.
If there were plot holes, I didn't notice them. I was having too much fun keeping up with where things were going, who was loyal to whom, what was actually going on, and how on earth they were going to set everything right by the end. I love a film that can keep me guessing. It's one thing to be on the edge of your seat for the action. It's another to be on the edge of your seat for the story. It's an exciting ride when you get both.
I really like Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise's character). He's an incredible spy who does things no normal person would even think of doing (like hanging from a plane that is taking off). But unlike a certain other spy who always seems so suave and stoic, Ethan feels more relatable. More often than not he has his back against the wall and you can see the flash of panic as he tries to figure out what to do. He's about to dive into a swirling vortex of potential death, and for one brief moment you can see the "what the heck am I about to do?" look in his eyes. Plus, Ethan is loads more fun and has infinitely higher moral standards than that other spy.
There's one bit of cleverness I'd like to point out. One sequence of the film takes place during a performance of Puccini's opera Turandot. That story features riddles to be solved and the final act has a "ticking clock" where one character must figure out the identity of another character before sunrise. The well-known song from Turandot is "Nessun Dorma," which means "none shall sleep." All of that is very apropos for a spy film and this film in particular.
On top of all its action, plot twisting, and geek-out gadgetry, Rogue Nation is also humorous. And it's the best kind of humorous, the kind that comes naturally from the characters and the situations. Saving the world from the Syndicate is serious business. But that's no reason to take everything so straight-faced and dour. By all means, poke fun at the fact you brought a huge four-wheel drive vehicle to a motorcycle chase through a city with narrow streets.
The violence in Rogue Nation is similar to the previous installment. There's a lot of punching and shooting. But there is almost no blood. There might have been some mild language; at this point I don't recall. There was one mildly risque moment. But it is risque by Mission: Impossible standards. I've seen movie trailers for that other spy that were more risque than this film.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to go see Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation. If you enjoy pulse-pounding action, incredible stunts, and spiffy spy gadgetry, you won't be disappointed. This review will [likely not] self-destruct in five seconds ...
*** Spoiler Section ***
The whole sequence with Director Hunley and the British prime minister was simply well played. Bravo IMF. Bravo.
That's as spoilery as I'm going to get. Just see the film.
Quotable Quotes
- "I can neither confirm nor deny any details about any operation without the permission of the Secretary." -- William Brandt (repeated line)
- "Join IMF they said. See the world.... On a screen. In a closet." -- Benji Dunn
- "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Are you sure you wanna drive? A minute ago you were dead." "What are you talking about?" "This isn't gonna end well." -- Benji Dunn and Ethan Hunt
ISFS
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