Review of Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015) by Jeffrey M — 29 Feb 2016

Thrilling, brilliantly executed, and exceptionally entertaining, Rogue Nation is, arguably, the greatest of the Mission Impossible franchise. Once more, it puts the most recent Bond movie to shame, as well as 90+% of other spy genre action pieces. It's big, it's loud, and it's a helluva lot of fun. In Rogue nation we find the Mission Impossible Force disavowed, their antics finally catching up to them, and the agents reassigned. Reassigned, that is, expect for the wily agent Hunt (Tom Cruise) who finds himself at it alone to track down the aptly named Syndicate, a group of shadowy behind-the-scenes players looking to create mayhem. Sound familiar? Yeah, its' not unique for the genre of spy movies-it's nearly identical to the plot line of Spectre-yet the execution sets it apart.

Rogue Nation is a film with a huge scope, which makes its success even more impressive. The set-designs, the filming locations, the action sequences, all are top notch and beautifully cinematically captured. The action scenes are innovative, adrenaline filled, and yet also impacting. There's a sense of stakes at play that I haven't seen before in previous Mission Impossible films, such as a quite memorable diving scene featuring Agent Hunt holding his breath for what seems like an eternity. All of it adds up to a lot of spectacle, yes, but also grandeur befitting of the franchise.

The cast is stronger than its ever been, and Tom Cruise is perhaps the most impressive, looking and acting like the action star he was even twenty years ago. What I was most impressed with, however, was the villain. Sean Harris simply dominates his role, and gives a very compelling antagonist to Cruise.

The entire cast has chemistry, and there is not a weak link to be had.

While the plot can be seen as derivative, and a little too cute, the delivery of the film more than makes up for it. It manages to feel smarter than what it is, more unique than it is, and perhaps more distinctive than it is-all because of how damn fun it is.

Great.

4/5 Stars.