It’s hard to believe the first Mission: Impossible film came out a little over 20 years ago. I remember the first time I saw it - my dad and his buddies were big fans of the TV show growing up and had to drag my brother and me along to the theater with them. My brother and I did our best to convince our dad that the film would be way too violent for us impressionable young’uns and that we should be left at home. (I was 9 at the time; my brother was 7) Neither of us really believed we wouldn’t be able to handle the movie. We just wanted to stay at home and play video games. Thankfully, our dad ignored the juvenile protests and we both ended up loving the film. I had no clue what was happening story-wise, but it didn’t matter; the action was unlike anything I’d ever seen and Tom Cruise was a total BAMF, hanging from ceilings and bullet trains like it was no biggie. He was my new hero, joining the annals of Superman, Batman, and the Power Rangers. No easy feat.
The franchise may have stumbled early on with the blatantly atrocious M:I-2, but it managed to find its footing with J.J. Abrams’ entry (his big-screen directorial debut) and eventually hit a major stride with the sheer cinematic gold that was Brad Bird’s Ghost Protocol, the series’ highest grossing (without adjusting for inflation) and most critically acclaimed entry. The challenge for M:I-5: Rogue Nation was whether or not it could meet the high expectations set by its predecessor, maintaining the revitalized momentum of the franchise and securing the future of the Mission: Impossible film series.
I’ll get the bad news out of the way first: Rogue Nation doesn’t live up to the sheer exhilaration and blast of creativity that was Ghost Protocol. The good news is that it is a spectacular action film full of unparalleled stunts and sequences, and serves as further proof that this 20-year-old franchise is showing no signs of slowing. And, let’s be honest with ourselves for a minute, few things are as exciting as hearing that iconic Lalo Schifrin theme song while Tom Cruise hurls himself into one nutso action scene after another.
Tonally, Rogue Nation falls right in line with Ghost Protocol, following that film’s winning template of breathtaking action set-pieces and hilarious exchanges between our heroes. This time around, IMF agent Ethan Hunt comes head to head with the Syndicate, an agency which functions as an ‘anti-IMF,’ spreading chaos and terror wherever it sees fit. Just as a breakthrough discovery regarding the identity of the Syndicate’s leader is made, disgruntled CIA Director Alan Hunley manages to shut down the IMF and have its resources absorbed into the CIA. Hunt’s friend and colleague William Brandt (Jeremy Renner) holds Hunley at bay while Hunt goes rogue, operating independently to uncover the Syndicate and take them down before it’s too late.
This is the first time really that Hunt has had a consistent team over the course of more than one film and it’s great to see them all back together again (with the unfortunate absence of Paula Patton, whose schedule prevented her from being in the film). Joining Cruise and Renner on this mission are returning vet Ving Rhames as series favorite Luther Stickell and the hilarious Simon Pegg as tech expert Benji Dunn. This cast has great chemistry and watching them work together to solve each ‘impossible’ provides endless laughs and thrills.
New to the crew is Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust, who gets caught up in Hunt’s crusade as she struggles with multiple allegiances. Ferguson is stunning and kicks major ass, holding her own as an action star. Baldwin is another welcome addition as CIA Director Alan Hunley, who is intent on shutting the IMF down due to their unorthodox methods, and Sean Harris gives a great turn as the big baddie, playing it straight for the most part but offering little moments of knowing goofiness. He has a lot of fun with this role, elevating the material from being more of a generic villain to a more memorable threat.
For the entirety of its running time, M:I-5 offers up one spectacular set-piece after another with Christopher McQuarrie’s guiding hand keeping things fresh and fun. Cruise’s mad devotion to performing his own stunts further proves just what a bonafide movie star the guy is. Precious few actors are this devoted to putting themselves in harm’s way to ensure their audience is fully entertained. The real pleasure of this series is in watching the odds increasingly stacked against his character and how he manages to overcome them regardless. Unlike the overtly CG-ridden summer cinema that saturates the majority of the season, the stunts here look and feel real, painfully so at times. Few things are more thrilling than watching one of the most insane car/motorcycle chase sequences ever filmed and seeing beyond any doubt that it is in fact Mr. Cruise going a zillion miles an hour on a motorcycle.
Where Rogue Nation stumbles, and what holds it back from being on the same level as its predecessor, is in the moments between the action. Where Bird managed to keep Ghost Protocol’s pace up and running at all times (even during the slower moments) McQuarrie’s direction isn’t quite as deft. Character motivations feel a bit muddled at times and stretches of the film are devoted to explaining dull, confusing plot details. But the sheer exhilaration of the action, the chemistry of the main cast, and the overall entertainment value are more than worth these minor shortcomings.
With Rogue Nation, Mission: Impossible firmly asserts itself as one of modern cinema’s best franchises. It’s fun, it’s exciting, it is, to put it bluntly, exactly what action cinema should be aspiring to in this day and age, even despite its flaws. Word on the street is that a sixth entry is due to begin production as soon as next year. Here’s hoping the creative team is able to maintain the quality of the series’ last few entries. I, for one, will be more than happy to accept whatever missions they throw my way.
This review will self-destruct in five seconds.
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Sorry, no. I don’t think that’s actually possible. I just thought that would be a cool way to end it. And then I had to go and ruin it with this additional rambling.
Actually, you know what? Maybe THIS is the review self-destructing!
I’m just gonna let myself out now.
FINAL RATING: 4/5
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