Desperate times. Desperate measures.
Due to destruction and some left behind mayhem from their recent mission, the IMF is ordered to be shut down by the CIA. While this happens, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is tracking down the syndicate, and actually comes face-to-face with them. Helped to escape by a mysterious female named Iilsa (Rebecca Ferguson), Hunt begins to try and stop the Syndicate, with the help of his fellow IMF agents Brandt (The Avengers' Jeremy Renner) and Benji (Simon Pegg).
The action sequences are daringly impressive. For many scenes, I was at the edge of my seat. From amazing sound effects to great cinematography and fantastic stunts, there's just no way you can't be in astonishment of what's on screen. The suspense hooks you and keeps you glued. After each scene, you are literally begging for a chance to breathe from all of it.
Cruise, at 53, still proves to be a great action star. He brings elements of mystery, intrigue and pizzazz to Ethan. His stunt at the beginning of the movie with him hanging on the back of a plane is both intense and jaw-dropping. The fact he can do at least majority of all his stunts is impressive enough alone. You can really tell that he really enjoys making these movies.
The supporting cast works well too. A game Pegg steals almost every scene he's in with a witty sense of humor. Renner, while not given as much to do here as last time, still shows that he can do well with what he's given. Ferguson is OK as a female lead, though unlike other females in superhero/female-centric movies this year, in terms of proving she can boast more than having the looks factor, she does a decisively mixed job. Ving Rhames makes a few solid appearances. Alec Baldwin, even though he seems the most out-of-place in this movie (considering his repertoire), he actually does a good job with his stern, yet somewhat clueless character.
Not much music, but Joe Kraemer does nail a few pieces (including the Mission: Impossible theme song). Cinematography, production design, and sound effects/mixing are all top-rate. I liked the message of sacrificing anything for friends, as Ethan willingly puts his mission and life on the line to save a friend later in the film.
On the downside, Rogue Nation mostly runs quickly through its 2 hour running time. However, there are a few times where there isn't a lot of "breathing room" between action scenes. These movies don't usually carry a lot of character development, but I wish they would have added a bit more substance in between the impressive action. I would have calmed down a little bit more in between and not just spent a lot of the inbetween moments explaining intricate details of what comes next. A couple of other random, out-of-place moments I would have done without.
Its been the year of action sequels in 2015. The Avengers fought Ultron, Arnold Schwarzenegger returned as the Terminator, Paul Walker had a final Furious turn, Tom Hardy brought back Mad Max, and the Indominus rex brought Jurassic World to huge heights. And who knows what James Bond and the Skywalkers have to say when Spectre and Star Wars - Episode VII come roaring in later this year.
While arguably on the weaker end of all these action franchises from a commercial perspective, the Mission - Impossible films have been among the most critically-acclaimed. And its not often you see a film franchise still going strong after 19 years. While the third entry slowed things down a little, Ghost Protocol returned the franchise to strong critical/commercial heights in 2011.
I had watched Ghost Protocol last year and was impressed by a lot of the action. In a way, I wondered how the bar can be raised for action flicks. And apparently, I just witnessed the answer. In the same way Captain America: The Winter Soldier raised the bar impressively for superhero films, Rogue Nation raises the bar to amazing heights for spy films, both in scope and scale. I am now wondering how they will top this with a (likely) sixth installment.
Rogue Nation carries a few missteps in the form of a few story and content problems. But the production (and content) problems seen here are actually less than what I found in Jurassic World as well as Ant-Man and Insurgent from earlier this year. For an action film in itself, its super nice to see the filmmakers be restrained in terms of gore, sexual content and keeping the quantity of swearing at a minimal level.
Altogether, Rogue Nation is a loud, high-speed, edge-of-your seat thrill ride, seemingly perfect for the summer season. And an exciting and jaw-dropping one at that, even if it may be over-the-top at times.
A postscript: My father, who's a huge fan of both Cruise and this franchise, absolutely loved it.
Score: 7.9/10
Content Problems Families Should Be Aware Of:
Language: Infrequent moderate language. S-word (3 times), "h---" (3 times), "J----" (once), "good g--" (once quickly uttered). One possible "g--d---", but it may or may not be distinguishable due to the loud action.
Adult Content: Iilsa is shown changing out of her bathing suit top, showing her bare back to the camera (I didn't catch it, but a snippet of the side of one of her breasts may also be very briefly visible). One bikini. Some outfits showcase a lot of leg or have a plunging neckline/show cleavage.
Violence: A lot of intense action violence, that avoids miraculously spilling hardly any blood. Ethan is holding onto a plane before getting briefly battered around. Lots of punches, kicks, and characters getting knocked out. An intense motorcycle chases results in one person getting violently knocked off by a car, and a couple of other violent falls (as well as a minor explosion). Two characters are gassed. A woman is shot in the head (off-screen, we see her fall to the ground). Ethan is tortured a little bit (before escaping). Several close calls with gunshots. Someone nearly drowns to death (and gets whacked by a pendulum underwater). Someone nearly explodes. Iilsa and another baddie get into a knife fight. They both are hurt, before Iilsa stabs him in the chest and breaks his neck (we hear the snap and plunge, but no blood). Other threats, close calls, and various peril.
Drugs/Alcohol: Save for some wine glasses, none.
Other: Lying and subterfuge, as well as running from authority, are seen several times in this spy tale.
