Reviewed By: Collin Stroup
Directed By: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Sean Harris, Jeremy Renner
Its been 19 years since the first Mission Impossible film, Tom cruise has starred in every single one, and for those simple facts alone this franchise deserves a lot of credit. While there have been some slip ups, (Looking at you MI:2) on the whole, these films have delivered a great deal of entertainment over their lifetime. The fifth film in the series not only delivers more action, humor and crazy stunts from Tom Cruise, but it also might be the best in the series.
Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) needs no introduction, nor does his crew. We are however introduced to one of the most interesting plots in the franchise along with one of the best villains in the series, Solomon Lane (Sean Harris). He’s not super charismatic, he’s not big and tough; Solomon is a clinical, intelligent man and boy is he dangerous. We’re also introduced to Ilsa Faust, (Rebecca Ferguson) an intelligent, deadly agent whose allegiance is always seemingly shifting. Beyond these two new interesting characters though, we get a different look at Ethan’s team and their relationships which pumped a bit of freshness into the film.
Every time the location changes, we’re offered a new set piece for Ethan and his crew to jump, drive, infiltrate, and fight around. This film got something right that Ghost Protocol missed out on. You can get big with your action, but it needs to matter. The fights feel and sound real, the action looks dangerous and exciting, and it all makes sense. It wasn’t just big and crazy for the sake of bumping it up a few notches. Rogue Nation not only managed to capture the cool, sleek, gadget laced demeanor of the Mission Impossible films, but it managed to package it smart, entertaining way that didn’t get too over the top.
Check out more reviews from Collin at www.amateurhourfilm.com/articles
