Most franchise films hit and miss. Consider the STAR TREK
series of films that would release a decent movie and then one not quite as
good only to follow it with another great one. It is rare indeed when a series
of films based on a single concept can remain as thrilling from one movie to
the next. But the truth is that with each subsequent MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE movie
that comes out they just seem to get better and better as is seen with the
latest, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE-ROGUE NATION.
The film opens with an amazing sequence seen in the trailer
that came out months before the film opened, a sequence that found Ethan Hunt
(Tom Cruise) hanging by his fingertips from the outside of a plane. This
situation is resolved fairly quickly and we then find Hunt receiving his next
mission via the tried and true secret system that tells him the mission and
then self-destructs. Except that his mission has been waylaid and a new enemy
is there to capture him instead.
Waking to find himself captured Hunt finds a way out (as he
always does) and then calls for an extraction only to discover things have
changed back home. A Congressional oversight committee has shut down the IMF
(Impossible Mission Force) and turned over their operations to the CIA. The
timing couldn’t be worse as Hunt has discovered that there is a covert group
operating around the world, an organization known only as the Syndicate. It is
their goal to start upheaval where ever possible in order to then reap vast
wealth in doing so. Consider this group an anti-IMF.
Months go by and Hunt is now a fugitive. Anyone associated
with his past groups is now assigned mundane duties since it is thought they
can no longer be trusted. Good call on the part of the CIA since Benji Dunn
(Simon Pegg) is contacted by Hunt and recruited to assist in an operation that
results in a foreign dignitary being assassinated. The Syndicate is behind the
whole thing but lays the blame at Hunt’s feet. Benji jumps on board Hunt’s
crusade and the pair begin to search for the man behind it all, the man who
tried to kill Hunt earlier.
With the law enforcement agencies of the world attempting to
track them down the duo do their best to follow the leads and discover the
location of the nefarious Solomon Lane (Sean Harris). Helping them along the
way is a woman they’re not quite sure they can trust at first, Ilsa Faust
(Rebecca Ferguson). Of course various other friends from the old IMF days
provide assistance when possible as the team does their best to once more save
the world.
Not only does this movie provide a decent storyline that
adds to the mythos of the series it does so with ease. While all of the movies
have a slightly complicated background it’s never one that’s difficult to
follow and the same holds true in this one. Conspiracy stories seem to be found
everywhere these days and the idea that a rogue group could be behind the
misfortunes of the world right now feels like a distinct possibility. Glad to
know dedicated IMF members are there to put an end to it all.
Cruise seems so at ease with this character by now that
everything he does here seems effortless. That’s not just a comfort with a
character but an acting ability on display as well that will never receive the
credit it deserves. Pegg has shown he is capable of not just being the comic
relief in a movie but can act as well. Jeremy Renner and Ving Rhames, both who
have been in previous M:I films feel wasted here but not to the point we can’t
expect to see them again down the line in more worthwhile roles.
While story and acting are on the high end here let’s face
it, the action is what most people watch most of these films draw people in.
This movie offers that in spades and will satiate the most action thirsty fan
out there. Chase scenes, something I’m never a huge fan of, are original enough
and well done enough that even I was watching with glee. Fight sequences are
well played and well shot. And select special sequences (like an underwater
computer storage tank) will leave you gasping for air.
The entire film
does exactly what the last one did, wanting more and anxious for the next
installment. Word is that another film is indeed in the works and that’s a good
thing. My guess is it will live up to the previous films and be another movie
worth seeking out. Until then this one can be enjoyed over and over again
alongside the previous 4 films. Placed alongside the recently released box set
of the original TV series this would make a great gift for the die-hard fan.
Then again it could also turn someone into a fan as well.
Click here to order. 
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