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Saturday, August 22, 2015

Quick Movie Review: Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)


There is something to be said about Tom Cruise. Why he has the best track record with blockbuster films, why he's as good now as he was 20 years ago, or why we want to keep seeing him in movies. To be honest, he doesn't have the likability of a Will Smith, or the brooding persona of a Harrison Ford, and it makes no sense, but we can't take our eyes off of the screen when he's there. He doesn't beg for our attention, but he gets it. Maybe it isn't that certain zeal or infectious energy. Maybe it's that ability NOT to monopolize the screen. This allows others around him to shine. He doesn't ask for our approval, so we're more willing to give it to him. He's seldom your favorite character in a given movie, but at the same time he carries every film that he's in. And he's been doing it for over three decades now.

Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation is no different. The supporting cast is great in this film, but without Cruise, it would just waste away.

As the CIA has disintegrated the IMF (Impossible Missions Force), Ethan (Cruise) and his team attempt to eradicate the Syndicate--an international organization lead by Solomon Lane (Sean Harris) whose agenda is to acquire enough money to colonize their own rogue nation.

There aren't any real callbacks to the previous films--something that they may be doing in attempts to be more Bond-esque, but for fans hoping to get more of what they love in the previous 2 films, they're in for a treat. The action and fight sequences are jaw dropping, and the premise is so well-conceived that you won't ever know what's coming next.

It can get a little heavy in the details, but you just accept everything and follow along, and it all makes sense in the end. Jeremy Renner (Williams Brandt) and Simon Pegg (Benji Dunn) return, and so does Ving Rhames (Luther) after his absence from the last film (not including a brief cameo). Rebecca Ferguson (Ilsa Faust) is a great addition to the franchise, and I hope that her mysterious character is developed more in future installments.

It may not reinvent the wheel, but its non-stop action never makes you realize that it's nearly two and a half hours long. Christopher McQuarrie acts as both director and screenwriter for this film--a feat that I feel does wonders for a project. And he now has a great addition for his CV.
 

Twizard Rating: 97

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