Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation Review – Fun, Fast, A Four Star Thrill Ride

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Category: Film

Published on Wednesday, 29 July 2015 06:32

Written by Janet Walker

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, from Paramount Studios, Skydance and Bad Robot Productions, presents a fast action, roller coaster speed ride, full of fresh snappy dialogue, high tech gadgetry, thrills and chills, all in just over two, explosive packed, hours.

Written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation stars Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames with Rebecca Ferguson, Hermione Corfiled, Simon McBurney and Alec Baldwin.

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, opens with our IMF team attempting to stop the shipment of nerve gas from leaving the ground. His ground support, covering logistics Benji, (Simon Pegg), Tech systems, Luther, (Ving Rhames), with team leader Ethan Hunt, (Tom Cruise) the front man all under the orders of the world’s most clandestine organization, the TS for your eyes only, Impossible Mission Force, headed up by William Brandt (Jeremy Renner).

The following sequence is just the first of many of the super stunts that pack Rogue Nation’s story line. Ultimately, Ethan Hunt, the dedicated government servant manages to arrive within no time to spare, and through the unorthodox methods of his support team, accomplished the end goal.

The failure of flawless perfection, quiet victories, as opposed the very visible and often high collateral damage that accompanies the IMF missions have made the department a target by the CIA. New director Hunley, played by Alec Baldwin, a by the book, controlling leader, is out for two things, to shut down the IMF which he succeeds and to find Ethan Hunt, who disappeared under deep cover after a pick up for his latest mission orders goes bad.

The London pick up site is compromised by an unidentifiable terrorist, who takes Hunt hostage. A new and lethal agent, Ilsa, played by British actress Rebecca Ferguson, manages to play both sides neutralizing the threat and assisting Ethan's escape, she becomes the international woman of mystery and the variable in Ethan’s very clear mental mathematical equation. Which to others is a easily and best defined as a meltdown.

Hunt is left to his own wits, as the agency disavows all knowledge, and with initially only limited involvement with his team who were placed on desk duty and are keeping up appearances while the CIA search for the ghost.

Soon, Hunt pulls enough of the pieces together to need the expertise of his trusted team. They meet up in Vienna preparing to find the mystery terrorist who is the key to the hidden terrorist network, The Syndicate.

What follows, is of course, a pure adrenaline rush of Mission Impossible madness as the team travels to exotic locations fighting the bad guys, uncovering the deep hidden terror networks, which have replaced the single arms dealers, and driven, as Hunt always is, by a passion for justice this time it is the autonomy reinstatement of his IMF team.

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation is an experience film. Heading to the movies for a suspension of reality and solid entertainment. It is almost the type of film should be billed as an escape from reality and even as it parallels espionage on the highest levels the facts are that it is a thrilling, masterful escape.  

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation maintains a very plausible and believable story-line throughout with the introduction of high tech intelligence, super spy state of the art development tools, in eye retina scanning along with multiple safeguards and access barriers accessible only on the super spy level.

Lots of unequaled stunts, something for everyone, from freefalling to speed thrills to underwater dynamics that honestly, even when one is sure of the outcome, the underwater scene delivers serious heightened suspense.

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation has all the plots, undermining, backstabbing, shifts in ,loyalties, with a dash of comedic interactions as the IMF Team, are more than tossed together, they are unified and faithful. The freedom of expression long-term friendships allow, honest communication; no bobble head yes men, adds nice light moments in the otherwise tense high wire, Wallenda flying acts.

Every element in Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation from stunts, locations, death defying car chases, sound, hand-to-hand fight scenes all over the top taking the IMF team on another Rogue journey fighting evil and with minutes to spare find a way to save the world or at least the one that matters.

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation hooks the audience from the beginning with, what film school graduates call the whammy, the very technical term for the exclamation point moment, the hook, which keeps the audience gasping, stunned, shocked, surprised and it does so in rapid succession.

As the Mission Impossible franchises seems to follow in some succession to the last, I did notice his wife, Julia, a story line kept alive over the last two installments, was not mentioned. That felt like an oversight. No simple prop placement, like a wedding ring or a ring tone specific call from the wife at a heightened tense moment.  I felt the story line wasn’t dealt with leaving the audience wondering if his very accomplished doctor wife was content in Virginia and as his character didn’t have the usual romp or even sexual tension exchange with the female lead he still seems to have a level of commitment.

Strap in and expect a wild ride! Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation serves up a double hypodermic adrenaline hit!

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation opens Friday, July 31, 2015.