MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION | MOVIE REVIEW

This fifth film in the franchise is action packed from start to finish. After intercepting Nerve Gas being sold to Terrorists, the Impossible Missions Force (IMF) are disbanded and Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) out in the cold. Reporting to an IMF substation to receive his next orders, Ethan is captured by the Syndicate. After escaping the torture chamber he is convinced he can bring down the Syndicate and expose its existence.
 

The Syndicate is a network of highly skilled operatives who are dedicated to establishing a new world order via an escalating series of terrorist attacks. Faced with what maybe… actually is the most impossible mission yet, Ethan gathers his team and joins forces with Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), a disavowed British agent who may or may not be a member of this deadly rogue nation.
 

Benji (Simon Pegg) is now stuck behind a desk as the IMF has been disbanded and the workforce moved to the CIA. There is a great scene with him playing HALO 4 and then returning back to work as someone approaches his desk. He is given mail and opens an envelope stating he has won tickets to the Vienna Opera.
 

As the CIA is still trying to bring Ethan in, they do a weekly polygraph test on Benji to see if he has been in contact. Benji heads off to the Austrian Capital and the Opera and in the underground station is handed a package on the platform by a passer-by. He then hears Ethan’s voice. Ethan tells Benji that he is trying to take down the syndicate.
 

It is from this point that the action starts up again and never stops until the end.
 

‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation‘ certainly is a summer blockbuster and thrilling to boot. You will be taken on a roller-coaster of action as Ethan hunts down the Syndicate. The stunts are fantastic from fighting on lighting rigs high above a stage, to escaping from the Torture chamber, to hanging onto the side of a plane door. The motorcycle and car chases are fantastic and apparently I heard that the director didn’t think that there was anyone better than Tom Cruise to do the driving during these scenes.
 

The cast put in some amazing performances. I know a lot of people are not fans of Mr Cruise but he was great in this movie. Simon Pegg was also great however at times came across a little too much like his ‘Star Trek‘ character. Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust, I would have to say, stole the show a little too much in each of her scenes  – especially when where she starred alongside Cruise. Sean Harris as Solomon Lane was very creepy, intimidating and a steel-faced megalomaniac. We had his back story so this worked in terms of allowing you to know and understand what he would be capable of. Jeremy Renner as Brandt was brilliant and Alec Baldwin as CIA Director Hunley was fantastic and always one step behind. For those that were fans of the Bourgeois series will think they may have watched it on speed as a few of the actors turned up in this action packed blockbuster.
 

I was certainly impressed by the cast and the spectacular action that ensued throughout. The stunts were jaw-dropping and some left you cringing in your seat, on the edge of it or gasping for breath –  they also seemed to be in quick succession and in sync with the narrative. They were put together so slickly that you would actually think it was happening right outside on the streets. It was also good to see a narrative that went along with the action rather than just feeling like a segmented pieced together blockbuster. It felt like an experience for those that have been to a Universal theme park and they tell you, you can ride the movies it felt like this, you very much felt part of the action. I think this is also down to the direction of Christopher McQuarrie and the camera angles used, particularly how foggy London looked and how parts of it looked unrecognisable during the chase scenes. This adds to the sense of adventure just as much as the wide-angle shots, the Point-of-View shots, especially during the under water scene and the bike chase, which I thought was one of the most thrilling car chases I have seen in years.
 

This film is exciting, slick, action packed and fun. It’s a spy thriller with betrayals, deceptions and a genuinely exciting thrilling climax.
 

A fantastic movie that didn’t rely on CGI to make it work. It had good old-fashioned stunts and a car chase that make Spy Thrillers exciting and believable.
 

I give it 5 stars out of 5 it was certainly gripping, action packed and incredibly thrilling viewing. We went to see the movie at the IMAX and I loved the opening IMAX sequences made especially for ‘Mission Impossible‘.
 

Don’t take my word for it! Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to go and see this movie and enjoy every breath-taking, thrill ride action sequence.
 

Review by: Mark ‘LEGOBear’ MacKenzie