Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation
Starring: Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Alec Baldwin, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames
Directed By: Christopher McQuarrie
Reviewed by Brendan Dousi
[rating: 3.5/5]
Tom Cruise cops a lot of slack. Sure, he was a strong Scientology advocate/puppet, could possibly be absolutely insane and his teeth are definitely not real but if we look beyond all the crazy that surrounds his personal life and judge him solely on his acting capabilities, I think he has a pretty amazing screen presence. I doubt the Mission Impossible franchise would have even gotten close to its fifth film without him. That’s right, folks, five films and counting! Back in 2011 Brad Bird breathed new life into the franchise with the imaginative thrill ride that was Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Now long-time screenwriter and relatively new director Christopher McQuarrie is trying his hand at the antics of super spy Ethan Hunt. Will he be able to live up to its fantastic predecessor, or will the film simply have to coast by on Cruise’s undeniable charm?
The IMF are in trouble. Their reckless antics of the past have racked up a hefty amount of collateral damage and new CIA director Hunley (Alec Baldwin) is hell-bent on making them pay, going toe-to-toe with IMF representative William Brandt (Jeremy Renner) in front of a panel of government officials who are equally as unimpressed as Hunley and decide to defund and disband the IMF. Unfortunately for super-spy Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), this means that when his current mission of tracking down the mysterious ‘Syndicate’ goes awry he is left without support and on the lamb, finding himself blamed for the destruction caused by the Syndicate around the globe. With the help of affable british computer genius Benji (Simon Pegg), cool-headed fedora wearing tank Luther (Ving Rhames) and the flexible, bad-ass potential femme-fatale Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson), Ethan Hunt has to run from the CIA, track down the syndicate and try and stay alive long enough to clear his name. Doesn’t sound too impossible, does it?
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation had some big shoes to fill. It’s predecessor Ghost Protocol reinvigorated the franchise, adding amazing set-pieces and some truly thrilling and inventive action on top of a very clear and resonant character arc for Ethan. Rogue Nation isn’t bad, by any means; it’s actually quite a good film. It just feels like a huge step back. The story is rather basic point ‘a’ to point ‘b’ fare with no real surprises or twists and turns, the action is kind of uninspired apart from a few interesting set-pieces but ultimately everything falls back into a ‘run and gun’ style sequence and, finally, Ethan has no arc. In fact, he’s quite static as a character for the entire film, he is the same character we’ve come to know from the previous films but that’s about it. He has no inner demons or emotional obstacles to overcome, no lessons to learn or anything. All he has is bad guys to punch and shoot. That’s all well and good, but it feels a little lazy. McQuarrie has seemed to completely forgotten to add any emotional impact to any of the characters in this film. Dammit, McQuarrie, you need to punch and shoot feelings as well!
Ultimately, nothing in this film is bad at all, but it’s definitely a let-down. Even the main villain is a little unsatisfying, coming across as a European Steve Jobs rather than anything actually threatening. This all said and done, it’s hard to deny that this film is entertaining. Tom Cruise is, well, Tom Cruise, bringing his signature smile, run and pigeon chest in all its glory. Simon Pegg as Benji remains one of the best additions to the franchise and new-comer Rebecca Ferguson plays fantastically as one of the most well-drawn characters, double-agent Ilsa. Above all, however, is the addition of Alec Baldwin as Hunley who adds a great level of humour and presence to the film with his beautifully pouty lips and diamond-sharp comedic timing. It’s actually a bit of a shame that he doesn’t have a larger role to play here, because he’s definitely one of the best parts of the film.
Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation is a bit of a step back for the franchise, taking things in a simpler and more basic direction than its predecessor. Nevertheless, it’s still a decently entertaining action film with a fantastic cast that certainly has its place within the rest of the Mission Impossible franchise.
