Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015) Movie Review

Synopsis:

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) must uncover the mystery behind a rogue organization called “The Syndicate.” With the IMF disbanded, Ethan and his team’s mission may be an even greater challenge than anticipated.

Review:

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation is one of the first of many films in the franchise directed by Christopher McQuarrie.

As a whole, Rogue Nation is a solid yet meandering film. As expected, Rogue Nation includes even more high-octane stunts by Tom Cruise.

As a whole, they are entertaining. Despite this, none of them reach the same heights as the Burj Khalifa sequence in Ghost Protocol.

Rogue Nation’s stunts are good, from motorcycle chases to car chases and an underwater heist.

Contributing to these stunts is franchise newcomer Rebecca Ferguson. Ferguson portrays the elusive assassin-for-hire, Ilsa Faust.

Ferguson’s standout scene involves a sequence in a Vienna opera house. This scene further highlights the film’s vibrant visuals.

In general, the film is well-shot. With it, the film highlights Christopher McQuarrie’s flair and style as a director.

Other characters, such as Simon Pegg’s Benji Dunn, make a return, having a more prominent role in this film.

Besides the usual moments of comedy, Pegg is also given more serious moments as well.

Jeremy Renner also returns from Ghost Protocol as the agent, William Brandt.

His purpose in this film, though, is more limited. Despite this, Jeremy’s performance is still good.

This same rule also applies to Ving Rhames’ Luther Stickell. Despite a competent performance from the actor, he is not given a great deal to do.

This film’s primary antagonist, Sean Harris's Solomon Lane, is more of a background character.

When he is on screen, Harris has little agency. His lack of screen time as the character is also a negative, which limits plot investment.

Rogue Nation's plot contains the usual twists and turns. A problem with this film is that it decides to explain every conceivable detail.

Most of the information conveyed is confusing. This is despite some good twists and turns throughout the story.

If the director decided to relay this information, it should have been in separate scenes.

This would have helped the viewer understand the purpose behind each scene. In turn, this would have led to less confusion.

Rogue Nation's entertaining score is a welcome addition alongside the action sequences.

This is also the case with Joe Kraemer’s score, which adds more thrills to the proceedings.

Conclusion:

To conclude, Rogue Nation is a less consistent entry compared to Ghost Protocol. This is despite it having many positives.

As usual, Tom Cruise dedicates himself to ensuring Mission: Impossible fans leave with a positive experience.

Most of the stunts in this film aren’t as entertaining as Ghost Protocol’s Burj Khalifa sequence. Still, they’re good regardless.

Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust is also a welcome addition to the franchise. With her appearance, she provides a mysterious aura to her character.

Simon Pegg’s Benji Dunn also receives more development. Simon Pegg also gives a good performance during the more serious scenes.

Jeremy Renner’s William Brandt and Ving Rhames’s Luther Stickell also return in this film.

Both actors give good performances, despite the lack of further development.

As an antagonist, Sean Harris’s Solomon Lane is a decent on-screen presence. Aside from this, the character has little in the way of meaningful development.

Rogue Nation’s plot structure also encounters problems. These are evident when it relays important pieces of information all at once.

Christopher McQuarrie’s strategy should’ve been relaying this information through separate conversations.

Rogue Nation's positives included an entertaining music score by Joe Kraemer. It also has vibrant visuals.

As a whole, Rogue Nation is not as good of a film when compared to Ghost Protocol.

Regardless, it's still worth watching for Mission: Impossible or Tom Cruise fans.

Sam’s Action Reaction score:

Characters - 7/10

Story - 6/10

Action - 7/10

Visuals - 7.5/10

Soundtrack - 7/10

Overall score: 6.9 out of 10