Mission Impossible Rogue Nation Review: Desperate Times, Desperate Measures
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
10
We have finally reached it folks. Mission Impossible Rogue Nation is my favourite entry in the series. This movie is just wall-to-wall action, and it is upbeat and fun.
I think every single action scene in this movie works and from beginning to end you pay attention. There is so much going on, and the film continues to engage you throughout. I think this represents the best aspects of this series.
There is a lot to talk about with this one so let’s dive in.
So, if you remember in my last Mission Impossible review, I said that climbing the Burj Khalifa was the most impressive stunt in the series and perhaps of all time. While I do stand by that, it is not my favourite in the series. That belongs to the plane stunt in this very film.
As this series has evolved, it has been sold on the idea of the “big stunt” that Tom Cruise will miraculously perform in each instalment. They each are meant to top the other and show just how far Tom/Ethan is willing to go.
I think that placing the big stunt of this film at the beginning of the film was a brilliant idea. Not only does it get the audiences’ blood pumping and heighten their adrenaline, but it makes us think of what’s to come. By placing the stunt here we begin to think “If they put the stunt here that must mean there is still lots to come.” It allows the audience to anticipate what is coming, which is essential to an action film but at the same time, it puts them in the action straight away.
Another aspect that I quite like in this film is the villain.
Firstly, we have the shadowy organization known as the Syndicate. I find the concept of this “Anti-IMF” as they are called in the film to be a great threat to the IMF and to Ethan who represents the best of the IMF. Even their plan to use agents from multiple agencies who are presumed dead and give them new identities is honestly a scary idea as I could see a desperate government using a similar notion.
The main face of the Syndicate, Solomon Lane, really gives us an idea that Ethan might have met his match. He is not a physically imposing villain, and he does not have a big personality. He is intimidating because he is quiet, and he always seems to be in control of the situation. He never seems to panic. For every move Ethan makes, Solomon has a countermove and he has countless disgraced agents at his disposal to deploy against Ethan.
In terms of other characters Benji, Luther, and Brandt are back and I really enjoyed the way they were utilized in the film. Luther and Brandt are separated from Ethan and Benji for most of the film, as they actually spend a lot of the runtime looking for them, which leads to a funny scene where they find each other in the midst of a car chase.
Benji’s role continues to get bigger as he is the main supporting role in this film, basically accompanying Ethan from quite early on and continuing to show how he has grown as an agent with his skills in the field. Ilsa Faust ( Rebecca Ferguson) is the newest addition to the series and she proves to be a good addition to the rest of the team. She proves to be equal to Ethan, both in the way she fights as well as being clever and intelligent.
Ilsa is a double agent throughout most of the film, but because we get to see her character away from the group we get a deeper insight into her character which is welcomed. Ethan, of course, is the star of these films and he continues to show that he always has a plan, even if we the audience think he’s making it up. He is always calculating and thinking about his next move. In this particular movie, he has a burning desire to stop Lane and the Syndicate to the point where he seems like he might be crazy.
To touch on some more of the action set pieces there are a few more that are quite memorable. The car chase through the streets of Casablanca is really awesome. The speed at which the vehicles are moving is intense and exhilarating. Ethan then changes to a motorcycle where he goes even faster propelling himself into traffic and narrowly missing multiple cars in his chase.
It really is a fun none stop action scene that just keeps building. We also have the water chamber scene where Ethan has to dive into this vault where they need to switch out a profile card. In the scene, Ethan needs to hold his breath for 3 minutes, but Tom Cruise actually learnt how to hold his breath for 6 minutes. It is a tense, claustrophobic scene where you can feel the oxygen leave his body. If you have a fear of drowning this film will heighten that fear.
So overall, I found this to be my favourite of the series. It builds on what happened in the last one with more returning characters and plotlines. It really starts to become a series more than the stand-alone adventures of before. I think this movie moves at a fast pace with wall-to-wall action, fun characters, and twists and turns throughout. I would definitely recommend checking this one out either for the first or revisiting it if you have already seen it!