Mission Impossible Rogue Nation Review

Tom Cruise is a movie star, he’s an actor of course, but he’s first and foremost an undisputed movie star, and the mission impossible films are his greatest star vehicles. The films have evolved immensely since the first one from Brian De Palma, since then there has been a different director each outing offering their own vision all to varying levels of success. The latest outing is from writer/director Christopher McQuarrie, and he draws from some great areas of cinema to make a really great spy film. The cast are all in good form, Cruise is effortless of course, Pegg plays both comic relief as well as effectively representing the audience in the film by being amazed at Cruise’s stunts. Renner manages to make much more of what isn’t a particularly interesting role, and then there is the films new superstar in the form of Rebecca Ferguson as the mysterious villain/hero/spy Ilse Faust. What’s so brilliant about Ferguson’s performance is that it is incredibly layered, and as well as kicking some serious ass she isn’t burdened with any romantic sub plot, she’s a proper character and not just a plot device, if this film shows anything its how you can make a spy film much more fun than Bond that doesn’t have any of the rampant misogyny. McQuarrie does some interesting things with his direction, and in amongst all the car chases and shoot outs the stand out sequence from the film is an opera sequence which is old fashioned and really effective. If it falls down anywhere it’s in its story, as the film progresses the plot becomes increasingly convoluted and it seems more interested in just dragging the film to the next set piece. It also tragically wastes the talents of the brilliant Sean Harris who plays the films main villain, Harris is a menacing screen presence and he’s an actor whose good at being bad, but in amongst all the plot detail the film never takes the time to fully flesh out his character. When it comes down to it, Mission Impossible is what movies are about, its big fun, and when you’re sat watching Tom Cruise genuinely clinging onto the side of the plane during mid-flight, you know it’s worth the price of admission. (High 4 Stars)