MISSION IMPOSSIBLE ROGUE NATION - REVIEW [MINOR SPOILERS]

Well, thanks to a bug in Blogger's crappy engine I lost my entire 'Mission Impossible Rogue Nation' review. It was saved throughout, but somehow replaced itself with another draft post I've been working on. This has never happened to me before. Moving to Wordpress looks better each day. Thankfully my images were saved on my computer, but as for the rest of it. Oy. Hopefully this review will not be colored by the frustration of having to retype (and remember) what I just wrote.

I didn't plan to see 'Rogue Nation,' but my dad (and movie partner) convinced me. Honestly I didn't need much convincing. I love action and spy movies. The Mission Impossible franchise has always brought both of those worlds together beautifully. The fifth installment is no exception. While 'Rogue Nation' is not my favorite film in the franchise, it's a good one.

We start our fair film with an incredible stunt performed by Tom Cruise (Ethan Hunt) himself. Cruise's latest stunt is a signature for the 'Mission Impossible' films, beginning with his wire work in the original 1996; rock climbing in 'Mission Impossible 2;' scaling the tallest building in the world in 'Ghost Protocol' (which remains his most impressive stunt to date); and now Cruise clings on to a  plane in the midst of takeoff. An impressive stunt indeed. Say what you want about Cruise but he's essentially a stuntman. He's not one of those actors who claims to do most of his own stunts while the stuntmen in the background graciously *cough. Cruise puts his money where is mouth is. It terrifies the studios and the insurance companies, but it gives audiences quite a thrill.

Ethan's ascent into the heavens is part of IMF's (Impossible Mission Force) mission to subvert the new big bad in town (The Syndicate) from acquiring a weapon's payload. I have to give the writers a "F" for creativity on the naming of the bad guys. They are later described by Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) as an "anti-IMF"...again, not much creativity in these descriptions. "The Syndicate" title has been used in way too many trashy spy novels. Someone could have come up with a better name, but I digress.

Whilst Ethan is battling the Syndicate, William Brandt (Jeremy Renner) is battling Alan Huntley (Alec Baldwin) in front of a nameless governmental panel. It's nice to see a named actor as the CIA Director. Baldwin needs no introduction. I have often felt that a consistent supporting cast is what has been lacking in the MI franchise. Despite the IMF's incredible accomplishments, the Committee disbands the IMF fast enough to make your head spin.

Meanwhile Ethan is in London and has just been accosted by the Syndicate's main baddie, Solomon Lane (Sean Harris of Promothesus). Instead of killing Ethan he takes him hostage, which is something that was revealed in the trailers. It's also revealed in the trailers that Ethan has an unexpected friend, Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson). Ferguson plays the film's mandatory "it girl." Thankfully she holds her own and does a good job playing against Cruise. Unfortunately for Ferguson her role doesn't dig deeper than the femme fatale/assassin with a heart of gold cliche. This cliche has been seen in countless spy films and television shows before. If I recall correctly, Thandie Newton played a similar role in 'Mission Impossible 2.'

After Ethan escapes with Ilsa's help, he soon learns that he's an agent out in the cold...yet again. My biggest complaint is we have seen this before. In fact, I think we've seen Ethan shouting down the phone in a phone booth in most of the MI films. How many times has Ethan been disavowed or the IMF been disbanded? 'Ghost Protocol' did a wonderful job with this storyline, so much so that it really didn't need to be repeated. Surely there is another storyline outside of the IMF going down in flames?

Ethan goes rogue, but not before getting the band back together. Everyone from the last film is back, sans Paula Patton. Supposedly both Patton and 'Mission Impossible 3' alum, Maggie Q, had "scheduling conflicts," which is a nice way to say they've been replaced with a younger woman. Similar to the Alec Baldwin character, it would be nice to see some consistency in the female costars. There has been a new female costar in each of the five films.

The mission leads down the primrose path with Ilsa teaming up with Ethan and Benji. They attempt to access a SCIF (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility), which stores the Syndicate's data underneath what appears to be an inverted waterfall. In order for Benji to access the facility topside Ethan needs to access the facility from below. Oh but wait, they can't use a breathing apparatus because any metal will shut down the facility. I usually try to suspend my disbelief when I watch the MI movies, but this was a little dumb. Do you mean to tell me that with all of their incredible gadgets the IMF doesn't have some sort of non-metal alloy breathing apparatus? Of course not because not having a breathing apparatus ups the ante and increases the drama. Ethan almost drowns. Ilsa goes in after him. Ethan is in a full body suit, but Ilsa goes into the water in her skivvies because why not?

As soon as Benji starts to trust Ilsa she betrays the pair by stealing the information from them. A thrilling motorcycle chase ensues. Again, the stuntwork here is fantastic. It's not 'Mad Max Fury Road' fantastic, but it's good nonetheless. Ethan chases Ilsa, whilst the bad guys try to kill both of them. It's revealed later that Benji made a copy of the information, which begs the question...why the heck was Ethan chasing Isla in the first place? This is when Brandt starts to question Ethan's motives. Does Ethan want to save the world or his ego? It's a good question and one I wish would have been explored a little bit more.

The ending is perhaps the best part of the movie. Some people did not like the ending because it doesn't end with a bang, but a whisper. There are no massive explosions or acrobatic stuntwork--the filmmakers saved that for the beginning of the film. Instead, 'Rogue Nation' gets back to the heart of 'Mission Impossible'--outsmart the villain. The film is not without its imperfections, namely the redundancy in the franchise. The franchise may need some new blood behind and in front of the camera, but it's a fun franchise not to be taken seriously. It's flirty and over the top. That's part of its charm. If you want to watch a serious spy movie then go watch 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.'

THREE 1/2 STARS OUT OF FIVE

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