Building over the previous instalment, Rogue Nation proposes a plot that involves a deep-secret organisation hidden in plain sight within the confines of the world-wide intelligence community. Of course, this isn't something new, at all (S.P.E.C.T.R.E. did all that back since the late 50's). The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist, and just like that The Syndicate goes to extreme lengths to cover its tracks, not too convincingly. I mean, The Syndicate has been operating with almost unlimited funding since 9/11, but has never been able to manage a true chaos environment to thrive in and keep the status-quo... and that's a complete failure of its mission statement, specially with that kind of budget. The real C.I.A. did better than that with just a a minimal fraction of that money in South America in the 60's and the Middle East in the early 80's. The action scenes are good enough, but none of them surpass the elegance and thrill of the Burj Khalifa sequence in Ghost Protocol (and that's sad, in my opinion). Sam Harris isn't as convincing as he needs to be as the main antagonist, and I did find his exposition scenes a little bit forced, and within the Hollywood cliché that the villain has to explain everything to us, mere mortals, instead of just just killing the hero. The Chinese investment in the film is felt and unwelcome, in my opinion, just like it happened to Marvel in Iron Man 3, trying to add Chinese characters and scenes (trust me, those 15 extra minutes of the Chinese plot in Iron Man 3 available only in the Asian version of the film are worthless). Overall, this is a fine movie, albeit of lesser quality than the previous one in terms of scope. IMF is always (except in the first 2 movies) in the verge of disappearing, and 4 of the movies have the characters in rogue mode, so it's a little bit disappointing to me that they are still beating that same dead horse once again. Please, it is that hard to portray a few flawless missions just as the TV series did in a hundred episodes with a bare-bottoms budget and good acting?.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Are you okay to drive? A minute ago you were dead."

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation is still as amazing as the first time I saw it. From Tom Cruise hanging on a airplane to the way they trap Solomon Lane (Sean Harris) at the end, you'll realize that you have been watching another Mission: Impossible sequel for about 135 minutes. I'm still at awe how it is even possible for a franchise to get better with each installment.

The ingredient here is the role of Ilsa Faust played brilliantly by Rebecca Ferguson. She's the young indestructible Ethan Hunt. While Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is getting older, might even be a step slower and more vulnerable then he ever was. Which is a good thing. What also helps is that in every damn sequel they get the big set pieces right. The opera scene in Vienna? Awesome. The chase scene in Casablanca? Brilliant. The opening stunt? Epic.

And yet again, the cast is getting better too. Simon Pegg stepping up and is so lovable as Benji, Jeremy Renner being the funny guy was a great move (so sad he couldn't be part of the next installment), seeing Ving Rhames as Luther never disappoints and adding Alec Balwin? Brilliant!

Anyway they even amped up the spy stuff! Loved the story in this one too. Christopher McQuarrie was a great choice to direct this and I am so happy he is returning for part 7! And man, that tune never gets old!

Lovely rewatch!

"Looks like the mission....just got impossible." - Quote by Ben Stiller.

The story in Rogue Nation is about Ethan Hunt and his team face their biggest and most dangerous threat yet (Would you believe it) The Syndicate, an international rogue group that are as skilled as they are deadly - and their number one goal is to eliminate the IMF.

Before I talk about Rogue Nation here is all my thoughts on the previous Mission Impossible movies. The first movie in my opinion was decent and a lot of hard work went into that film, I mean you look at the behind the scenes of the first movie people really worked they ass of on that movie and to me it paid off nicely. I give the first movie a strong 3/5 star's.

Mission Impossible 2 was pretty terrible to be honest. I felt like I was watching a different movie because to me I didn't feel like the first movie or even a Mission Impossible movie. I'm giving Mission Impossible 2 a 2/5 star's.

Mission Impossible 3 really got things back on track after the messy MI 2. Philip Seymour Hoffman was a great villain and JJ. Abrams did a good job directing the action scenes and the whole movie. I'm giving the third one a 3½ / 5 star's.

Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol was pretty good. The actions scenes and the characters are the highlight of the movie. My only problem with the movie is that the villain was a bit weak and wasn't really that menacing. Overall I'm giving Ghost Protocol movie a solid 4/5 star's.

And now for Rogue Nation and it was a very enjoyable movie and I liked it a little more than Ghost Protocol.

I was a bit worried but at the same time interesting on what Christopher McQuarrie will bring to a franchise like this, because this is the same guy who directed Jack Reacher and I though that movie was okay but nothing special. Brad Bird was originally suppose to direct this movie but dropped out because he wanted to direct Tomorrowland and then Christopher McQuarrie stepped in. After seeing the movie I'm so happy to say that Christopher McQuarrie did a great job directing this movie as he added a lot to this movie when it comes to action and it's characters. McQuarrie really gave the actions scenes a feeling of rush and the action never got stale after wards like some action movies do after awhile. Nicely done Christopher McQuarrie.

It's crazy how Tom Cruise is 50 years old and he's doing all of his own stunts for his fans and keep it real and not over use CGI. He was great in this movie like in everyone movie Tom Cruise was in. You can tell by his face that he's in the zone when he dose these stunts that could kill him or hurt him really bad. Tom Cruise nailed the humor, he nailed the action scenes and he nailed the role.

Many people and myself had no idea who Rebecca Ferguson was before Rogue Nation. She was in last years Hercules with Dwayne Johnson that nobody remembered and I already forgotten that movie already. Rebecca Ferguson was so good in this movie that she is going places after this because of how good she was. In this movie she was like the female Liam Neeson from Taken because it's the whole "I'm going to kill you in one blow" kind of character. Rebecca and Cruise worked together perfectly and she nailed the role of a strong female character.

Simon Pegg was great in this movie playing Benji. It's surprising that not a lot of people give him credit in this movie as his known best at comedy but he's also a great action actor star as well, he proved that in Ghost protocol, Rogue Nation and Hot Fuzz.

The rest of the cast like: Ving Rhames, Jeremy Renner and Alec Baldwin all did great in this movie.

The one thing that the Mission Impossible movies doesn't do very well is it's villain. Philip Seymour Hoffman was the only good villain in Mission Impossible series but the rest of villains have been weak and pretty forgettable. But the villain in Rogue Nation has a lot of motivation and he's the kind of villain that you understand where is coming from. Sean Harris dose a great performance as this chilling character but it wasn't an incredible villain but still better than the one we got in the other movies.

Now for the problems: The movie itself isn't flawless as these some scenes in the movie that the pacing dragged a little bit and when the characters have conversations about the gadgets and stuff it wasn't that interesting as Ghost Protocol did it better, because Ghost Protocol was a straight up action movie filled with humor and entertaining characters and when they have conversations about gadgets it was interesting and creative.

Overall Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation isn't only just a good action movie it's a good movie on it's own. The movie took elements from the first movie and Ghost Protocol and puts it together in this movie which made it a very entertaining movie.

Some over-stuffed blockbuster actioners boldly boast their explosive and invigorating productions with dynamic glee. Well, the ‘Mission: Impossible’ film franchise echoes this same sentiment, with flashy fifty-something star Tom Cruise still carrying that boyish exuberance that never seems to miss a beat, and can breathe a sigh of relief because the latest chapter will not disappoint in its adventurous, adrenaline-rushing skin. Yes, Cruise is back as IMF super spy stud Ethan Hunt in writer-director Christopher McQuarrie’s power-surging ‘Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation’. Notoriously slick, ambitious, wildly impish and vastly intriguing, ‘Rogue Nation’ incorporates superb direction, writing and, of course, its no-nonsense dosage of non-stop shenanigans to fuel the audience’s escapist palates.

In actuality, ‘Rogue Nation’ is a hyper and hip throwback to the original blueprint for this kinetic movie series that took viewers by storm when it first premiered back in 1996. The minor outcry for the box office sensation that was the ‘Mission: Impossible’ big screen offering back in the late 90s was quite understandable since it did not seem to stay entirely true to the iconic 60s television series thus being dismissed as a volt-driven vanity piece for the high-strutting Cruise. Still, the cinematic ‘Mission: Impossible’ experience did not peter out but steadily built a devoted fan base that wanted to endure the high-flying hedonism of Cruise’s espionage daredevil Hunt and his band of cunning cohorts. It is definitely safe to say that the stellar ‘Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation’ has delivered a bang for its buck in a summertime cinema hunger that thrives for such sleek, innovative spy thrillers that charm more than harm. Maybe ‘Rogue Nation’ will not let anyone forget the exploits of the legendary James Bond spy capers anytime soon but hey…Cruise’s hotshot Hunt has a colorfully distinctive way of promoting his ‘shaken, not stirred’ moments as well.

So how did the collaboration of filmmaker McQuarrie and his chance-taking lead Cruise give ‘Rogue Nation’ its deliciously sinister, overactive pulse? The fact that the overzealous stuntwork (much of it performed by Cruise with daring enthusiasm) is imaginative and the story feels smart and clever certainly has a lot to do with the magnetic appeal of ‘Rogue Nation’. Hey, the TV advertisements even give a generous peek into the pulsating platitudes that the MI universe will swallow with robust anticipation. Watch IMF agent Hunt hang on to a speedy airplane with his dear life in the balance. Watch IMF agent Hunt jump into a deadly spiral of a waterfall. Watch IMF agent Hunt race a piercingly fast motorcycle (or car…take your pick) and enjoy the road raging carnage with poetic prominence. Okay…you get the picture.

The premise in ‘Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation’ has more bounce to it than a basketball during the NBA playoffs and that is not necessarily a bad thing to note. While Hunt continues his mission to stop the team’s latest despicable foe (Sean Harris) and end the operation of the insidious operation known as the Syndicate there are feathers being ruffled because of the federalised threats to shut down the IMF empire through the suggestion of a top-notch CIA director (Alec Baldwin). Naturally, IMF head honcho Brandt (Jeremy Renner) tries to prevent such hasty actions as his team of agents must overcome some of the controversy and confrontations from previous disastrous events that have warranted the threatening hints to shutdown his governmental outfit.

Cruise's Agent Ethan Hunt is leaving on a jet plane and doesn't know how long he'll be back again in the eye-popping actioner MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE-ROGUE NATION.
Cruise’s Agent Ethan Hunt is leaving on a jet plane and doesn’t know how long he’ll be back again in the eye-popping actioner MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE-ROGUE NATION.
One cannot say enough about the ponderous yet action-packed ‘Rogue Nation’ as this exceedingly spry and hyperactive spy caper keeps one on their anxious feet while never letting up for a gasp of air. The exotic locales, showy opera houses, heart-pounding action sequences, innovative chase scenes on wheels, over-the-top baddies, well-choreographed fist fights and, of course, Cruise’s roguish Hunt and his willingness to soak up the mischievousness and mayhem of the proceedings allows this particular ‘Mission: Impossible’ installment to resonate so soundly in its off-kilter, energetic greatness. The supporting players such as Simon Pegg’s Benji and Ving Rhames’s Luther are on hand to contribute to the landscape of the triumphant cloak-and-dagger goings-on. In particular, Rebecca Ferguson is the transfixing tart whose presence as Cruise’s enigmatic female lead is easily a scene stealer. Can she be trusted or not? Who cares? In the long run, Ferguson’s inclusion is almost mandatory just to spice up this first-rate popcorn pleaser a tad bit more. Tom Hollander (‘In the Loop’) adds some flavor in the mix as the unpredictable British Prime Minister.

McQuarrie (who worked with Cruise previously on ‘Jack Reacher’ and helmed ‘The Way Of The Gun’) had a tough act to follow in terms of trying to keep stride with prior ‘Mission: Impossible’ big names in auteurs Brian De Palma, John Woo, J.J. Abrams and Brad Bird. Indeed, that is a tall order to fill. However, as the Oscar-winner screenwriter for ‘The Usual Suspects’ McQuarrie has shown that his take on the fifth edition of the ‘Mission: Impossible’ film franchise with ‘Rogue Nation’ can easily be as defiant and defining as any of his predecessors’ intense, eye-popping outings.

‘Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation’, with its lavish set pieces and sophisticated sense of winding and grinding with the twitchy antics of Cruise leading the pack, is perhaps the closest thing to resembling the elegance and excellence of the indomitable Agent 007.

Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation (2015)

Paramount Pictures

2 hrs. 12 mins.

Starring: Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames, Sean Harris, Rebecca Ferguson, Tom Hollander, Simon McBurney and Zang Jingchu

Directed and Written by: Christopher McQuarrie

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Spy Thriller/Action-Adventure/Intrigue and Espionage

Critic’s Rating: *** 1/2 stars (out of 4 stars)

Everything you can expect from a "Mission: Impossible" movie. The script is not the brightest nor the freshest but works OK. Cruise, Pegg and Rhames keep the franchise afloat while Renner and Baldwin feel unneeded.

Great addition with Ferguson. She takes most of the attention in this movie.

Good work from the direction.