Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet, eradicating the Syndicate – an International rogue organization as highly skilled as they are, committed to destroying the IMF.
Cast
Tom Cruise – Ethan Hunt
Jeremy Renner – William Brandt
Simon Pegg – Benji Dunn
Rebecca Ferguson – Ilsa Faust
Sean Harris – Solomon Lane
Alec Baldwin – Alan Hunley
Simon McBurney – Attlee
Opera Operation
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation wasn’t overly bad. But at the same time it wasn’t anything I haven’t seen before. Let’s see:
Opening & closing credits bursting with pounding music and a unique way of displaying the actors names with animation and / or pictures – check.
Car chase – check.
Car stunts (incl. camera close-up’s of the vehicle logo, flipping, crashing and dangerous interaction with other vehicles) – check.
Tom Cruise in a life-threatening situation where any normal member of the public would die. But he doesn’t. – check.
Tom Cruise being held captive but being able to escape nicely as the captors did not secure him properly – check.
Sexy ‘love interest’ who steers the concentration of the lead male occasionally by use of her unseen vagina – check.
Hanging from a very tall building – check.
Men in suits walking up and down hallways or in and out of labs – check.
One of the team staring at a giant computer screen barking “GET OUTTA THERE!” for 30% of the movie – check.
A pit-stop at a cozy café between manic situations – check.
First of all, the scene at the Opera was my favourite. Fast-paced and slick, it sees Ethan bounce, jump and punch his way through the rafters of an opera house. The scene was filmed very well, with the stage beams sliding up and down as he tries to outrun a shooter. I found myself smiling at the on-screen action as much of the audience around me were laughing out loud. Good stuff here, the slick action kept the movie moving nicely. And although Tom seems to be ageing, he’s still doing very well – the actor is versatile and maintains a fantastic energy during Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, doing his own stunts only boosts his fortitude. Viewers are not left without action during this scene and get a generous serving of agile antics, so keep yor eyes open.
The car chase between Ethan and Benji and the Syndicate members and Faust is also very good. Tom had the audience laughing out loud yet again as he warily stumbles his way towards a car (shortly after having drowned and resucitated by Faust) and begins a dizzying chase. During this scene my mouth genuinely fell open and a gasp of, “fuuuuuucking hell..” came out at the sight of Ethan’s car practically back-flipping over a wall and across a parking lot. It was impressive stuff, and added wonderfully to the overall action atmosphere. If you’re a movie fan who likes a bit of action I have absolutely no doubt you’ll enjoy this movie. The action is non-stop and filmed brilliantly.
Renner Runner and Westminster
Yay. The producers decided to feature a nice dollop of my hometown London during the movie. When the focus shifts to Faust and her riverside rendez-vous with an MI6 agent handler, viewers get a nice view of one of the world’s most famous capitals. As the pair sit next to the river, the Houses of Parliament can be seen just in front of them – before day turns to night and Ethan is seen stumbling through the backstreets of Piccadilly (I love this area. A cinema I frequent regularly is just round the corner (Haymarket) from those giant advert-tv screen things), followed shortly (ha! Shortly. Tom Cruise is short) by Brandt (Renner) who is seen gracing a classic red telephone box as he makes an urgent call to his agents. Piccadilly, Westminster, the more upper-class areas of London are displayed nicely with clarity and glossy night-time visuals. It delivers a nicely tense atmosphere amongst the looming historic buildings.
On the subject of Jeremy Renner, I fear the actor will play the parts of an action man for the rest of his life. The man is good. Let’s face it, he delivers what he needs to where he needs to, but it’s always the same style of movie. The Bourne Legacy, The Hurt Locker, The Town, Mission: Impossible, Avengers.. little square head and stony-faced, he’s always the ‘tough associate’. I’d like to see him in a biopic or something where he portrays a famous artist – like The Jersey Boys, that kind of thing. Knickers off to him though, the man has sex appeal. Not many people I know find him attractive – I’m on my own with this. He definitely pops my cork, he looks kind of like a sexy troll. He’s hot. And bursting with testosterone. But come on Renner, stop running through streets firing guns. Calm the bad boy down, bring us something new.
Stop running Renner.
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation is extremely watchable stuff. It moves at a fast pace with some great slick action performed by a cast ensemble who gel well together. I went to see this on a Saturday night in a packed auditorium, and the atmosphere was electric. The audience were gasping, laughing out loud, loving it. Definitely worth a watch if you enjoyed the previous movie. Yes, it’s the ‘same old, same old’ type feature due to it following the hanging from buildings and car chases pattern of the movie before – but that doesn’t mean it’s not good enough to watch. Give it a go if you fancy a good action movie, you won’t be too disappointed. Good work.
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