I haven't seen a Mission Impossible movie since the very first one so I wasn't really sure what to expect, although I knew there were a lot of practical stunts, a lot of which were performed by Tom Cruise himself, again as Ethan Hunt, agent of the IMF.

 

A lot of people seem to dislike Tom Cruise although I find is acting very good and greatly admire the ambitious movies he takes on. I enjoyed him in recent movies that take science fiction very seriously. Like him or not, he is a very energetic and enthusiastic actor. He was very ripped for this one, and had one feat of strength that had me wondering if he pulled that off without wires!

 

Simon Pegg is fun for some comic relief as Ethan's friend and colleague Benji Dunn. He has a few well-timed moments that had the audience laughing, as did Jeremy Renner playing William Brandt who is also part of the team.

 

Rebecca Ferguson is very captivating as British operative Ilsa Faust. We spend a lot of the movie trying to figure out where her loyalties, and if she can be trusted or not.

Ethan and his team are trying to stop the plans of the Syndicate, who seem to be a step ahead of them, all while the CIA has shut them down and is hunting Ethan.

 

Solomon Lane, played by Sean Harris, heads the Syndicate. He is sinister, ruthless and cold; a great villain to watch and dislike.

 

This movie certainly has a lot of action and interesting locations. The BMW car chase was great although, like most things in movies like this, quite unrealistic. It did seem like a lengthy BMW commercial, but it ended up a great moment and a huge laugh from Simon Pegg.

 

Immediately following is a motorcycle chase that is very intense and fun to watch. It was obvious Tom Cruise did a lot of stunts here as well. Of course a lot of the movie was unbelievable, but that's what you expect in films like this. It wasn't as over-the-top as many James Bond movies but certainly defied reality in many cases.

 

The movie certainly has a lot of action and very rarely is there slow parts. I was happy that they didn't force a romance down our throats which made the characters that much more believable to me.

 

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation is a great spy/action movie with just interesting characters, a lot of great action and just the right amount of comic relief.

 

I give it a 7.5/10.

REVIEW: "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" by Jason Thomas

STARRING:

Tom Cruise

Jeremy Renner

Simon Pegg

Rebecca Ferguson

Ving Rhames

Sean Harris

Alec Baldwin

 

DIRECTED BY:

Christopher McQuarrie

 

RELEASE DATE:

July 29, 2015

 

STUDIO:

Paramount Pictures

 

RATED PG-13