Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation is the fifth installment in the action-spy-thriller franchise. It was co-written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, with story credits going to McQuarrie and Drew Pearce. The film stars familiar faces including who else but Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, Sean Harris, and Alec Baldwin.
Is the fifth installment in the Mission: Impossible series special or otherwise groundbreaking? Absolutely not. Is it enjoyable and delivers what one can expect from this genre? Absolutely yes. When a moviegoer decides to watch a film of this sort, he or she also agrees to accept certain fictional logic (or lack of) such as an underwater (water-exposed) computer database and characters who get punch and bitten up, yet are able to get back on their feet and perform miracles. Heck, isn’t that one reason we go to the movies?
That aside, praises go to the McQuarrie for keeping the action going, balancing it well with humor and a hint of romance. Pegg is a delight with his delivery of comic relief. Ferguson in a supporting role stands on her own, projecting an Amazon Women’s fierceness, yet, by nuances in acting also implies of a character deeper than just a highly trained killer. She makes the character she inhibits one I wish to know more about (and likely will in the next series installment.) And then there is Cruise; this film series’ staple. Like him or hate him, Cruise the person that is, on the big screen Cruise doesn’t seem to age. He continues to perform many of his own stunts and plays the protagonist role with such vigor that makes him believable.
While Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation could have had some deeper message such as the Golem story, it does not dwell on philosophy nor any other profound ideas. It carries no big surprises but it does make for delightful entertainment.