Movie Review: Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

No matter how crazy he may appear off screen, and oh, there's plenty of crazy spilling out of this cat, as soon as he agrees to hang off of a cliff or an airplane and assume Ethan Hunt's identity, people will line up around the block to get a peek at Tom Cruise. I actually remember literally lining up around the block when the first "Mission Impossible" came out in 1996. Of course, that's no longer necessary due to online ticketing. Thank you internet!

(That reminds me. Have you ever arrived at a movie that started five minutes ago and get stuck in line behind some schlub, leaning against the counter with all the time in the world, ordering tickets for a movie that doesn't even open for another two weeks? Is this really necessary in today's society? Smart phones. Dumb people.)

The last time I saw a Tom Cruise movie, he was dangling from the Burj Khalifa with the aid of some high tech mittens provided by the IMF (Impossible Missions Force). That WASN'T his last movie, however. Did anyone actually see "Edge of Tomorrow?" Or was it "Live, Die, Repeat?" (It's an action movie not shampoo instructions, people!) Always a bad idea to change the name of a movie between its theatrical release and when it arrives on DVD. It's the marketing equivalent of straddling lanes on the freeway. You want to roll down your window, extend a digit and scream, "PICK A TITLE!" Or, were they trying to fool people who avoided it the first time around? In that case, it's a BRILLIANT marketing ploy. But you have to wake up earlier to fool THIS guy, Warner Brothers.

Let me start by saying that you don't need to see the previous four MIs prior to viewing Rogue Nation. But I watched Ghost Protocol (my favorite of the bunch) the night before. Didn't really matter.

The plot's the same in all of these MI iterations. Some evil organization has their hands on some WMD and only the IMF can stop them. Of course, everyone always wants to blame the world's problems ON the IMF, Ethan Hunt in particular. (Seriously, dude. These folks aren't very loyal to their employees. It's always "what have you done for me lately?" with these spy organization suits.)

The gang from Ghost Protocol is back with the exception of Paula Patton whose absence isn't explained. Probably marital problems with Robin Thicke. Ving Rhames is back for this go around and Alec Baldwin is along for the ride as the Director of the CIA. The great thing about Alec Baldwin is you never really know if he's with you or against you. You'll have to see it to find out. This is a spoiler free zone.

As mentioned, the plot is really nothing more than a device to stage elaborate set pieces and stunts. They've got some doozies, as well as some nice "GOTCHA!" moments.

The thing that I really liked about Rogue Nation is that the title sequence has the original MI theme, not some jazzy or updated version. Nothing gets your heart started like that fuse being lit and hearing Lalo Schifrin's original score.

Here's the problem that I had with it. It's fairly minor. I LOVED the first "Mission Impossible" almost 20 years ago. The second and third outings were pretty forgettable. I think "Ghost Protocol" is the best of the five in the series. So, they've taken a step backwards. It's a small one, but that's a dangerous move for a franchise that's getting long in the tooth with a leading man now approaching his mid-fifties. Plus Ethan, they keep threatening to disavow you. Perhaps you should think about getting a new job with better security.

3 out of 4 stars