REVIEW… Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation

The last Mission: Impossible film, Ghost Protocol, set a very high standard and in a way rejuvenated the film franchise with a few new cast members and a strong plot. In other words, the expectation surrounding this year’s Rogue Nation was always going to be high but don’t worry, you won’t be disappointed. Tom Cruise returns as the enigmatic Ethan Hunt and this time he has quite the task on his hands. He has to track down The Syndicate, a rogue organisation determined to wreak havoc on civilisation and destroy the society which led to its creation, without the resources of the IMF. From the opening sequence to the final line, Rogue Nation excites and entertains. The stunts are simply incredible and breath-taking (quite literally), pushing the boundaries of the action genre once more. What makes them even more impressive is that they are real and don’t, like most movies nowadays, rely on CGI. Cruise is as captivating as ever while Simon Pegg’s Benji provides the comic relief with some brilliant one-liners and newcomer Rebecca Ferguson is excellent as Ilsa (who, might we add, can kick some serious butt). Sean Harris, who you may recognise from Harry Brown, couldn’t be better as the movie’s villain with Alec Baldwin, Jeremy Renner and Ving Rhames making up an incredibly strong supporting cast. Rogue Nation harks back to the core components that made the original Mission: Impossible such a success (explosive action and double-crossing) but still develops the concept and gives the audience something new and memorable. What is great about the latest installment is that it doesn’t rely on the reputation of the franchise or its stars (let’s face it, they could do anything and it would be a box office hit). It continues to push itself in terms of plot and character. In fact, it could be our favourite Ethan Hunt outing yet.