Review: MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE ROGUE NATION is a Spy vs. Spy Thrill Ride!

Let me start by saying that I love the Mission: Impossible franchise, from the very serious first entry to the over-the-top, wow factor stunts of Ghost Protocol. I love them all! (I even like M:I2…because what can I say, I’m a sucker for John Woo.) Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation takes the franchise I love and both changes it while also sticking to the formula. Now how does that work? Allow me to tell you.

When I first saw the trailer for M:I Rogue Nation I was extremely intrigued. (After of course first being wildly pumped that a new Mission: Impossible seemed to have come out of nowhere.) Alec Baldwin in an M:I movie? How unusual. Maybe pre-30 Rock Alec Baldwin, but how will we not just see him as a silly caricature of an all-American right wing politician? The good news is, they were banking on you pulling that exact sentiment. This is where Rogue Nation feels different. It never takes itself 100% too seriously. At this point, moviegoers know Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise). They know Benjamin “Benji” Dunn (Simon Pegg), they know Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames). We all know that the Impossible Mission Force pulls off some of the most outrageous and unbelievable world saving acts of bravery and stupidity ever conceived by big action scriptwriters. And in this new world, so do these characters. After Ghost Protocol, the world knows about IMF. We know that out there is some kick-ass agency doing crazy shit to save the planet from Bond-level villains, and Baldwin brings that perfect tongue-in-cheek sense of awareness to Rogue Nation. He delivers a monologue towards the climax of the film that I’m not going to spoil for you, but it perfectly encompasses this newly established semi-self-awareness that I can’t wait to see further explored in the franchise.

While Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation feels like a combination of a parody and a bit of an homage to classic spy movies, it most certainly does not skimp on the two most important words in that statement: Spy. Movie. This film jet-sets all over the globe and has some of the most stunning set pieces I’ve seen since Skyfall. One scene, in particular, takes place at an opera in Vienna that feels like it was lifted straight out of a Timothy Dalton-era Bond film. The entire feel of the movie makes me think what kind of films we would have gotten if James Bond hadn’t ditched the somewhat campy feel for a more gritty and dark tone. Not to say that M:I Rogue Nation feels campy, but this feels like a natural evolution of those style of spy vs. spy films. And part of that is certainly due to the villain played by Sean Harris. He is creepy, smart, cunning, and a great foil to Ethan Hunt’s more snarky, handsome, shoot-first-ask-questions-later stuntman routine. He doesn’t fight, he has others fight for him. He played the role spectacularly!

All in all, I am very happy that we have both this film and Spectre coming out in the same year. While both are fantastic and fun spy film franchises, Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation feels more like a summer blockbuster thrill-ride in comparison to the new Bond’s darker path. And regardless of whether or not you like the fun new touch of campiness in the latest entry, you will be on the edge of your seat with each absolutely amazing stunt and breath-taking new locale. It is a fun romp through spy land and you would be remiss not to catch it on the big screen where it belongs!