"Blu-ray or Bust"
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE: ROGUE NATION (2015, PG-13, 131 minutes,
BAD ROBOT/SKYDANCE)
I hate to admit it, but lately, I’ve kinda been enjoying Tom
Cruise movies.
I know, I know, I’m supposed to not like him (see: JACK
REACHER, ROCK OF AGES, KNIGHT AND DAY), yet lately…well…he hasn’t really been
acting all Tom Cruisey now, has he? (see: EDGE OF TOMORROW, OBLIVION, M:I:
GHOST PROTOCAL)
ROGUE NATION furthers the anti-Cruise Cruise movement; not
only does he get beat up and beat down, but he also seems more willing lately
to let other actors shine. Like someone
slapped him a good one, right in that chiseled kisser of his, and said, “HEY!
BITCH-CAKE! There’s other people in the movie, you know!”
Case in point: Simon Pegg and Jeremy Renner. Pegg plays scene stealer “Benji”, the
electronics guru of the bunch. He is
not the only source of comedy in the film, but he is one of the most reliable
as far as the Average Joe moniker goes.
Yes, he’s a spy, but he’s a down-to-earth nerdy spy. Renner is unflappable as head honcho
“Brandt”, who keeps busy trying to keep the CIA off of Ethan Hunt’s (Cruise)
back for a good portion of the film.
There, however, is where ROGUE missteps. In a plot-point not unfamiliar to the
franchise, the IMF is shut down, and the agents are left to fend for themselves
against 'The Syndicate', an unseen criminal organization responsible for
several disasters/attacks. The stunts
and action scenes are as over-the-top thrilling as you would expect, including
a motorcycle chase that blows away the boring one from the second film. But some of the plot seems rehashed, and not
as fresh as GHOST PROTOCAL was. There
really is only so much you can do in a spy film to make it seem fresher than
the others in the market, which is where some of those crazy-ass stunts come
into play.
And there are several set pieces designed to thrill and keep
you on the edge of your seat. Cruise
serves as a producer on this film, and his adrenalin-rush boyish charm is
stamped all over this production. Not a
bad thing; seeing him do his own stunt-work keeps the movie feeling real, makes
the danger involved an imminent and palpable third character.
Of course I’m going to demand you see this on Blu-ray. There are at least three different versions
on the format, and it all depends on how deeply you want to infiltrate the
filmmaking process. The best includes a
piece on the on-set editing, and another that shows more behind-the-stunts than
you thought you ever wanted. Very good
presentation on Blu-ray, and worth the extra dollars.
As of this writing, the sixth installment of the franchise
is in pre-production. Whether the money
behind the films can keep the sequels improving with each one remains to be
seen, but this much is true: since J.J. Abrams directed the third, I’ve all but
been able to forget the second one.
Keep ‘em coming, Tom, just be careful.
Good luck trying to top that motorcycle chase.
Film Grade: A-
Special Features: A
Blu-ray Necessary: Most Definitely
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