MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 5 - ROGUE NATION MOVIE REVIEW

Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation is the first of the two big spy espionage franchise films to release this year; the other one being the 24th James Bond film, Spectre, which would hit the screens later this year. Rogue Nation happens to be the fifth edition of the MI franchise, which runs close to 2 decades.

One might want to see the earlier installments of Mission Impossible before possibly watching this, since the film has connects with all the four previous editions and the core story jumps from where Ghost Protocol ends. It features one of the better stories of the series. Though it is simple, the way it is narrated makes it look complex and dynamic.

The movie wastes no time to get going, as it grabs the attention of the audience from the very word go. The narration of the film doesn’t look to stagnate one bit, as the director keeps throwing in enough surprise elements one after another which is also layered with some riveting and pulsating action sequences for the audience to consume. Like any other spy films, MI 5 is also filled with some deceptive twists and betrayal which however may not be deceptive for some.

The director Christopher McQuarrie has maneuvered his resources with utmost perfection to develop such a slick and fun spy espionage entertainer. The director holds the momentum throughout not leaving it wander mid-way. A car chase followed by a bike chasing sequence, scenes where the hero infiltrates a building and more such clichéd sequences, make MI 5, a stereotypical commercial flick but as the screenplay is airtight, people don’t think too much on that clichéd line.

Simon Pegg’s humor works big time, if there is one supporting actor who stands above the rest, it would be him. Simon, this time finds a meaty role with ample screen time and voluminous scope to prove him. Rogue Nation is one of those rarest commercial films that do not involve a last scene smooch; in fact it is the only MI film to not feature a kissing scene!

Tom Cruise, he is perfect, this man doesn’t look as if he has crossed his 50. In fact, in one of the scenes where he’s on the bike with those super-duper shades, he literally takes you back to the Top Gun days. By any means it is not his best performance, but still he fits the bill like a glove. He looks absolutely endearing for a 50 year old. And now coming to the most talked about stunt sequence where Ethan (Tom) climbs on the outside of a flying airplane without any special effects or stunt doubles; it takes great courage for a man of his caliber to do that and thanks to the director who places it as the foremost scene of the film, giving the crowd an early adrenaline push.

The film scores high on technical values as well. It is visually stunning, musically functional with the high octane MI theme track. And there are these amazing wide angle shots mixed with some POV shots, which give you a complete movie watching experience. Rogue Nation also happens to be the first film to be shot using an Arri 6.5K Alexa 65 with a larger censor for the underwater sequence.

Overall, it’s a pretty cool spy espionage thriller with a decent plot to go with, banking on the broad shoulders of Tom Cruise.