Mission Impossible: Rouge Nation

I completely forgot about this review, and thus it has been sitting in my documents and folders for a while now. For this season I have also completely forgotten what the film about so here's the IMDB plot synopsis:

Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet, eradicating the Syndicate - an International rogue organization as highly skilled as they are, committed to destroying the IMF. 

At 53 Tom Cruise is still going pretty strong by performing his own stunts for the Mission Impossible franchise, (including climbing the world's tallest building and hanging on to the side of plane) and it's quite clear that he's got plenty more years of this ahead of him. Much has been made of the often published fact that Cruise performs his own stunts. It's hard not to appreciate this dedication from Cruise and it certainly makes the film more immersive knowing full well that it is actually Tom Cruise's Ethan Hawke rather than a stunt man hanging off an actual plane above actual ground.

In the previous film (Ghost Protocol) director Brad Bird brought a lot of humour to the franchise, the following film, whilst containing plenty of humour isn't quite as wittily written as Bird's film but it's just as relentless. There is hardly time to draw breath before the viewer is flung to the next head crashingly loud action set piece, be it a motorcycle chase or some fisty cuffs and despite the lightening quick and incomprehensible editing (to tone down the violence for the 12A release) there is plenty to get excited about.

The film's relentless pace makes the film bound nicely along its 135 minute plus running time and the great chemistry between the actors makes the character's relationship with one another and the group's dynamic helps the film become increasingly entertaining.  Cruise's performance in the lead role is more than satisfactory and he is well matched by Sean Harris' menacing villian.

However, despite the positives the film's plot is a flimsy as its physics and it doesn't really stand up well to any thorough examination but it's a pretty fun ride nonetheless so a flimsy plot is much easier to forgive.

3.5/5