#52&53: MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION

#52&53: MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION

Starring Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Jeremey Renner, Rebecca Ferguson, Alex Baldwin, Sean Harris and Ving Rhames.

Written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie. 131 minutes long.

It's time to fit the catheter, mother, we're going to the cinema! You've gaped at the trailer, you've seen the poster (it's there, nine lines up) and witnessed Tom Cruise clinging to the side of an aircraft and you've probably thought you've seen the climax of the movie, well don't worry you haven't, indeed within the constructs of the movie, you've not even seen beyond the first scene! Yes! it's time for the new Miss: Imp movie, one of the last summer block-buster movies of the year, with only Man From Uncle (another spy film) and Pan to go.

The plot, revolves around Ethan's discovery of an anti-I.M.F (Impossible Mission Force) and his mission to destroy it before it destroys him, along the way becoming the sole target of Alex Baldwin run C.I.A and forced to go rogue to do it, with only the help of old friends, Simon Pegg's Benji Dunn, Ving Rhames' Luther Stickell, Jeremy Renner's William Brant and the new, Rebecca Ferguson's Ilsa Faust.

The Miss Imp films often get overlooked, unlike the Bournes and Bonds and it's unjustified, in terms of box office, it's the second most successful spy franchise after Bond with 740 million in the coffers, over a 100 mill more than the Bjoin-again movies.

Rogue Nation is the fifth installment of the Cruise Missile's Mission: Impossible franchise, now in its 19th year and what a funny franchise it is. The first one, directed by Brian DePlama was a good old romp that updated the old TV show for the 90s, and introduced a new spy for us to root for - Ethan Hunt. While the second film in the series, the John Woo-ful Mission: Impossible II almost killed the franchise stone dead with its over-used dove-imagery, slow-mo nonsense and awful villain coupled with a OTT Cruise. Then it was saved by J.J. Abrams and the genius of Phillip Seymour-Hoffman before it was finally propelled up into the stratosphere of box-office glory by Brad Bird with M:I -Ghost Protocol.

Now it's the turn of Christopher McQuarrie to herald in the fifth installment, but does he fly with it like Bird, or Woo-uin it, like John?

This is the very antithesis of the barrage of Meh films that have marred this summer's season of Blockbusters. With a well written script and some excellent direction from Christopher McQuarrie (this is their second film together), the Cruister shows he's still box office gold for this sort of thing, offering a thoroughly satisfying, exciting and enjoyable spy romp with twists and turns, intrigue and drama galore along with the some spectacular stunts thrown in to boot! Indeed, a most satisfying time was had by all! Although in the negative column it is bloody long.

8/10