Film Review: Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)
If in recent years, lacking a better alternative, you have been forced to spend some time watching the programming of average commercial or public TV networks, one of the better options—provided you are interested in undemanding but professionally executed entertainment—is stumbling upon an episode of CSI or NCIS. The quality of episodes or spin-off series from the same universe may vary, but on average, it amounts to something sufficiently acceptable to fans of such content for these series to remain on screen for years. Moreover, it scarcely matters that the content of most episodes resembles one another and is quickly forgotten; simply by filling just under an hour of viewers’ attention, they fulfil the purpose of their existence, that is, establishing a formula that works. One cinematic equivalent of the same phenomenon is the Mission: Impossible series. Among the films made so far, there have been good ones, disappointing ones, and bad ones, yet the successful formula has also been employed, filling Paramount Pictures’ coffers and maintaining the star status of lead actor Tom Cruise, regardless of the fact that hardly any viewer can recall the main plot of each film after several years. This, perhaps unsurprisingly, stems from the fact that the basic concept was inherited from the cult 1960s TV series, which in many ways was the CSI of the previous century.
The plot of the new film begins after Ethan Hunt (Cruise), the main operative of the IMF, an elite team of American super-secret intelligence agents, “routinely” completes another mission of saving the world from villains. Despite the impressive results, Washington bigwigs, led by CIA Director Hunley (Alec Baldwin), are concerned about the potential negative consequences of the IMF’s actions and decide to forcibly absorb the organisation into the CIA. Meanwhile, Hunt discovers that the IMF itself is the target of a sort of “anti-IMF”, an elite organisation of global villains led by the colourful Solomon Lane (Sam Harris), who has skilfully manipulated Hunt’s superiors into pursuing him as a rogue agent. Hunt, with the help of his colleagues, attempts to prove his innocence and expose Lane. In this, he receives key assistance from Lane’s associate Ilsa Faust (Ferguson), who turns out to be an embedded agent of British MI6, though her true motives and loyalty remain unclear until the very end.
Rogue Nation largely relies on the screenplay concept of Ghost Protocol, the previous film in the series, which sought primarily to attract viewers through action, at the expense of subplots tied to the main hero’s family and other personal issues. Screenwriter and director Christopher McQuarrie, who collaborated with Cruise on the solid, albeit commercially disappointing Jack Reacher, sticks firmly to this formula and avoids screenplay complications involving deeper background for the plot and characters. The result is not always good—the overarching plot involving Washington bureaucrats is quite predictable, and the character portrayed by Baldwin quickly crosses the line into caricature—but Rogue Nation can boast impressively inventive action scenes. Most notable is the sequence in which Hunt must prevent an assassination at the Vienna Opera, which is somewhat of a shame to be “used up” midway through the film, rendering nominally more spectacular scenes in later parts less impactful.
Particular mention must be made of Rebecca Ferguson, the Swedish actress known as the protagonist of the BBC historical series The White Queen, who in Rogue Nation portrays an almost archetypal femme fatale super-spy reminiscent of Modesty Blaise. McQuarrie wisely stripped this character of any explicit hints of a romantic relationship with Hunt; this not only relieved the film of unnecessary baggage but also won the favour of feminist-inclined critics, given that Isla Faust not only avoids resembling a “damsel in distress” but becomes more than an equal partner, or rather a potential rival to the protagonist. Consequently, even the most sensitive among SJWs will turn a blind eye to the relative frequency of scenes in which her character appears in a bathing suit or more revealing costumes—something that, in almost any other context, would invite accusations of sexist exploitation.
Nevertheless, even in this instalment, the Mission: Impossible experience boils down to that offered by an average episode of CSI. More money has been spent here, the effects and scenes are more impressive, and a new episode requires waiting several years. However, as with its television equivalent, Mission: Impossible would not have endured on screens for so long without some minimum average quality—a rarity for series in today’s Hollywood.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
(Note: The text in the original Croatian version was posted here.)
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